All Things BIM

Hacking BIM

2014-04-17T09:09:00.001-04:00

No, I’m not talking about the good kind of hacking, like the AEC Hackathon. I’m talking about the kind of hacking that steals your identity and buys a diamond necklace for some anonymous Russian mistress! The kind of hacking that sneaked into Target retailers and grabbed millions of PIN’s from register transactions. How did they get access? Through an HVAC contractor. The Target corporation felt there was a significant benefit from facility energy savings in allowing broader access and connections to heating and cooling systems. Does this benefit outweigh the potential security risk?

A recent article in the New York Times by Nicole Perlroth (“Hackers Lurking in Vents and Soda Machines”) highlights a growing danger of hackers gaining access to corporate networks in some uncommon ways.

“They came in through the Chinese takeout menu.”

This got me thinking about the all-too-cool initiatives we are pushing in the AEC industry. Why not connect BIM to facility management (FM)? One of the most recent marketing emails I received is for YouBIM – a cloud-based BIM solution for facility management. Check out their introductory video. What happens when we start connecting all the players in the design and construction work flow with cloud-based BIM data? What happens to the benefit of ‘big data’ when it starts to communicate and co-mingle with consumer profiles? Food for thought…

NYC Revit Users Group: Mar 2014 Meeting

2014-04-07T10:34:00.001-04:00

Continuing the tradition of extremely relevant content, the NYC Revit Users Group invited industry lawyer Rebecca McWilliams, AIA, Esq. (mcwilliams-law.com) to share some insight related to sharing our BIM data with others.

The recording is long, but here are some highlights along the way:

0:42:25 BIM Execution Planning
1:01:30 Risk management and standard of care
1:18:00 LOD
1:35:20 Managing owner expectations and ‘bad’ contract clauses
1:41:00 Litigation case studies

Seattle Revit Users Group: Feb 2014 Meeting

2014-03-07T20:28:00.001-05:00

The creative folks in the rainy city have established quite a nice following for their local Revit users group. The February 2014 meeting featured a panel of general contractors sharing their experiences with BIM implementation, including some intriguing ROI numbers.

The have graciously provided a recording of the event:

Spring BIMForum 2014: Call for Presenters

2014-01-13T10:41:00.001-05:00

The next BIMForum event is scheduled for April 23-24, 2014 in Boston, MA, for which the theme is “Optimizing Design with BIM.” If you’d like to submit a speaking proposal, time is running out. Click here to begin a proposal, because the deadline is January 15. All you need is a title, some learning objectives and a brief summary of your proposed speaking topic. Presentation formats are in Pecha Kucha (20 slides, 20 seconds each), 20 minutes, or 30 minutes.

The BIMForum events committee is looking for individuals or project teams to share real world experiences that illustrate how BIM tools and workflows have improved the design process and/or the built environment. Architects, engineers and any other design professionals are welcome to submit a proposal.

Registration for the event is also now open. Early bird discount ends March 1.

UK Commentary on LOD

2013-10-01T17:50:00.001-04:00

I stumbled upon another excellent commentary on Level of Development (LOD) from Stephen Hamil (@StephenHamilNBS) from NBS in the United Kingdom. On his blog, Construction Code, he writes about the differences and similarities between the LOD Specification and various developments such as PAS (Publically available standard) 1192-2:2013, which defines levels of model detail (LOD) and levels of model information (LOI); as well as the RIBA Plan of Work.

Take a visit to Construction Code and let me know what you think.

LOD Spec: Do I have to model in progression?

2013-09-04T09:10:00.001-04:00

Over the course of the first two years of development before the first release of the LOD Specification for BIM in 2013, the work group thoroughly discussed many topics related to the real world use of the levels of development. One such extended discussion focused on how architects or engineers might develop their model data through the various stages of design while adhering to a model element table using the standard LOD’s.

The initial assumption is to think of LOD as ‘level of detail;’ therefore, you might think you are required to model with a generic component first, and then swap it for a more detailed component later in the design phase. While this approach seems logical in accordance with much of the imagery you’ll see in the LOD Specification, it’s not how most of us work.

The correct way to think about this progression is in terms of the RELIABILITY of the information in your model. For example, you might start a project with your company’s model template that has all the standard wall types defined. You might progress through concept or schematic design using an assortment of these standard wall types, but the overall layout and scope of interior partitions is still in flux. In this case, you would define Interior Partitions to be at LOD 200 in the early stages of design, and then specify LOD 300 for the latter stages. How can this work if you’re using the same wall types through all stages?

The LOD 200 definition in the LOD Specification for Interior Partitions includes the definition: “Generic wall objects separated by type of material (e.g. gypsum board vs. masonry).”

This definition can serve as either a guide to the model element author (architect) to model to the minimum specification – or, it can serve as the definition of reliability for a recipient and end user of the model, such as an estimator. An end user may receive a model with highly detailed wall types, but because it is contained in an interim deliverable and the model element table established Interior Partitions to be at LOD 200, the recipient can only use the model data up to the level at which the partitions can be distinguished by type of material. The more detailed data is there – but it cannot be relied on just yet.

