Develop
from discussion in class: What are the current advantages of Revit/BIM?
Put
very plainly, the major advantages of using technologies such as BIM are
improved schedule, quality, and cost. BIM and Revit models can hold a
significant amount of valuable information that can improve all stages of the
construction process.
This week’s guest speaker, Huw from Bentley Systems,
discussed many different technologies in the Architecture and Engineering world
and their possible future applications. Huw showed us how phone and mobile
applications have become much more capable then we realized. The point cloud
and photo modeling was especially interesting. He showed us that to prepare for
the Pope’s visit to Philadelphia a flying droid took a few hundred photographs
of the city and software programs were used to create 3D models of
Philadelphia. If engineers were to do this through surveying it would have
taken significantly longer. In regards to the construction process, to day it
is essential to have all involved parties (builders, designer, owners) on the
same page and in constant communication. Bentley’s ProjectWise Explorer Mobile software allows all
users to have remote access to up to date drawings. This eliminates the need
for an employee to constantly be updating multiple sets of drawings, with more
room for error. This program works for 2D contract drawings as well as 3D
models.
According to a report by McGraw Hill Construction, a current
advantage of BIM is its rapid increase in popularity in North America from 28%
to 71% over a recent 5 year period. However, American users have reported a
lower return on investment than their European counterparts. Today BIM still
has many opportunities for improvement and the more companies that use it, the
more the industry will advance. The report also explained that BIM, a once
designer dominated system, is now being used by all organizations involved in a
construction process, and that will only help the efficiency of a project.
To clarify, there is a difference between BIM and Revit. BIM is
a method of construction and collaboration that involved 3D building models. Autodesk
Revit is a software program that can be used on a BIM project, similar to ArchiCAD
and Bentley AECOsim. Revit has many components that would aid in a BIM project.
Resources:
Comments:
Rebecca, my post emphasized the current advantages of Revit, so it was nice to read about the contrasts of future issues. I completely agree, many of the issues with compatibility between programs and operating systems occur because programmers or companies don't want to make them compatible. In 2016 I'm sure we have the capabilities to do so, but businesses top concern is to make money, not necessarily make things easier on the user. As I stated above, BIM can be a wonderful and collaborative tool in construction, but all parties must be well trained and on the same programs.
You bring up another incredibly important point: humans becoming to reliant and blindly trusting these programs. Technology has become such a large part of our culture and education, that it can be easier to choose the lazy option and trust the computer. Especially if someone is a certified Professional Engineer, I think they should be able to understand the technical calculations behind their models and designs.
Danielle S,
You brought up a point I have been wondering for a while. How does the industry decide which programs are best to use across the board? You mentioned ArchiCAD, a program I have never used and only vaguely recognize the name. According to you it is a much more user friendly program. I wonder if it is less popular because of the price, or it's just that more young engineers are trained on Autodesk so there is a bias?
The highly accurate drone-based mapping system was very interesting indeed. He talked about how this could be used to survey existing sites for construction or demolition but I wonder if they could be used for QA as well? Arial drones might not be the best idea, but some sort of drone that goes through a construction site and sees where everything is could be quite useful. It could see where toilets still need to go, which walls still need to be painted, or other simple tasks. A drone with more advanced sensors might also be able to check the quality of welds or concrete as well.
ReplyDeleteKate,
ReplyDeleteI was very impressed with the aerial drone that Huw discussed last class for the reasons that you mentioned; this time-saving technique can do nothing but aid in the design-build process. I think that James’ line of thinking about drones being created for Quality Assurance is practical and with technological advances in the BIM field, I believe that anything is possible. Before reading your post, I was aware that BIM software has become more widespread in America, but I did not realize that it has increased so significantly in the past 5 years. I agree that BIM does have some aspects with room for improvement, but its current advantages make it a worthwhile investment. Why else would designers, engineers, fabricators, and construction workers adopt this system as a means for project integration?
Kate,
ReplyDeleteI was very impressed with the aerial drone that Huw discussed last class for the reasons that you mentioned; this time-saving technique can do nothing but aid in the design-build process. I think that James’ line of thinking about drones being created for Quality Assurance is practical and with technological advances in the BIM field, I believe that anything is possible. Before reading your post, I was aware that BIM software has become more widespread in America, but I did not realize that it has increased so significantly in the past 5 years. I agree that BIM does have some aspects with room for improvement, but its current advantages make it a worthwhile investment. Why else would designers, engineers, fabricators, and construction workers adopt this system as a means for project integration?
Kate, I liked that you went into more detail about specific things that BIM is used for like the program that was able to create a 3D model of Philadelphia from a droid taking photos. It’s very interesting how many different things BIM programs are capable of, and they still can be developed a lot further. Huw’s presentation introduced me to a lot of programs that I didn’t know even existed that are incredibly useful for architects, engineers, and contractors.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is really shaping up the construction industry, with drone solutions and management softwares like Aconex, PlanGrid and Procore it has become easier to handle the projects.
ReplyDelete