B2 - Dianna Vogel: Reflection Post

Overall I believe AE510 was a useful and interesting course to take. Obviously, as a structural engineering major I got more out of the first half of the class compared to the second half. This was due to the prevalence of Revit in the workforce and my desire to learn more in order to enhance my future. This class did indeed help me learn more about Revit. This was accomplished through the Revit family project, and my group project. For my group project we are creating the Farnsworth House in Revit, with all the components. This includes the architectural side, structural, and MEP. The Revit family assignment even assisted with the group project by opening a door I did not know existed. Prior to this class I did not realize that families could be created from scratch in Revit. This is a very beneficial tool in case a certain family object already existing in Revit cannot be altered to fit the projects purpose. While this information was helpful for our project, I thoroughly believe it will come in handy in the future. There may be a building in my future job that has to be created in Revit, and families need to be designed due to the objects being unique in some way.

Another important and helpful part of this class were the guest speakers. They gave insight into the different parts of the current workforce and how they have handled the problems presented to them. Furthermore, the most interesting topic I learned from multiple of the presenters was the job of seeing what clashes exist between different portions of a job, and how to deal with them. I did not realize this was a technique that is currently used by firms, even though it makes a lot of sense. The program that most of the used was Navisworks by Autodesk. I am hoping that my group has time to use this program to see what clashes may exist between our structural and MEP model, but that is dependent on how fast the MEP model is completed.

One effect of the course was forcing me to learn the basics of databases. This was a skill I would have never done willingly, but I do believe it is useful. I now know the basics of how to use access to create tables, queries, and forms. Therefore, if in the future it would be beneficial for a database to be created at my job, or in my school career, I at least know how to get started. Thus, I have gained many different types of useful information from AE510 and would highly suggest it to anyone in the future.

Comments:

http://ae-510-ay15-16.blogspot.com/2016/02/b6-group-b-alex-palma.html
Alex,
I definitely agree with what you said about learning from the speakers what you do not want to do in life. Sometimes this is more helpful than hearing someone speak on a topic you are interested in, depending on the length of time. With this extra knowledge, if down the road you are offered a job performing a task that you know you DON’T like then the job can be altered. However, if you have never heard of a specific job, or task, then it won’t be clear if you like or dislike it and may be stuck doing something unpleasant. Likewise, I fully agree that AE510 was one of the most helpful and stimulating graduate classes to take. Generally graduate classes are based on learning some intricate portion of one subject, such as advanced mechanics of materials. However, AE510 gave us a broad over view of multiple helpful concepts and helped prepare us for the industry once we graduate.

http://ae-510-ay15-16.blogspot.com/2016/02/b6-ae-510-reflection-danielle-beynon.html
Danielle,
I like how you touched upon how far technology has come, and the appreciation that is developed by looking into the details of the programs we use every day. I have also developed a deeper appreciation for programs like REVIT, AutoCAD, and Bentley products as we have learned about how the programs have grown. We are lucky to be in a generation that using these programs is second nature; however, it is important to not get stuck in our time and always push towards the next innovation. We heard about many exciting products this term that are currently not used in industry, such as concrete 3D printing and BIM programs with more depth. Hopefully we will see these items used in industry in the near future and have some interaction with them.

B2 - Group B - Hatim Amiji

Interoperability simply means the  capability of a product or system to be interpreted by other products or systems without any limitations. In software, is the ability to pass data between applications, and for multiple applications to jointly contribute to the work at hand. It eliminates the need to manually copy data already generated in another application hence saves time/money and improves efficiency. Unlike geometry exchanges between applications, building model exchanges are much more complex this is because BIM represents multiple kinds of geometry, relations, attribute and properties for a specific building structure. The model created using BIM carries more information and detail than a standard CAD file. BIM's ability of producing more than just drawings creates different problems in exchange of data i.e. analysis tools such as structural, thermal, scheduling and procurement applications are translated differently. The Industry Foundation Class (IFC) is a data model intended to describe building and construction industry data, it is a neutral platform which allows open file format specification that is not controlled by a single or a group of software companies. This unified schema was developed to facilitate interoperability in architecture, engineering and construction industry based on official International Standard (ISO 16739:2013). IFC incorporates a wide range building design, engineering and production information which can be exchanged in this unified platform i.e. wide range of geometry of varying complexity, numerous relations between objects as well as different  properties of structural material and shapes. A BIM software allows engineers, architects and construction managers to communicate on the same platform, this eliminates problems resulting due to file sharing restrictions and thus increases efficiency. During my first co-op, part of my job was to survey hole patterns in fabricated steel girders and then use that data to detect eccentricities with actual hole locations in CAD drawings done using MicroStation. The data obtained from the surveying instrument was not compatible in MicroStation hence those data were manually plotted and compared with actual CAD drawing which was time consuming and unnecessary repetitive work. During my second co-op, I did a similar surveying job however this time a software called PC-DMIS was used to import data from the surveying equipment which was compatible with MicroStation hence saving time and money. Approximately $15.8 billion dollars is spent on interoperability costs on an annual basis, therefore platforms such IFC which allows open sharing of technical data reduces unnecessary additional cost of construction which arises from interoperability limitations.  