Here’s another example – in another blog post from Practical BIM, Antony McPhee uses an illustration from the AEC (UK) BIM Protocol in which a chair is shown at varying levels of detail:

Notice that the reliable properties are shown in red. Now, what if your practice only has the chair model as depicted under Component Grade G3? Can you put that component in your model if Moveable Furnishings was initially specified to be LOD 200 (the equivalent of G1 in the above image)? The answer here is YES. You can put the highly detailed chair element in your project model, but the project design has only been developed to a conceptual level at LOD 200. Therefore, even though it looks like a finished, rendered product, it can only be considered as a generic office chair.

LOD Reply: PracticalBIM

2013-08-25T15:52:00.001-04:00

Over at the practicalBIM blog, Antony McPhee has provided a few very insightful posts about real world (ummm...practical) application of the levels of development (LOD) for modeling. His most recent post, "LOD, are we there yet?" raises some interesting questions that I'd like to address.

First let me share some background information. I am an active member of the LOD Specification work group. The establishment of the LOD Specification is just that - a specification. It is intended to be a baseline, or a minimum standard. Where there wasn't a clear methodology for modeling something to a particular level, we did not speculate on a single solution. Instead the Specification allows for additional customization to be appended to the baseline in a BIM Execution Plan.

Isn't BIM about data?

First topic Antony approaches is the notion of "non-graphic information" (as described in the AIA digital practice documents and the LOD Specification). Of course it's all about 'the I in BIM'... This is a known issue and despite the LOD Spec group working for over two years, we have barely scratched the surface in terms of standardizing which parameters or properties go with which levels of development. Luckily, we have the IFC schema and the Object Element Matrix (OEM) from the US Dept of Veterans Affairs (VA) to help us heading into the next version. (Refer to VA BIM requirements, and the OEM spreadsheet) We will be looking to incorporate some form of this type of required information matrix in the next version of the LOD Specification.

LOD 100

Oh...that one. I could write a book on this topic alone because the LOD Spec group spent so much time debating about this level. The initial assumption was that a system or component at 100 might not be modeled, but provided as 'non-graphic information' in a narrative or attached to other model elements. Wait...what? As an example, you might model a simple floor slab and assign a parameter for an allowance of structural framing per unit of area.

Another assumption was to utilize a massing model. This is something that most Revit users are familiar with, but could also be accomplished in SketchUp, Rhino, and so on. The first debate was whether to make a 'mass' it's own class of model elements like walls or floors. What does a mass at LOD300 look like?... End of that discussion. A mass is simply a medium to establish a level of development for some other element class.

After many weeks and months of deliberation, it was finally decided to keep it simple and maintain the relationship to the classification of system element. Think of it in terms of one step below LOD200 (generic placeholder). In a wall example, 100 would simply be a wall - not identified by type or material. At 200, you would at least distinguish between drywall and masonry, but not specific types.

Take a look at the final published version of the LOD Specification 2013 and you'll see the clearer definitions for LOD100.

What ISN'T in the BIM

Antony notes the absence of means to address elements in the model that are not to be referenced. That is good feedback for the LOD Spec group as we progress into the next version. It's always tricky to address something that isn't to be addressed...

Not necessarily in this section, but Antony asks about an object being "graphically represented." I think the intent is meant as "geometrically represented," but AIA might have been trying to be consistent with "graphic" versus "non-graphic." On the subject of using 2D symbols in the BIM, I will likely write another dedicated post on this topic based on my conversations with the BIM team at the US Army Corps of Engineers. In their Minimum Modeling Matrix (M3), they use LOD definitions along with a "grade." This grade allows an element to be either 2D or 3D. Read more about the M3 here.

What ISN'T BIM

This is a subtle difference from the topic above, but Antony asks how one addresses project content that is part of a deliverable package, but not in the model. This is a good question that was discussed quite often within the LOD Spec group. The simple answer starts with an equation:

Deliverables = Model + x

In this equation, x refers to anything else that might accompany a model being offered as a project deliverable. This might include drawings, specifications, napkin sketches, and so on. The LOD Specification addresses ONLY the "model" part of the equation - it does not serve as a guide to complete project deliverables in current work flows.

Now, if we are talking about certain building systems or components that are just not going to be modeled - for example, you might not be modeling furniture in your BIM - there are two ways to address this. One way is to simply not define an LOD in your project's BIM execution plan. The other is to devise some nomenclature to call out such omissions. Antony notes that "NM" (not modeled) could be used in the plan. Sounds like a reasonable solution to me.

Construction Documentation as a BIM Use

As I mentioned earlier, the LOD Spec is intended to be used as a measure of model reliability - if you will, the dictionary for the authors (modelers) and readers (recipients) of written works (models). It is assumed that BIM is currently being used throughout the industry to generate and deliver 2D construction documents, but the model itself is often not shared with estimators, builders, and so on. That is the focus of the LOD Spec.

