SYNCHRO Control 2021 Release Notes
November 9, 2021
SYNCHRO Control now has the ability to perform a 4D Comparison for users with 4D enabled Models within their project and Reality Data models stored within ProjectWise ContextShare.
This functionality allows the user to view planned progress via the 4D model against actual field views from the reality data model side by side in a single view.
A pair of slider grips in the center of the display slide back and forth letting the user compare and contrast between the 4D model and the Reality Data model.
- The top slider will cutoff and compare the 4D model against the Reality Data model.
- The bottom slider will cutoff and compare the Reality Data model against the 4D model.
The user can click the Status tab and review the current status of the 4D scheduled project based on the comparison.
August 5, 2021
Find any photo with full context
We are now bringing you a new and better way to find and manage photos on your project with a service powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. The AI/ML capabilities combined with the geospatial location, photo date/time and full text indexing of forms, makes finding content across the whole project intuitive and easy.
To get started, admins can enable the SYNCHRO media indexing service by going to Administration - Manage project details and checking the Enable SYNCHRO media indexing. After the service has been enabled for your project, the indexed photo collection can be found by users by going to Documents - Media Explorer.
June 16, 2021
Free guest access
You can now invite external users as guests to give them limited insight into the project free of charge. By assigning a form to a guest user through a workflow, you give them access to only the specific information you want them to see and a quick way for them to respond back, add attachments and progress the workflow. Guest users can see all the details of that specific form, any attachments and linked files (including markups), as well as map location and model snapshots.
Review 4D resource tasks
Users can now review 4D tasks resource status in the Schedule tab. Once resource statuses have been set up within SYNCHRO 4D Pro, users can select between Planner view and Status view. By selecting a task from the Gantt chart, the 4D model view will focus on the task and show the current status that has been set in either SYNCHRO 4D Pro or SYNCHRO Field.
June 11, 2021 - Link forms to PW documents
To reduce uncontrolled copying of data, users can now link forms directly to documents stored in IMS-authenticated ProjectWise repositories that have been linked to the project. Once created, the repositories are visible when the user adds an attachment from the project documents. Permission control to the linked document is managed by ProjectWise repository itself, ensuring that no unauthorized users gain access to sensitive data. Note that at present time, linking forms to PW documents is only available for IMS-authenticated connections and repositories where the user needs to log in with a username and password will not work.
June 3, 2021 - Bulk import users
To simplify the life of admins and get time back on their side, we have added the ability to bulk import users from a spreadsheet. To import users to a project, admins can go to Administration - Manage your team and click Import users. There they can download a sample sheet and simple fill it with emails and roles. To give users multiple roles at once, include the email address again in a separate line and define the role name there.
May 20, 2021 - PDF printout designer
You can now get time on your side by designing pixel-perfect PDF printouts of SYNCHRO forms to automate exporting forms to a design that is familiar to your team. The forms can be exported on stationary that is fit for your company and your project, while still enjoying the easiness of filling out mobile-enabled forms on phones and tablets as well as robust reporting through consistent data points. To learn how to create custom exports for your project, please watch the training video below:
March 15, 2021 - Enhanced access management
To give administrators better command over their projects, we have updated the permissions to manage how each role can access the project. Admins can now set limits that allow certain roles to only access SYNCHRO Field, in which case they will not be able to access SYNCHRO Control. Further restrictions, including a Guest portal are planned in the near future and this is in preparation of that. To prepare, project creators and administrators are asked to go into their projects and verify access for their project roles.
To update your projects, please navigate to
- Administration in the bottom left corner
- Manage your team link
- Roles tab
- Click on any role to go to the role permission details page
In there, validate that all appropriate roles have the box for Control or Field ticked under Access. From then on, users with Field only access will be locked out of SYNCHRO Control.
Current limitations:
- Access limitations are not supported in SYNCHRO Field
- Access limitations are not supported in SYNCHRO 4D Pro
- Access limitations are not supported in SYNCHRO Modeler
- Users with no Access permissions (4D, Control, 4D review, Field, Guest) will be let into Control - This is a temporary measure to give legacy users a chance to update their projects without locking users out without admin intervention
- Guest portal is not yet available
Jan 28, 2021 - Forms Manager and Designer
Admins now have full control of all project form definitions and their design. In the new Forms Manager and Designer, you can manage existing project form definitions as well as design new ones. When managing existing forms, you can see all project forms in a grid, with their status and availability within the project, as well as understand how many have been filled out for each and whether or not they are following a specific workflow. When adding a new form definition to the project, you will be taken through a stepped process that makes
- Define – Configure the name and prefix for numbering, as well as the form definition type and which existing form definition should be used as a template for the design.
- Design – Starting from the template selected in the previous step, you don’t have to start from scratch. In this step you can design the form exactly how you want it to look on the web and on mobile devices. Add and remove fields, create bindings to make reporting easier and structure it exactly to your specifications.
- *Coming in next release* Design printout – Re-create your own PDF forms through pixel-perfect design that allows you to export the form that was designed in the previous step to a PDF however you want it to look.
- Set workflow – Start from a template or design a new workflow from scratch with the robust, built-in workflow engine that allows you to set custom statuses and transitions between them, as well as any permissions, automatic assignments of properties or rules for when the form is filled out initially.
- Set permissions – Get full control of the permissions for each role in the project, ensuring that users can only see data and perform actions exactly as you want them to.