References:

Eastman, C. "Chapter 3: Interoperability." BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Engineers and Contractors.

http://www.ncoic.org/what-is-interoperability

http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/build04/PDF/b04022.pdf

B2- Laura Hill

Going into the reading for this week, I had only little knowledge on BIM as a whole other than the basic knowledge we are taught in courses at Drexel. I know how to create floor plans and drawings using AutoCAD, but I really didn’t have the understanding of what extent this software can be used for, and specifically how it can positively change the construction industry as a whole.

The construction industry has been operating for many years without the use of BIM; however, introducing BIM technology saves money, saves time, and reduces error in the industry. Although the benefits of using BIM in construction firms out weigh the detriments, the time commitment it takes to learn how to use the technology should also be kept in mind.

Typically in the construction industry, there is an entire team that works on a building from design to the actual constructing of it. There are various parties involved including the architect, general contractor, engineers, fabricators, and sometimes subcontractors. However, nowadays there are design-build firms that take responsibility for almost all aspects of the building process. This is where the BIM technology is most beneficial. BIM allows for 2D and 3D modeling, and because the entire process is done within one firm there is no need to design in a specific way to pass on to contractors. Going off of that, there are currently various forms of 2D and 3D technology being used in the construction industry. None of which include every tool needed to completely satisfy the needs of contractors/designers. BIM is working toward changing that by providing future implementations to the software.

A main point brought up in this article was that project cost-estimating is a key component in the design process, and one that takes a large amount of time to do. With BIM, although the cost estimates cannot replace hands-on analysis, it provides a baseline of costs based on quantity and types of materials specifically used during the modeling process. BIM programs can also be linked with cost-estimating software, which makes the process significantly faster. In fact, some cost estimating software’s now offer plug-in devices to link specifically to BIM because of how much it reduces labor in the cost estimating process.

In my opinion, the most interesting section of the chapter BIM for the Construction Industry was section 6.10, which talked about how the software can be used to make sure a building is designed specifically for the location and environment it is being placed in.  Meaning BIM uses and will continue to apply technologies including laser scanning, machine guidance, GPS tools, and Radio Frequency Verification (RFV) to help guide the installation process of a building and prevent common failures that occur when taking a design and executing it where it needs to go. 

Jon Swartz-

Similarly to your post, I wrote about the benefits of BIM to the construction industry, however, I like how you focused on that aspect first. Overall, I also liked how easy your post was to read. The chapter from the handbook went into a lot of depth and detail, but the way you expressed the information was straight to the point and got a lot of the ideas across well.

Karan Sagar Sinha-

Unlike other posts, your post stuck out to me because of the layout in which you presented your information to the reader. I like the way you bulleted important things like the BIM tools and uses by contractors. I also liked that you included a picture to better represent the information. Overall, I talked about many of the same topics that you presented, but your post did a good job of clarifying and only including the most crucial details from the chapter we were assigned.

Eastman, Chuck. "BIM for the Construction Industry." BIM Handbook a Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors. Hoboken: Wiley, 2008. 207-42. Print.

B2 - Group C - Haoying Ye

This chapter starts off introducing the advantages of BIM models for owners and facility managers:

1.       Increase building performance through BIM-based energy and lighting design and analysis to improve overall building performance.

