Building Information Modeling - 5

to work from. In practice today, the project teams that are currently working w ith BIM ar e producing multiple special-purpose models that serve specific needs. These might include: • Architectural, Structural, MEP and Site design models • Schedule model (also known as 4D model) • Cost model (also known as 5D model) • Fabrication/ shop drawing model • Construction model • As-built model Because BIM is still e volving as a method of practice, there is no sing le c ertified best-pr actice for who should cr eate which models of what aspects of a pr oject. Various pr oject teams are experimenting based on projects needs, the capabilities of the modeling t ools available, and the e xpertise of the team and its consultants. Although this sounds eer ily similar t o the cur rent “silo” practice of numerous individual sets of drawings, the fundamental and critical difference is that these models are digital so the underly ing databases that c ontain the infor mation can work t ogether t o pr ovide m uch of the value that w ould be achieved by having a single model. This is the core principle of “federation” among the models, where there is no single central BIM. Rather, the separate models created by specific t eam members can, to a large measur e, “interoperate” with each other and w ith the g rowing number of specialized softwar e applications that e xtract infor mation from design models and perform very useful functions, quickly, accurately and digitally. These “enabling applications” exponentially increase the value of the design models, and create a powerful federation of data and computing capability. For e xample, coordinating the w ork of the var ious desig n disciplines is one of the traditional challenges in a construction project, and the source of many conflicts. Effective and nearly complete coordination is cur rently one of the most c ommon examples of the po wer of this feder ated model w ith BIM. Software applications such as Autodesk NavisWorks, Solibri or Bentley ProjectWise Navigator can automatically identify clashes between proposed design elements in differ ent models, and teams are now able to issue fully-coordinated designs, rather than expensively discovering the hidden conflicts in the field. As another example, model-checking programs such as Solibri can automatically evaluate models for compliance with a wide variety of pre-determined business rules, such as building codes for emergency egress or accessibility regulations. Source: NavisWorks Source: Solibri TOP: NavisWorks provides teams the ability to virtually detect conflicts between systems that have been modeled in different BIM design tools. Here, mechanical piping is seen conflicting with ductwork. If this were not discovered until installation was underway in the field, costly and timeconsuming rework would likely be required. BOTTOM: Solibri makes software that applies user-selected business rules to automatically check BIM design models for a wide variety of criteria and produces reports highlighting instances of non-compliance. It can also measure, count and calculate spaces, elements and objects in a model. BIM 5

Building Information Modeling

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Building Information Modeling