The game plan for the LOD Spec group was much like the game Jeopardy - where you are given an answer and you have to guess the question. We did not want to explicitly state any BIM uses in the Specification; however, we did start with three uses common to the state of the industry today: 3D coordination, quantity takeoff, and on-site layout (see BIM.psu.edu for definitions of these uses). The definitions of the levels were developed in order to fit these common use cases, but not restrict project teams to only three use cases.

Milestone Definitions

In the last section of Antony's post, he comments on the organization of milestones as columns versus rows in a table. He refers to another blog by Brian Renehan in a post titled "Developing LOD" in which an alternate method of documenting model milestones - with LOD's at the top - would allow greater flexibility with a project milestone schedule that is established on a weekly basis. If weekly milestones are used in reality, then Antony is correct in assuming that would not fit in a printable format, thus the need to flip the milestone table on its side. Personally, I've never seen such a detailed model progression schedule, and I don't think you would be able to get enough granularity out of the LOD definitions for that to be practically applied.

I am happy to get some commentary on the milestone aspect of LOD use from those in other countries. Please continue to contribute to this important discussion either in the blogosphere or on Twitter using #LODSpec.

Posted with Blogsy

LOD Specification is Here!

2013-05-13T22:38:00.001-04:00

After two years of dedication and hard work, the first draft of the BIM Level of Development (LOD) Specification is finally available for public comment. The work group responsible for this important document is a joint task force consisting of members of the AIA and the AGC of America’s BIMForum.

You might be asking, ‘what is an LOD Specification and why do I need one?’ The AIA’s digital practice documents defines 5 fundamental levels of model development, but offers only general definitions of what each level means. I offered some explanation of these in an older blog post.

This new document offers more detailed definitions of how model authors must create virtual components in order to satisfy the requisite reliability. Building upon the AIA’s original LOD definitions, the LOD Specification can be seen as a companion document – much the same way as a dictionary can be a companion to both an author and a reader.

The public comment period will be completed by early June 2013, but the work group will continue to revise the LOD Specification and publish it on an annual basis. Go to bimforum.org/lod to download your free copy today. I’ll provide more feedback and commentary in future posts.

Spring BIMForum Registration

2013-04-10T17:08:00.001-04:00

The next AGC BIMForum event is rapidly approaching and this one should be quite interesting. Through the years, each BIMForum event has offered a theme within which all the presentations would focus. The theme for the April 2013 event is “The Human Side of BIM” and will focus on specific topics such as firm culture, change management, training, and motivation. Also adding to the human dynamic at this event will be the method of content delivery – Pecha Kucha. That’s right, all presentations will be grouped into common themes and delivered in 20 slides x 20 seconds format. Immediately following a segment of Pecha Kucha presentations, the speakers will remain on stage for extended question + answer periods. Should be fun! (I’m hosting the Training theme)

The event is on April 24-25 in Miami, FL at the Hilton Miami Downtown. There’s still time to register at http://bimforum.org/events/65/miami-bimforum/. I hope to see you there.

Time for a Revit Revolution

2013-02-15T09:22:00.001-05:00

Have you heard the news?! Autodesk has a new app to help you model monsters! (Cost: $2 introductory pricing) It seems pretty obvious these days that big A's attention has shifted away from core BIM tools and towards mobile app development.

They are very proud to tout over 12 million professional customers, and in a recent Forbes article, “Autodesk’s Brilliant Customer Strategy” - they claim a new concept for development:

“Autodesk releases its new products first to consumers, thus turning the product vetting process upside down. Consumers pay less but they expect more. They can be far from polite or patient, and will only tolerate very short learning times—and few bugs—in new, untried products.”

Sure, Autodesk has developed some interesting mobile apps for our industry such as BIM 360 and FormIt, but lets take a look at their main BIM platform – Revit (Cost: ~$6,000 – $13,000).

When Revit was introduced to the market around 2000, it was ground breaking. Never before did the architecture industry have a database-driven, parametric modeling tool that was relatively easy to use. In the first few years of existence, Revit Technology Corp made vast improvements directly related to customer feedback sessions they would host annually, right after they'd have a major version release.
Then Autodesk took notice and acquired Revit in April 2002 for $133 million dollars. Since then, it seems there really haven't been the kind of innovative improvements we saw in the pre-acquisition years. Granted, those years were really about taking a brand new platform and getting it up to speed for the larger market of AEC users, but it seemed like the trajectory for innovation was much more steep than it has been in the years since.
The Revit development team often uses the term "fit and finish" referring to commands, tools, and features they initiated, but really haven't improved to work the way they really should. Take the fairly recent addition of the Parts functionality. This feature was intended to allow builders to take a design model at consists of singular assemblies such as walls, floors, and roofs and break them down into individual components (finish, substrate, structure, ...) for more accurate phase scheduling, estimating, and so on. Great! So, the builders can link in the architectural model and...uh, no. It doesn't work on linked models. Really? [CORRECTION: You can create parts from linked models in Revit 2013, just use the Tab key to select a model element within the linked file and the Create Parts button will become active.]