2.       Reduce the financial risk associated with the project using the BIM model to obtain earlier and more reliable cost estimates and improved collaboration of the project team

3.       Shorten project schedule from approval to completion by using building models to coordinate the prefabricate design with reduced field time

4.       Obtain reliable and accurate cost estimate through automatic quantity takeoff from the building model,, providing feedback earlier in a project when decisions will have the greatest impact

5.       Assure program compliance through ongoing analysis of the building model against owner and local code requirements

6.       Optimize facility management and maintenance by exporting relevant as-built building and equipment information to start the systems that will be used over the life-cycle of the facility.

Through parametric modeling, changes to the BIM model harmonize with existing infrastructure in order to reduce construction delays and deliver on time milestones. Besides, through 3D BIM model, building owners can determine how the MEP systems interact with the telecommunications equipment and distribution lines before construction, this allows for actual simulation of maintenance methods that will be used when the building is in operation.

BIM allows the owner to determine the reduction in cost of operations and carbon emissions of green systems through energy analysis and energy conservation software. Owners can also determine how glazing, which allows daylight into spaces, affects the heating and cooling loads and see the variations in building performance as a result. 

BIM and 4D tools can make what-if design explorations, which is far easier and more visible economically than traditional use of real-time and highly rendered walk-through technologies.

Although BIM has a lot of advantage, it is still just a software, a set of technologies and evolving work processes, it cannot replace management, project team and work culture. Before an owner try to adopting BIM, they should perform a pilot project with a short time frame, small qualified team and a clear goal. During the process of the pilot, it’s always best to do a dry run and make sure the tools and processes are in place to succeed. 

Reference
Eastman, C. M. (2011). BIM Handbook : A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers and Contractors. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

B2 - BIM Handbook Chapter 2 - Derek Zacheo

This chapter goes through a brief history of 3D BIM modeling and how it has developed from and is different from 2D CAD models. It says that the BIM modeling is different because it forms 3 dimensional relationships with other objects. This is great for creating reinforcement bar schedules or materials lists that can be updated real time while the designer is changing their design. It also differs from CAD because it gives both a 2D and 3D representation of the structure with the designer having the ability to determine how much 3D depth they want to go into. The chapter also goes into how BIM modeling can utilize preexisting objects to increase how quickly the designer can create a working model,

The chapter goes on to talk about how parametric object modeling has revolutionize editing and that without it modeling would be tedious and difficult with a lot of opportunities to make errors. In general parametric modeling can provide generalities of the object dimensions and how they relate to each other. These objects can be constrained in a way that will provide the designer with a lot of opportunities to see very quickly if what they propose will work and how it will interact with the rest of the environment. Essentially parametric modeling is what makes editing 3D objects geometry possible and usable.

I personally think that BIM modeling has and will continue to revolutionize design and construction in general. It can almost let you actually build and see the structure you are designing in real time. It is similar to building it so you can easily see any design conflicts that might be easily missed in the interpretation of a standard 2D CAD drawing. Though civil engineers lag behind technologies often I think that BIM modeling will continue to grow and strongly influence the field.

Comments:
Comment on Gary Reiff's post
Comment on Laura Worley's post

References:
Eastman, Charles M. 2011. BIM Handbook : A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers and Contractors. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2011. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed January 18, 2016).

B2 - Group B - Interoperability - Mark Lodato

Interoperability is the manner in which different software programs, in this case BIM programs, communicate with one another. This is becoming incredibly important in today’s BIM landscape because there are multiple platforms that all perform a specific function in regards to a project different and distinct from other programs. There are BIM programs that can detail architecture, subsurface conditions, water conditions, weather patterns, etc. With a large construction project, all of this information needs to be available and with interoperability these BIM programs can talk to one another. The architecture BIM program needs to know what the subsurface conditions are for the foundation of the building. The subsurface condition BIM program needs to know the hydrologic conditions to determine the bearing capacity and strength of the soils, and so on.

There are the standard pitfalls when discussing interoperability and compatibility in general between software programs, especially when these programs are made by different companies. Different programs might be lacking essential functions that other programs have which would make the file unable to be transferred. The data of one program might be programmed or stored in a different manner that would cause incompatibility issues. As technology gets more advanced and portable computing devices become the norm (tablets, Microsoft Surfaces) these compatibility issues must be ironed out so files can be transferred to different programs and so files can be uploaded and downloaded to the cloud to allow for greater portability.

