This was Qonic Talks 2024 Gent

News & Updates
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Last week, we had a fantastic event at the lovely Oude Vismijn in Gent. Really nice to see so many passionate professionals come together to discuss the future of the AEC industry, exchange ideas, and build new connections.

To officially launch Qonic, we opted to give an in-depth, live demonstration of Qonic, our innovative new software platform designed for the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry.

As an introduction, Erik first explained our vision for a model-based BIM approach, in which solid modelling and a high degree of detailing places a central role.

The Qonic team then presented the platform’s capabilities and features. The demo showcased Qonic’s core foundations: performance, the platform’s user-friendly interface, and cloud-based collaboration. We demonstrated five different use cases and workflows for which Qonic can be used today:

  1. Enrich and upscale design intent models
  2. Create 3D models with a higher level of development
  3. Obtain accurate model quantities
  4. Collaborate with multiple people on BIM models
  5. Make BIM accessible across all stakeholders

Following the product demo, Mark took the stage to discuss the future roadmap of Qonic:

  • A unified, full-fledged AEC modelling environment
  • An open, accessible geometry and data platform
  • Our vision on automated generation of construction drawings
  • Using Artificial Intelligence to automate repetitive tasks
  • Our business model to advocate collaboration with unlimited users

Dieter Froyen, who brings years of experience as a former BIM manager at a major contractor to Qonic, provided a compelling analysis of how Qonic can facilitate the shift from existing workflows to a Job-To-Be-Done approach and how to envision a 4D (Planning) workflow.

The floor was then opened for a Q&A session, where attendees had the opportunity to engage directly with the Qonic team. Questions ranged from technical specifics, such as handling coordinate systems and offline work capabilities, to broader strategic queries about the platform’s pricing models and security features. We address some of these questions below this post.

The event concluded with a networking session accompanied by food and drinks, offering an excellent opportunity for attendees to discuss the day’s presentations and exchange ideas.

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Below are some of the questions that were asked during the Q&A.

  • Q: How do you see the API? For example, what could be built with it?
    A: There are many possibilities when it comes to API’s; one prototype that we have already built together with Buildwise is the ability to obtain LCA data from product manufacturers, and use this data to calculate metrics like Global Warming Potential of a part or a model directly in Qonic. Other use cases could be reading properties from your projects and models, and using them in a customized BI dashboard, or automating other data workflows.

  • Q: When adding new properties, does Qonic take into account the ifcClass of the objects for the proposed psets?
    A: Yes; when adding new properties to a part, only those property sets that are applicable to that class of object will be available. This ensures data consistency and a simpler user interface.

  • Q: Is there a free “Qonic viewer” where I can upload and view an IFC model without having to create a project or obtain a license?
    A: Qonic has different pricing levels, including a free tier that can be used for viewing and even editing models. You don’t need to obtain a license for this; you do however need to set up a project to upload this model in. Find more information about our pricing levels on our website. To get started with Qonic for free, head to app.qonic.com.

  • Q: If the IFC class in the source IFC is set incorrectly for certain elements, can you adjust this?
    A: Yes; you can use the Reclassify tool for this.

  • Q: Are there options to correct the alignment of models? In other words, translation and rotation of entire models?
    A: This was a heavily requested feature, and we are happy to announce that a first implementation of this tool will be available with an upcoming release of Qonic. Keep an eye out for the next release on our News & Updates community page!

  • Q: If you want to go back to a previous version, but there is a part from a later version (e.g. from a technical engineer) can you keep it?
    A: Technically this is possible, as every change is stored internally in our database. We have chosen to keep model versions in the first release of Qonic simple to manage so as not to overwhelm new users, and therefore combine multiple changes together in one batch which can then be published, discarded, or reverted to. If this turns out to be a heavily requested feature we can of course implement it so that more granular changes can be managed.