Allow me to review some specific issues my industry colleagues and I have been asking for over the past few years – a few of the larger ‘fit and finish’ issues that have yet to be resolved in my opinion:

Faster UI - While I believe Revit still has the lowest learning curve of all the BIM software on the market today, it's user interface still seems quite slow. Ever since the ‘drunken leprechaun’ debacle with the 2010 release of the new ribbon interface, it just seems that I'm always waiting multiple seconds for the ribbon and command buttons to react - even with a blank project file open. As a customer paying $6,000 and up, I would expect the basic software to function crisply and cleanly. As the Forbes article quotes about the app users, “Consumers pay less, but they expect more.” So, should the inverse be true…that we (I guess we’re not really ‘consumers’…) pay more, therefore, we should expect less?
Handle larger projects - This is another area in which Autodesk says that performance is always their top priority. They have made moderate strides in improving performance of large projects, but no real game-changers. They have improved the functionality and workflow for linking models, but certain quirks still remain such as walls not joining between linked projects, and it's still a pain in the butt to manage view references between linked projects.
Schedule templates - Here's one I was hoping would happen sooner because of the functionality Revit has for MEP related to panel schedules. The scenario is for buildings in which you need to create a series of schedules that are usually based on each level. For example, if you need to generate an area schedule for each level to include on code analysis sheets. To do this in Revit, you need to create a unique schedule for EVERY level - essentially using a filter to show only Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and so on. Why can't we create one template schedule (kind of like a Keynote Legend...hint, hint) that is then placed on a sheet and will report only the areas visible on that sheet. Could be a huge time saver for firms working on mid-rise and high-rise buildings...but alas we must trudge ahead with the same functionality we've had since 2004.
Better custom/complex modeling - We've seen some interesting developments get infused into Revit related to their conceptual design environment, but there are still some annoying gaps that prevent truly complex forms from being developed through to construction documentation and fabrication. Why can't solids automatically join and heal? Why does a complex curtain wall system need to be created as a mass and then be inserted into the project? I'm simplifying a complex discussion, but I think this workflow could be vastly improved.

These are just a few areas where I feel Revit could be improved, but they have been at the top of my wish list for years. Perhaps it is time for Autodesk to let Revit go to a company who cares about true innovation for the users who are actually designing, constructing and managing buildings. I'm pretty confident we'll never see "Bentley Revit" or "Graphisoft Revit" - but at one point I was inspired by the possibility of "Google Revit." Given the latest trends, maybe the next idea will sound something like "Trimble Revit." All I'm saying is that it's about time a once innovative platform is returned to the status of hands-down game-changer.

SmartMarket Report on BIM 2012

2012-12-13T09:16:00.001-05:00

McGraw Hill Construction has released their latest SmartMarket report on the “Business Value of BIM.” This year’s report builds on the past 5 years of extensive industry research of building information modeling and how it affects various stakeholders in the construction industry.

Of personal interest, the cover image is from HOK’s Francis Crick Institute – a highly collaborative project in London that also included PLP Architecture, AKT II and Arup among others.

This SmartMarket report is unique in that the research illustrates the cumulative data of a multi-year trend analysis and user ratings. You can observe how perception of value and the implementation of various BIM uses have changed in recent years. The report also contains some project case studies and interviews with industry thought leaders including HOK CEO, Patrick MacLeamy.

I also contributed to an article in the report on the development of BIM standards including Levels of Development (LOD). You’ll find that starting on page 46! Download this FREE report now and share your thoughts and comments.

Autodesk FormIt

2012-11-28T09:51:00.001-05:00

A new iPad app was announced by Autodesk at AU this week. This time, it’s a conceptual design application called FormIt. The app reminds me of SketchUp in that you can edit forms through direct manipulation and by sketching lines to divide surfaces, thus creating new extrusions. This interaction feels pretty fluid and intuitive. I was up and running with some conceptual forms within minutes.

There are numerous aspects of this app that set it apart from other mobile design tools. First, FormIt gives you pretty reasonable dimensional accuracy and feedback as you place, move, and edit forms. You can even use a direct measurement tool. Another really cool feature is the ability to define a target gross area for your proposed design. As you build up a form, the app gives you feedback in the upper left of the screen, as to how the form is achieving the area. You set some options such as typical floor height and the app automatically adds levels as the form gets taller, thus calculating the gross area.

You can also locate the proposed form on a site using a connection to Apple Maps (I think). From there, you can simulate shadows directly in the app. The model can then be transferred to Vasari or Revit for further development or analysis.

I’m pretty excited about this new app, but the real test will be putting it in the hands of some real designers. Let’s see what happens…

dRofus Beta 1.5 with Model Server

2012-10-16T16:07:00.001-04:00

Could this be a game changer for web-based access to program AND model geometry for large projects?

dRofus has released a new beta version of their popular integrated program management platform that includes an embedded model server from Jotne EPM.

Read more about this exciting development over at HOK BIM Solutions.