**Edit**

Comments:

1) http://ae-510-ay15-16.blogspot.com/2016/01/b2-group-b-farnelli.html?showComment=1453235176576#c232311560124261483


2) http://ae-510-ay15-16.blogspot.com/2016/01/b2-group-b-kai-waechter.html?showComment=1453236104184#c6377421048914008600

B2: Group C - Coffey BIM Used for Maintenance and Operation

         BIM is now a crucial part of the Architectural, Electrical and Construction industry, but the the large adoption of BIM was only a recent event and has not always been the basis on which the industry has worked. Before the clash detection, project scheduling, collaboration improvement capabilities and other cost savings benefits of BIM were recognized and proven as results of BIM’s use, the time and money investment required to change from CAD to BIM deterred industrial change (Lu). There was no way to prove whether creating a BIM model of an entire project before its construction would result in the advertised benefits. Even still BIM has not been fully adopted for every project to use the advertised benefits. (Eastman).

Multiple dimensions can be added to a BIM model. Common dimensions include 3D model, construction scheduling, project cost estimation, life cycle assessment / sustainability and maintenance and operation implementations. Of these, I would like to go into more discussion about facility management. This is a dimension where BIM’s capabilities are used to improve building maintenance and operation. Although there are proven benefits to performing this extra work its is often not performed unless required by the client. Even when this dimension is required by the client it does not receive the same amount of attention as other dimensions because it does not directly affect the profit of the designer and contractor. All the benefits are passed onto the client. Even nearing the end of a project the contractor and designer are more focused on finishing the project and not highly interested in investing the profit from the project completion in something that does not have a sure return on investment. While the return on investment for the owner is conservatively 64% over a payback period of 1.56 years (Teicholz). The development and use of the facilities management dimension is able to have this significant of an impact on building maintenance and operation because the as built model of the building can be drafted to include  parametric data about each piece of equipment in the building, its exact location behind a wall, the model number, fabricator’s contact information, and equipment maintenance manuals (Teicholz). The BIM model can also be integrated with a building monitoring program that helps to identify problems and provide maintenance reminders (Teicholz). This wealth of information will enable the maintenance workers to react more quickly, reduce maintenance errors, perform better repairs, and reduce the amount of work they have to perform. These improvements will reduce the cost to maintain the building and extend the life of the building. If the building were to require renovation or retrofit, then an accurate BIM model would prove invaluable at increasing the efficiency and ease with which the building is reused.

While the cost is a significant deterrence to the owner requiring the facilities management dimension, sometimes that dimension is not necessary due to how important the building being constructed is and the cost benefit to the implementation of a building monitoring system. The cost benefit limits may fall short for the implementation of this dimension in a small residential home due be crucial tools for large, complicated and important structures such as a nuclear power plant. For the later, it is necessary that a highly accurate BIM model and monitoring system be implemented to notify maintenance workers of a problem, to extend the life of the very expensive building, and to reduce the chances of maintenance errors. The economic loss related to a failure at a powerplant greatly outweighs the loss of a residential house. In this case the reduction of risk is the primary motivator and not the return on investment. Meanwhile the investment would only be worthwhile if it actually produces plausible benefit and mitigates or prevent economic losses due to a failure.

Comments

Alexis,

I liked how you mentioned that the use of BIM for IPD is a large benefit of BIM modeling. I believe that the use of BIM as a collaboration tool is its largest benefit. The ability for the owner, maintenance manager, and building design and construction disciplines to quickly and easily collaborate improve the quality of the design and empowers the collaborators to develop solutions to conflicts between systems, often leading to a better solution then otherwise possible. The other benefits support the usefulness of BIM as a collaboration tool, through better better visualization of the building so that problems can be identified and the information in the model is the same for everyone so they can more easily and accurately communicate despite the potential distance between them.

Bryan,

I enjoyed the level of detail and explanation that you went into to describe the interoperability issues between BIM programs and supporting programs. Like you mentioned limitations on the interoperability of programs historically has been a problem that affected the effectiveness of using BIM programs and caused modeling errors. From what I have read, the interoperability has enabled BIM programs to accomplish tasks that no one program is capable of or is not as capable of when compared to supporting programs. Because there has been more focus on making the different BIM programs interoperable they are able to produce more complex buildings and perform more thorough analyses of building models. Just like you I think that there is still room for improvement and that the largest barrier to improvement is the collaboration between the software programmers developing the programs and the users of the programs. For instance, if an engineer is trying to produce an optimized building that requires the use of new technology or to perform a unique task to qualify a building that has a special use, BIM programs may not have the interoperability with the program that performs the required analysis. This interoperability will eventually be developed with enough need for BIM programs to perform that rare analysis because it was either not performed before or because the demand for that capability was outweighed by the demand for other more used capabilities.

