Creating Issues from Excel in the Autodesk Viewer

For a while, we had been thinking about creating issues from Excel.

We were not sure whether it was the right feature to build or release. But after seeing how teams use the Frame Excel Add-in, some patterns became hard to ignore.

The add-in is often used by teams that already work comfortably in Excel, especially during construction execution, quality control, and handover. They filter model data, prepare reports, and share information with the next person in the workflow.

That made us think about site observations.

A team might walk the site, notice a quality issue, and write it down. The difficult part is often what comes next: explaining exactly where it happened, sharing it with the right person, and keeping track of whether it was reviewed or resolved. Sometimes that communication takes days.

A note in a spreadsheet is useful. A note connected to the model is easier to review.

The alpha workflow

The new alpha workflow lets users create issues and markers in the Autodesk Viewer directly from the Frame Excel Add-in. An observation from Excel can be placed at the relevant model location, giving the team a shared reference for what was found and where it happened.

Here is a short walkthrough of the feature:

The workflow connects three things that are usually separate:

1. The observation someone records in Excel.
2. The model location where the observation belongs.
3. The issue context the project team needs for follow-up.

The result is a reviewable marker in the viewer rather than a note that only exists in a spreadsheet row.

What the issue carries

The issue can carry practical context such as:

• a description of what was observed
• a status for follow-up
• responsibility or ownership
• a model location that can be revisited in 3D

The exact workflow is still evolving because this is an alpha feature. The important part today is the connection between the row in Excel and the place in the model.

A practical construction workflow

The first use case we have in mind is a site or quality-control review:

1. Open the model and the Frame Add-in in Excel.
2. Use the spreadsheet workflow to prepare or review the observation.
3. Create an issue and place its marker at the relevant model location.
4. Open the viewer to review the issue in 3D context.
5. Revisit the marker later as the team follows up.

This can help with observations such as an installation that needs checking, a finish that does not match the expected model context, or an item that needs a trade owner to review it.

The point is not to force every site workflow into Excel. It is to give teams a familiar starting point when Excel is already where the observation, list, or handover table lives.

Why start from Excel?

Teams already use the add-in to filter model data, export properties, and build working tables. That makes Excel a natural place to begin an observation, even when the best place to review it is the model.

The viewer adds the missing spatial context:

• the observation is tied to a model location
• the team can inspect it without guessing which object or area the row means
• the marker can be revisited during a later review
• the same model context can support a conversation between field, BIM, and project-control teams

This fits the broader Frame Excel workflow, where model data can be prepared in Excel and checked against a live viewer. The Frame for Excel 1.2.0 release describes the related export, offline, and refresh improvements.

What this is not yet

For now, these issues and markers are created within the Frame workflow. They are not presented as a replacement for a full common data environment issue system.

We also want to be clear about the current boundary: this alpha workflow is not yet a synchronization layer for Autodesk Forma or other project systems. As the product and adoption mature, we would like to make this information compatible with Forma and other systems where teams already manage project issues.

That boundary is useful while we learn. It lets us focus on whether a location- based issue created from Excel actually improves the review loop before adding more integrations around it.

Still early, but useful to test

We are still learning where this workflow fits best. It may be useful for quality observations, handover lists, installation checks, coordination notes, or other project phases where model context and simple issue tracking are more valuable than another disconnected spreadsheet comment.

The direction is clear: give construction teams a practical way to turn an Excel observation into a reviewable, location-based issue.

Try the alpha workflow in the Frame Excel Add-in, or send us a message if you want to see how it works.

Related reading:

• Autodesk Viewer in Power BI: Custom BIM Models Inside Reports
• Autodesk Forma to Power BI: Custom BIM Dashboards for ACC Model Data
• Getting Started with Frame’s Excel Integration