Mastering Mondays

2012-08-27T12:39:00.001-04:00

Along with my Mastering Revit Architecture co-authors, I have started a new little (unofficial) adventure on YouTube we’re calling “Mastering Mondays!” What is it and how does it relate to the books? Allow me to explain…

Here is last week’s installment about creating custom wall constraints:

RTC North America 2012

2012-07-02T14:47:00.001-04:00

Here I sit on the train, commuting back to work on a warm Monday morning, attempting to summarize what concluded a mere 27 hours ago. I'm attempting to find the right way to express my feelings about the RTC North America 2012 conference in Stone Mountain, GA and I seem to keep returning to Bradley Cooper's character in The Hangover II when he makes that fateful phone call..."it happened again."

Now, I'm not saying we lost all track of reality in a drunken stupor - rather that I feel a nostalgia of great events in the past. Meeting new friends, learning truly valuable skills, and having a whole bag of fun in the process.

Let's start from the beginning...even before departing New York for Atlanta. At AU in November 2011, my good old friend Wes Benn says that I absolutely must submit a class proposal for RTC in June. I was supposed to give a presentation at the first RTC North America event earlier in 2011, but an important family event forced me to defer my presentation to an excellent colleague who did a bang-up job of Effective Coordination, avoiding an imminent #screwtastrophe.

So, I submitted a topic called "Building Smarter Models" that was accepted and I was on my way to Georgia. Fast forward to June 27 and I arrive with two others at Hartsfield Airport late that evening. We share a car out to the Evergreen Marriott Resort at Stone Mountain - a 40 minute drive. Along the way, Scott Davis receives a call from Jim Balding with the news that there are no rooms left for the three of us. Surely this is one of Jim's practical jokes, but it turned out to be true. After shuttling back and forth between two hotels in the area until 1 am, we had a plan - Bruce got a room, Scott shacked up with Jim for the night, and I stayed with Wes.

The next morning I may have been caught saying that I was due for a crappy conference because I've been to so many good ones in recent years. I was about to let fate take its course. Then it was underway...

We were first treated to a fascinating "fireside (albeit a virtual fire) chat" with the one and only Dick Morley - the father of such modern day innovations as the programmable logic controller, anti-lock brakes, and the picture keys on McDonalds restaurant registers. Dick was followed by Steve Stafford and a few folks from Autodesk talking about what's new in Revit 2013 and what's to come. Of course, Autodesk can't reveal details about what's coming without everyone being under NDA, so I felt that was an unnecessary addition to Steve's summary.

After lunch, we were off to the first round of classes. This is where the magic begins. Without a fully detailed summary of every session I attended, let me just say that you probably won't find a better assembly of speakers and topics covering Revit and related technologies than at an RTC event. I'd have to say that my favorite presenter was Marcello Sgambelluri. His passion, eloquence, enthusiasm, and overall knowledge of each topic was remarkable and inspiring.

<< EDIT: Sorry, had to remove the video snippet of Marcello's presentation by request >>

RTC is a multi-track event in which there are several simultaneous classes in regular time slots over three days. It is difficult to decide which class to attend in any given schedule slot and they don't yet record the proceedings. I hope they do in the future because I didn't hear anything but positive reviews from my colleagues attending other sessions.

One thing that seems to be receding from the itinerary of other industry conferences are the social events. This is where RTC certainly doesn't skimp. As event founder, Wes and his committee understand the immeasurable value of networking at these types of venues. It might make their event a little more costly, but I wouldn't even hesitate to keep coming if they keep up their high standard of excellence. On Friday night, we were treated to a paddle boat ride across the lake to the Stone Mountain Golf Clubhouse for a fine BBQ dinner and on Saturday, the gala dinner concluded the conference with the announcement of the contest winners and a bluegrass band.

Future conferences are scheduled for RTC North America - Vancouver in July 2013, RTC Europe - Delft, Netherlands in September 2013, and RTC Australasia - New Zealand in May 2013. I encourage you to visit www.revitconference.com to learn more about these upcoming events.

Posted with Blogsy

Are you an “intrapreneur?”

2012-06-07T09:20:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Mike Plotnick (@SomeChum) for tweeting this link. Different than entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or Mark Zuckerberg; intrapreneurs are people who have an entrepreneurial streak in their DNA, but choose to align their talents with a large organization in place of creating their own. I like to think I fall into this category, albeit on a much smaller scale than people mentioned in the article from Ford, Intel, Dell and others.

“Move Over Entrepreneurs, Here Come The Intrapreneurs”
By David Armano, executive VP, Global Innovation & Integration at Edelman.

Posted on Forbes.com

HOK Product Design

On a similar note, in my time with HOK, I have always been impressed with the somewhat low-profile business within the firm that designs their own products. HOK Product Design was founded in 2009 and is an “independent business that engages designers who use design thinking to create innovative products for the built environment.” It has the “unique ability to draw on the knowledge, research and evidence-based data available within HOK as well as the firm’s leadership in strategic planning, workplace consulting and sustainable design.”

Some of the innovative products that have come out of this group include Full Circle^®, a continuously curved luminaire concept manufactured by Winona Lighting, Balance Beam, a grab bar with touch activated LED lights manufactured by Cooper Lighting IO division, and Gather, a collaborative furniture line manufactured by Allsteel.

There are many other products ranging from recycling systems, to coping, to wall/curb rain gardens – all designed by talented team members working on HOK projects! Please hop on over to their website and peruse the product offerings. You can even submit your own idea.