References

Eastman, Charles M. BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers and Contractors. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2011. Print.

Lu, Weisheng, Ada Fung, Yi Peng, Cong Liang, and Steve Rowlinson. "Demystifying Construction Project Time–Effort Distribution Curves: BIM and Non-BIM Comparison." Journal of Management in Engineering J. Manage. Eng. 31.6 (2015): 04015010. Web. 

Teicholz, Paul M. BIM for Facility Managers. N.p.: Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2013. Print.

B2: Group B - Schroeder

BIM Handbook: Chapter 3  - Interoperability

According to Merriam-Webster, interoperability is defined as “the ability of a system to work with or use the parts or equipment of another system” [1].  In terms of BIM, it is the process of exporting/import data between applications that describe the same object. The National BIM Standard (NBIMS) is being undertaken to standardize the data required for particular exchanges [2].     

As described in Chapter 2 there are three types of BIM Applications: as tools, as platforms, and as environments. Using interoperability, you can address all three of these but on different levels by means of translation. Using BIM’s in-place tools, the user is informed of the results of the translation in case and of the copying needs to be checked for due diligence. Again, all this depends on the nature of the exchange format used.

2D CAD is one of the simplest exchanges and most common exchange format used and even then is there are different applications, specifically pairing design with monetary billing and breakdown of materials. During my time at PWD as a co-op, although there are paired programs to calculate these quantities, I had to calculate the engineering estimates by hand. When the design was initially submitted, the links to the quantities may have be working, but in most cases, when the design was modified, the program link between the two was not always updated properly. Once the schema and schema language are defined, the exchanges between programs can be classified in three ways: direct links, proprietary exchange format, or public product data model exchange format [2]. 

Going back to 2D vector formats, the common AEC Applications would be .DWG (AutoCAD) to .DGN (Microstation). At my most recent co-op in the private sector, I had a lot of work that involved converting between the two for various details and cross sections. Although a tedious process, overall it is effective in translating the same information into a different application format. Most times I ended up following the process that AutoDesk includes on their website forum [3]. To perfect this process, places like the IFC have come to fruition.

The IFC or Industry Foundation Class is a schema that was developed to define data format for a more consistent process and make data exchange easier. In the most current version (2010), there over 800 entities, 358 property sets, and 121 data types that can be easily used in any AEC application.  Trying to reflect the plethora of intricacies using in building information is no easy task, but I believe the IFC is off to a great start.

              

References:

[1] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interoperability

[2] Eastman, Charles M. BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley, 2008. Web.

[3] https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-2010-2011-2012/convert-dwg-to-dgn/td-p/2622921


EDIT: Comments lefts of Kai's and Cathelene's orignal post

B2 - (Group B) Matthew Zabiega

                As defined by himms.org (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society), Interoperability is “the ability of health information systems to work together within and across organizational boundaries in order to advance the effective delivery of healthcare for individuals and communities”. Interoperability, although typically for health information, can be used by other fields of expertise.  There are three levels of interoperability: Foundational, structural and semantic.

                Foundational interoperability allows one information technology system to exchange data to another information technology system which can receive but does not have to interpret it. Structural interoperability allows for uniform movement of data from one system to another such that the data is preserved, unaltered and can be interpreted at the data field level. Semantic interoperability allows two or more systems to exchange and use the information that has been exchanged.

                The use of electronically transmitting data has a very basic, yet valuable aspect. It eliminates the need to manually copy data which can be time consuming.  This ensures that the data that is transmitted is more exact and pure than anything that can be manually copied due to human error.  If copied wrong by human error, it can prove disastrous as it can lead to repeat previously wrong work or have multiple copies of the same work with minute changes.

                Moving on to the BIM world, Revit is what I believe to be the program that utilizes interoperability the most (from experience at my last co-op).  Revit can hold vast information and very detailed models that include every system of a building or structure. This information does not have to come from one source, multiples models can be opened on different computers and the model will update via information exchange. The new data is uploaded and transmitted to all other computers with that model opened. This greatly improves that speed at which projects can be completed because multiple people, from different fields, can work in the same model. The electrical engineer can work on his system in the model when the mechanical engineer is working on his system in the model and they can both see one another’s work (if they choose to). Unlike AutoCad, all of the systems of a building can be viewed in one coherent model that can be scanned to see of any probable errors that could arise when construction begins. This can save a huge cost percentage because plans would have to be redone much less because the error was caught early on.

