The Importance of Having PCF Files When Doing Workface Planning for Piping from the 3D Model  

PCF files can be complicated to understand, but fortunately, when using O3’s data management software you don’t have to understand how it’s formatted. O3’s expert 3D model engineering department is set up to maximize the data found in your PCF files.

But if you do want to understand the formatting, then you can see all of the configurations in the section model under project settings. This allows you to configure exactly how the files are parsed and schedule when they will be automatically synched from BIM360 to O3. You can also see how the BIM will be generated from the PCF data. You can get training from O3 to learn more as part of your implementation.

Even if you are not a PCF data expert it’s still important to understand why these files are useful. When working with piping model data, you will usually have two different types of files that are needed to generate the 3D model. One file type will provide the geometry used to visualize the model and the other file, the PCF file, will be used to get important fabrication data. Without the PCF data, your planners will be working without important component information. 

Some examples of the data provided by the PCF files are:  

• Weld-scope: is the listed weld a fab shop weld or a field weld, a fabrication item or an erection item  
• Material scope: what materials should be included with each component  
• Spool identifiers: do the PCF components belong to any spools?  
• Any end connections for pipelines with their coordinates  
• Or any additional attributes or subcomponents