AVAIL Blog

Progressive Search: Leveraging BIM Folder Structure

Written by Tyler Larson | Oct 22, 2021 2:11:50 PM
The best of both worlds:  browse all content at once, or leverage the clarity and familiarity of Windows File Explorer with Progressive Search.

We believe professionals in the AEC industry face a huge challenge:  Getting the information they need to complete their work from hundreds, if not thousands, of sources.  AVAIL was developed to bring those resources directly to them.  Progressive Search - powered by AVAIL Tags - offers the opportunity to mix and match search results, giving users the ability to view all their content locations simultaneously, or flexibly filter across multiple locations.

 
Windows File Explorer only provides accurate searching capabilities one folder at a time, and thumbnails are typically underwhelming or non-existent.

File Explorer can only render thumbnails locally, creating barriers to flexibility, customization, and speed of delivery.  With Progressive Search, the ability to locate high-resolution content is easily controlled via our Tagging and Thumbnail support features.  Tags are automatically generated based on folder location or metadata (Revit files), and controlled - via Keys - within the Tags and Filters panel.  AVAIL Publishers decide the order in which content is filtered, rearrange the categories, and create the optimal environment for effective and efficient searches.

In order to add context to searches, we also included channel filters below our Cross Channel Search Bar, helping to avoid noisy search results across large bodies of content.


Seeing is believing:  Index content and witness the simplicity of progressive search

All content can be tagged easily and consistently via the Tags and Filters editor - or our new AVAIL Lens Plugin, Tag IO - to help maximize file visibility.  AVAIL leverages the intelligence of existing Folder Systems by allowing users to import folder names as tags, or create tags based on Revit file metadata.  Clients can add thousands of customized tags to their content in a matter of minutes with Tag IO by importing data into a spreadsheet program (Excel or Google Sheets) and running their preferred spreadsheet functions.


The end result is a content library with all of the connectedness and automation users desire, without the confusion and folder-diving of Windows File Explorer.

Isn’t it time that content management got a simple, seamless reboot?  Give your users the ease they crave with AVAIL Progressive Search.

Check below for some other ways AVAIL is increasing ease and efficiency for BIM users:

Get Smart with your BIM Object Library

Improve your BIM Productivity

BIM Software 101: AVAIL Harvest