                Although Revit uses interoperability in its infancy (it’s still one model uploaded on a server), the communication aspect is still present. Communication can be slowed by large models (typically over 300MB) and can present problems while sharing data. One personal story while using Revit at my last co-op was when a project was at its 90% completion and was on its way out of the door. Our company had just gotten the model back from a sister company in another country, so one of our lead designers was going through and reviewing the work. It turns out that the work was incomplete and over-all bad. In the following few days, we had over 20 engineers and designers in the live file at the same time. For a while it was working well, but as more and more people began saving and reloading the current model, the system lagged and some data was not uploaded to some computers which in turn caused clashes in the model which had to be fixed. This problem is belittled compared to the advantages that interoperability can give a program.

Sources:
1) http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzM2NDIzOV9fQU41?sid=da4563e0-e15d-4cf3-8b8a-eee24671dc73@sessionmgr113&vid=0&format=EB&lpid=lp_99&rid=0
2) http://www.himss.org/library/interoperability-standards/what-is-interoperability

Comments:
http://ae-510-ay15-16.blogspot.com/2016/01/b2-group-b-kai-waechter.html?showComment=1453231772828#c4535368355876116387
http://ae-510-ay15-16.blogspot.com/2016/01/b2-group-b-yasmina-shields.html?showComment=1453241697511#c1802465014986591942

B2: Group B - Kai Waechter

 Interoperability is the ability of a system, typically for health information, to collaborate together within and across organizational boundaries in an effort to advance the effective delivery of that system for an individual and the communities it affects. By having this within a system, it can help ease the workflow and promote some semblance of automation.

In the third chapter of the BIM Handbook, written by Charles M. Eastman, this concept is discussed in further detail. Eastman states that the minimum application of interoperability is to eliminate the need to manually copy data which has been copied in another application. This makes sense as the very essence of this concept is to have working communications between various applications, in which case their corresponding data would be shared. If this is not done properly, it causes people to essentially have to repeat previous work, and created the potential for errors when data between programs fails to line up.

How this translates to the BIM environment is simple. Current BIM applications such as Revit, and CAD has advanced to the point where we are creating models that hold vast amounts of information outside of their appearance. This data needs to be transferred properly within a system in order to ensure that it is processed accurately. If any relevant information is lost, it could lead to cascading issuing within the design of a structure.

One such example would be having a complex CAD drawing which is a compilation of various other drawings. In order for interoperability to be successful, we want each of these drawing to be communicating with each other at all times. If the utilities for a building are their own separate drawing, then it is important that if a CAD technician makes changes to these drawings that they are updated in all other drawings that contain a link to utilities. If this is not properly done it could lead to a failure in design and wasted time and effort on the engineer’s part. Having worked with CAD in my previous COOP I know all about dealing with improper links between files (this is an issue that can occur often when transferring files across a network for a large company, file connections can get broken and this can lead to drawing not being able to update properly). The concept of interoperability is simple at its core yet it is one of the most fundamental applications of a current BIM system in order to ensure that it operates smoothly and intelligently in today’s demanding world.

Sources:

http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzM2NDIzOV9fQU41?sid=da4563e0-e15d-4cf3-8b8a-eee24671dc73@sessionmgr113&vid=0&format=EB&lpid=lp_99&rid=0


Comments:

[1] http://ae-510-ay15-16.blogspot.com/2016/01/b2-dianna-vogel-interoperability.html?showComment=1453219581137#c317623145001822017

[2] http://ae-510-ay15-16.blogspot.com/2016/01/b2-group-b-alex-palma.html?showComment=1453220006496#c8980641226284012825

B2: Group D, Redus

Eastman begins his chapter on BIM for designers by talking about different methods for contracting the work of creating a building. Design-bid-build contracts separate the design and construction parties and are the current industry standard. He points out that there are various efficiencies associated with the system because the different parties cannot communicate all their information so the other party has to do the work again. Another method is design-build where a single company is responsible for the entire building. It (theoretically) eliminates the poor communication because all the parties are jointly responsible. While this probably does improve communicate and reduce waste, many engineers would prefer to work for a small company, the type of company that cannot exist in a design-build world.