SimpleBIM, IFC and COBie Commentary

2012-06-06T14:33:00.001-04:00

I haven’t seen Martyn Day in quite some time, but I still miss his wit and warm UK hospitality! Over on AECmag.com, he has recently penned a article that addresses a neat tool called SimpleBIM from Finnish developer Datacubist.

Read “SimpleBIM” by Martyn Day

In the article, Martyn shares his thoughts and discussions about some of the realities of implementing open standards such as IFC and COBie in the industry today. I’ll be talking about these very subjects at my “Building Smarter Models” presentation at the Revit Technology Conference later this month in Stone Mountain, GA.

I have recently downloaded the free 30-day evaluation of SimpleBIM and so far, I am impressed with it’s flexibility. It even has a bit of a stress reliever in the software…look for the BIM Bang panel in the 3D ribbon and get ready to laugh…

Model-Based Code Review

2012-06-01T13:53:00.001-04:00

I’m excited to share two recent articles with you that signal the beginning of a real shift in the utilization of BIM in the facility industry. First is an article summarizing the joint effort of Fiatech, the International Code Council, Target, Solibri and Avolve Software.

Making the Case for Automated BIM Review
ENR.com article by Tom Sawyer

The proof of concept phase of this project, known as AutoCodes, was completed with code authorities from 13 jurisdictions in the United States reviewing identical sets of 2D building plans. The first manual review pass took several hours on average and yielded an astonishing discrepancy in results. The second pass utilized an open standard (IFC) BIM file passed through model checking software. In addition to only taking a few minutes to run, the results were perfectly consistent in all jurisdictions. Even if there are discrepancies in the model – such as spaces being classified incorrectly – such discrepancies are immediately brought to the attention of the code reviewer and become part of the audit trail during the review. You can download the proof of concept report here.

The second article is essentially just an announcement that the first BIM-based site safety plans have been approved by the New York City Department of Buildings:

NYC Department of Buildings Approves First Three Dimensional BIM Site Safety Plans

NYC DOB has created a program to review 3D models representing site safety plans. From their website:

“The program enables the Department to virtually tour sites and see step-by-step how a building will be built and visualize its complexities and challenges. Under the program, site safety plans are digitally submitted, amended and reviewed, improving the compliance review process and accelerating the approval process like never before.”

What’s the difference between NYC’s approach and the AutoCodes project? NYC DOB is primarily using BIM data as a different means of visualizing the required information. As of now, they are not using any automated means to validate the plans and they are not using any open model standards (IFC). On the other hand, AutoCodes will utilize open standards and has the added benefit of turning the International Building Code into a series of computable rule sets that can be implemented in other model checking platforms.

Fiatech Video Presentation–AutoCodes proof of concept

AGC BIMForum and More

2012-05-15T15:32:00.001-04:00

I recently attended my seventh BIMForum event held at the Grand Hyatt in San Antonio, Texas. The theme for this event was “VDC (virtual design & construction) Deliverables.” I’ll comment more on the theme later. First, allow me to describe this conference. The BIMForum is a group that is organized by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and whose mission is to “facilitate and accelerate the adoption of building information modeling in the AEC industry”…to “lead by example and synchronize with counterparts in all sectors of the industry to jointly develop best practice for virtual design and construction.” Recently, the AIA (American Institute of Architects) signed on to be an integral contributor to the BIMForum as well (talk about reaching across the aisle!!). You can learn all about the group and sign-up at bimforum.org. As a paid member, you can access recordings of past events.

Over the past few years, the AGC originally hosted 4 BIMForum events per year, but they reduced that to 3 in 2011 and now are hosting 2 annual conferences. Each event consists of a day and a half of presentations around a common theme. Presenters must be experienced in using and/or delivering BIM-based services and the longest presentations are 1 hour. Attendance has been quite solid at around 400 which makes for a lively audience, but not overwhelming for good networking. There are no concurrent sessions, which makes every BIMForum conference one of the more easy-to-attend events in my experience.

Each conference is established around a specific theme that seems to always be timely and relevant. The Fall 2011 event theme was “Return on Innovation Investment (ROI²)” which prompted the presenters to focus on the costs and benefits of using BIM-based processes. There were quite a few extremely valuable sessions describing compelling cost to benefit ratios, including a presentation from Dan Russell of Sundt Construction who illustrated that the cost to ‘do BIM’ was equivalent to the cost required to keep a building site broom-swept during construction!

Who should attend a BIMForum event? These events are more inspirational and informational in nature than events such as Autodesk University or Revit Technology Conference. If you are already knee deep in BIM implementation and consider yourself an expert user, these events may not be for you. If you are a decision-maker for your firm and you want to keep up with the competition or get started with realistic BIM implementation, the BIMForum offers the perfect event to showcase real people and real projects getting real results.

