Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Interoperability Issue

AEC firms are adopting high-tech technology to augment their productivity. The construction and engineering sector extensively apply technologies like high-resolution aerial photogrammetry, oblique imagery, radar-derived digital terrain models and laser scanning to gather reality information.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) motivates various professional disciplines for creating effective communication and collaboration among themselves. As for instance, construction companies connects a BIM model to project management software facilitating 4D and 5D views of projects so that the risk associated with budget overruns may be reduced and  the scheduling of material deliveries and work crews become more apparent. 4D model integrates the dimension of time applied to visualize and control construction programmes/schedules.  5D BIM model utilizes cost data, computerizes quantity takeoffs for cost estimating, and if combined with 4D may result in cash flow study.  Additional dimensions like 6D and 7D are included in the model to provide ‘health & safety’ or ‘sustainability’.

BIM Interoperability 

Building Information Modeling (BIM) can be termed as the ideal method of communicating the design professional’s objective to the owner and project builders. These data-enriched models are utilized by other members of the design team to synchronize a building’s different systems (such as electrical or mechanical systems) or recognize interferences. Besides, members of the build team apply these models as input for generating fabrication drawings, ordering materials, building up construction schedules or organizing erection sequences. There also exists even software and hardware facilitating the site surveyor to interface the building column grid with GPS data, considerably mechanizing the procedure of staking out the construction site weather it is a building, roadway or underground utility. 

Diverse project teams ranging from HVAC, structural, plumbing and electrical can convey their designs collectively in a solitary shared model.  This leads to the rising demand for software interoperability.

As a result, designers are spending money in groups or suites of various products for allowing smooth allocation and workflow stimulation. Besides, these product suites can be applied separately on various design phases of a project to constrict time schedules.

3D visualisation is a part and parcel of BIM as it creates cooperation among design teams and also builds easy communication with non-technical stakeholders.

Building Information Modeling characterizes the future of building and infrastructure design and construction management delivery. BIM based collaboration and communication play an important role for increasing infrastructure project Planners and contractors must be in touch with governments, regulators and other stakeholders more intimately and more successfully to ensure that they have satisfied regulatory, environmental and financial prerequisites in their designs and construction sequencing.

With the merging of BIM, geospatial and 3D technology urban capacity can be created in a rapid pace and productivity is greatly enhanced. The scope of financial support from private-sector for rehabilitation of the world’s aging infrastructure is increased to a great extent. This is only possible with standard interoperability of BIM.  

Government as well as private sectors are implementing  existing standards that may vary from Open Geospatial Consortium’s (OGC) Web Map Service (WMS) and Geography Markup Language (GML), buildingSMART’s Industry Foundation Class (IFC), the Open Green Building XML’s gbXML, the Distributed Management Task Force’s Common Information Model (CIM), CIS/2 (CIMSteel Integration Standards), the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Multispeak and LandXML.org's LandXML. IDM (Information Delivery Manual) is recently developed to capture and incorporate BIM business processes and provide for the business process detailed specifications. It explains the procedure taken on inside design and construction and supplies information necessary for carrying out of such process.  The IDM overall objective is to offer a foundation for consistent information exchange connecting the project stakeholders

True interoperability is reliant on the further growth of a robust industry standard and software vendors’ integration of this standard into their products. Standards-based interoperability allows convergence and it will unlock the doors to further adopting model-based design for infrastructure which will result in improved collaboration, rationalized workflows and superior productivity. With these lower project overheads, enhanced profitability and improved returns on investments is possible.

Useful reference :

Current BIM Interoperability Methods

~~~~~~~

For any kind of 3D modelling services, please visit us at www.bimoutsourcing.com and www.sketchup4architect.com