Eastman then talks about the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) system where all the involved parties “enter into a single collaborative contract,” (Eastman, 200). Theoretically this type of contract rewards all the parties when a project goes well and only punishes the parties that cause issues. This means that small companies can still exist but eliminate the waste of design-bid-build. BIM is what allows this system to function – all the parties work on the same model instead of different, sometime conflicting, sets of plans. While BIM systems still need to improve for this to be a common reality it does show that it will be possible for small firms to exist and reduce waste.

Eastman goes on to talk about different ways BIM can help designers conceptualize a building. I found the case study on Georgia Tech’s GSA courtroom software very interesting. This software could analyze different designs to compare them based on programming and circulation, energy consumption, and cost. This then allows the GSA to pick the best and most economical design. One of the really cool things that Georgia Tech developed was an integrated naming convention. For a variety of reasons different industries have different naming conventions, they developed a system that linked the names across industry lines thereby allowing different analysis tools to examine the same information.

While this is obviously very good, a few limitations stuck out to me. The first is that this can only work if there is a huge standard manual describing the building type (such as P100 2005). This would work well for a McDonalds or warehouse but would probably be more difficult for a home or laboratory that needs to be very customizable. The cost estimate system would need to be designed with great care. A design firm could put one option in simply because it showed up as cheaper in the GSA database even though there were other issues with it. The design firms could also be smarter than the system; they might know an inexpensive way to span a certain area with concrete when the computer will think it can only be done in an expensive way.

I found Eastman’s comments about structural engineering firms reluctance to adopt BIM software interesting. He essentially states that engineers deal with idealized world and BIM brings them too close to the real world (Eastman, 224). I believe that reality is a little more complicated. While BIM can certainly improve efficiency and decrease repetition (Eastman, 255), it takes a lot of initial over head to redeveloped standard libraries and retrain engineers. This is also the second round of new major software for many engineers, especially those at small firms. He also talks about how data can be quickly imported from BIM to structural analysis software, eliminating the need for reentry. A SAP 2000 and Revit interface was only developed in 2015, four years after he wrote this chapter. I imagine that as BIM systems become easier to use and interface with analysis tools to a greater degree more structural engineers will learn to use them.

Eastman, Charles M. BIM Handbook, 2ed. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley, 2011. Accessed 14 January 2016, Available: ebscohost (online).

Comment to Danielle, BIM in conceptual design
Comment to Kate, Workflow

B-2 BIM for Contractors - Karan Sagar Sinha

BIM for Contractors –

In the particular chapter, the topic that is covered is how the contractors use BIM. BIM is used by contractors in various ways, some of them being –

·      Constructability analysis and clash detection

·      Cost estimation

·      Quantity take offs

·      Construction analysis and planning

In particular the contractors who work for larger firms use BIM to obtain – construction planning and scheduling, cost control, accounting, procurement, marketing and so on. BIM is not too user friendly for contractors as even if the architect uses 2D or 3D systems for design, the contractors still have to manually perform the cost estimation and quantity take offs to produce a accurate estimate and schedule, the entire process for estimation could be very time consuming and an expensive process.

Contractors have seen BIM evolve into a more user friendly and time saving tool as the newer versions of BIM and the process involve tools such as –

·      Detailed Building Information – A list that provides all the components of the building, thus saving time for the contractor to go back and forth the list to check and perform estimates and quantity take offs.

·      Temporary Components – This provides information regarding equipment and other temporary components that are essential for scheduling, sequence and planning.

·      Design and construction status – This tracks the progress of components that are relative to design, installation and testing.

  

The above BIM flowchart depicts where the contractor builds the model from 2D drawings and uses it for cost estimates and etc.

Comments:

Allison – I can totally relate to your co-op example. While I was working with contractors, they also heavily relied on the use of ipads and tablets to look at the model and plans for specific projects. Also, they had a database which they could quickly pullout and view the cost estimates and look at the scheduling and other data.

Gary Reiff (Group A) – I found your topic to be quite interesting, specifically the part where the objects can modify their own parameters based upon the context that the object is being used in. I feel that this would reduce the margin of errors and would also be quite time consuming.

Eastman, Charles M. BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley, 2008. Web.