The Spring 2012 BIMForum theme was “VDC Deliverables” in which the presentations were to focus on “VDC deliverables that are specific results of digital processes that improved results…ways that the deliverables were used to solve specific problems.” I admit that I may have slightly misinterpreted the theme as one that would focus on using VDC processes to improve deliverables; instead of the deliverables of the VDC process. As such, I was somewhat disappointed that more presentations didn’t specifically address the transition of design modeling to construction modeling. That said, it was still an inspiring event and I look forward to attending more BIMForums in the future.

Look for me at two upcoming industry events. At the AIA National Convention in Washington, DC, I will be presenting as part of an expert panel on the topic of “Information and Energy Modeling for Code Compliance: A Guide to Methods and Means.” That presentation starts at 4:00 pm on Friday. I am also presenting a topic I called “Building Smarter Models” at the Revit Technology Conference in Stone Mountain, Georgia. That class is also a Friday-at-4 fire-the-crowd-up-before-cocktails time slot.

Hope to see you at these and future events! I will vow to protect as many fluffy kittens as possible. Thanks to Amy for the cute stationery pictured above. Speaking of which…those in attendance might have noticed my fluffy kitten meme shirt (“Revenge of the Fluffy Kitten: The Sequel”). If you’re interested in buying fluffy kitten merchandise, let me know and I’ll consider setting up an online shop! Thanks Liz for the gift shop find (below)!

New Features of Navisworks 2013

2012-04-25T16:59:00.001-04:00

Whilst David Light has cornered the market on ‘what’s new in Revit,’ I figured I’d take a moment to summarize some of the new features in Navisworks – one of my other favorite applications. There are quite a few enhancements for handling Revit models this year and I’m pretty excited about the changes.

Open RVT Files Directly

Yes, you heard that correctly. You can now merge RVT files directly from Navisworks without pre-exporting an NWC file from within Revit. This will probably be a true delight for builders who may no longer need an installation of Revit just to get the model data into Navisworks. Model components from a Revit model are now organized in the Selection Tree according to category, family, type, and instance.

CAVEAT: This functionality will open the RVT file and will look for a 3D view for which the name contains “Navis.” If one is found, it will load the data that is visible in that view.

Grid and Level Support

In the 3D coordination process, it’s usually quite difficult to determine your location when you are automatically zoomed to a clash condition. David Kingham first posted a workaround to create 3D grid objects, but now it has made its way into the core software. (As an aside, please visit David’s new professional photography website…very impressive work!)

Lee Mullin wrote a great summary of this new feature over on the Beyond Design blog, including a video.

Clash Detection Enhancements

One of the first things you’ll notice in Navisworks 2013 is that a new interface for Clash Detective has been created. This new UI makes it easier to discover and organize clashes. Because the grids and levels are now included from Revit, you can group and filter clashes according to grid and/or level location. You’ll need to right-click on the row headers and select Choose Columns as shown below. Note that these options won’t be available for older projects without the supporting information.

Timeliner Enhancements

Money…that’s what I want… You can now add cost data to your Timeliner simulation to better understand accumulated costs anywhere in the construction process. Objects and selection sets can be dragged and dropped into Timeliner to easily create associations between the model and schedule tasks. Timeliner simulations can be exported to ProjectXML to support interoperability with Primavera and Microsoft Project.

Improved File Interoperability

Navisworks 2013 now supports CATIA and Solidworks files from Dassault Sytemes, ArchiCAD 14 and 15 files, Siemens NX PLM software, and point clouds from Faro 4.8. Timeliner can also now connect to Oracle Primavera P6 v8, Asta Powerproject 12 and Microsoft Project 2010.

As a little bonus footage, check out this demo video from SMART Technologies about how you can now use a SMART board monitor overlay with Navisworks for team model review:

IFC Export from Revit: Reply

2012-04-09T10:31:00.001-04:00

I’ve been monitoring the discussions in the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) group on LinkedIn for some time now and recently saw a post criticizing IFC export from Revit 2012. I saw a few discrepancies in the methods described in the blog post, so I decided to run through the same tests myself.

To ensure I had the same setup as the original post author, I created a new project in Revit Architecture 2012 using the default template. I created three phases: Past, Present, and Future. Three desks and three walls were modeled and I added a floor slab under each wall/desk just for context. The first (left) wall/desk/floor is assigned to the Past phase and the wall + desk were demolished in the Present phase. The middle wall/desk/floor are on the Present phase and the right wall/desk/floor are on the Future phase. In the image below, the Phase Filter is set to None to show all three sets of objects.

(Click on any of the images in this post to see the enlarged version)

I was using Tekla BIMSight version 1.5 for all IFC viewing; loading all IFC exports into one project and using the visibility setting for each model to display the results (shown highlighted in each image). For consistency, all IFC exports from Revit were set to IFC 2x3 and Current View Only:

One of the first things I noticed in the original blog post was that the author was utilizing Temporary Hide-Isolate to change the visibility of some elements. In training and use of Revit through the years, I’ve always understood that this tool only made temporary changes to visibility (thus the name); therefore, it should not affect printing or exporting. I proceeded to test this by hiding two of the desks in a view:

When you attempt to export with Temporary Hide-Isolate activated, you get this warning:

I chose to “Leave the Temporary Hide/Isolate mode on and export” and got the same result as the original blog author. Note the warning, “Affected elements may be exported with unexpected visual characteristics.” The desks that were temporarily hidden did not export. My suggestion for users…don’t attempt to use Temporary Hide/Isolate for exporting or printing.

The next test was to test the Phase Filters. I set a 3D view to Phase: Future and Phase Filter: Show New:

In the resulting IFC export, you can see that the phase filter is not recognized even though we are supposedly exporting “Current View Only.” As you can see in the image below, even though the phase filter of the view is being ignored, the desk and wall that were demolished are not shown:

The next test was to examine the effect of hiding a category of objects. In this test, I created a 3D view with the Phase Filter set to None and the Walls category was turned off in Visibility/Graphic Overrides for the view:

This process seemed to work, but it still ignored the Phase Filter of the view:

I attempted one more experiment using the Present phase. Revit should not export anything that is in a ‘future’ phase, so we shouldn’t have a problem here:

Unfortunately, you can see below that even though the Revit view displayed only the Present phase – ALL phases were exported to IFC – even the Future phase:

Conclusion

To summarize my testing of IFC export from Revit Architecture 2012, here are my findings:

BAD: Don’t use Temporary Hide/Isolate to export or print
BAD: IFC export ignores the Phase Filter parameter of a view
GOOD/BAD: IFC honors the Phase Demolished parameter of model objects*

Except the fact that if you’re exporting the Past phase, the demolished elements appear in the Revit view, but are still omitted from the IFC

GOOD: IFC honors Visibility/Graphic Overrides of object categories

At HOK, we have experienced additional IFC export problems with curtain walls that have edited profiles and stacked walls. I’ll conduct some additional tests as well as conduct these same tests with Revit 2013 in a future post.

If you’d like to experiment with the files I used for this test, you can download them here.

Effective User Groups, Part 3

2012-04-06T15:48:00.001-04:00

To all my readers, I can’t believe I drafted the final post in this series back in January and completely forgot to upload it to the blog! If you were anxiously awaiting this conclusion, I’m sorry for the delay. As the kids say…”My bad!”

This is the third and final post in my series about implementing effective user groups. In Part 1, I discussed getting a group started, organizing topics and speakers, and meeting locations. Part 2 included tips about meeting locations and group websites. To conclude the series, I’ll share some tidbits about hardware and sponsors.

Hardware

First, let’s talk about a simple topic that rounds out our previous chat on websites and general technology. While it’s safe to say that a halfway decent laptop is a minimum requirement for a successful meeting, there are a few other items to note. To broadcast our meetings via the web, I use a USB Desktop Microphone from Logitech. It does a superb job at picking up sound in the general vicinity of the presenter(s). These days, I’ve also found that a webcam of reasonable quality (such as the Logitech HD Pro C910) will usually deliver good audio. In the near future, I expect GotoWebinar will include the ability to broadcast video as they do in GotoMeeting.

Here’s a checklist you might use that is loosely related to hardware, but includes some other important issues:

Whose laptop will be used?
Make sure presentations are copied to a USB drive.
Always bring spare cables (audio/visual/network).
Laptop power supply?
Get written approval (at least via email) from your presenter for recording.
Merge the intro and formal presentation slides to avoid awkward transitions.
In software demonstrations, make sure all necessary files and applications are opened BEFORE starting the presentation.
If you’re broadcasting via the web, be sure to repeat any questions asked by your live audience. Hearing only the answers can get a bit confusing to your web audience.

Group Procedures

If you’re lucky enough to have a good group of volunteers help you organize and operate your events, it can get pretty difficult to maintain control over all the moving parts of a modern, high-tech group. We have found great success in writing a sort of ‘user manual’ for our group’s operations. This allows any one of our group leaders to schedule, configure, and run an event without missing any of the steps related to the guest speakers, the facility, and the broadcasting technology. I’ve created a generic version of our document as a template for you to use in your groups. Feel free to download the document via the link below.

User Group Procedures Template: http://bit.ly/I8FXGJ

RTC US Mystery Topic

2012-04-05T10:58:00.001-04:00

As you can see from the new badge on my blog page, I’ll be speaking at the Revit Technology Conference in Atlanta, GA this June. This will be my first time attending and speaking at an RTC event which is managed by some of my good buddies Wes, Phil, Steve, and Jim (among others). I was supposed to give a presentation on effective coordination when the conference debuted in the US in California, but a last-minute client scheduling conflict prevented me from attending. If you were there, hopefully you enjoyed Amy Patel’s delivery of my topic.

If you haven’t registered yet, do so soon because word has it, they are seeing record high numbers of registrants and space might run out. I recently completed my registration and the classes all look quite interesting.

The class title I submitted was intended to be somewhat nebulous because I wanted to step outside the ‘Revit tutorial’ box and talk about important topics related to overall success with BIM implementation. “Building Smarter Models” will cover a few of the areas of research and development in which I’ve been involved over the past few years since I last presented at an event like Autodesk University (remember “You Can’t Do That With Revit?”).

I hope to leave a decent amount of time open for Q&A, but the session specifics will touch on use of IFC (understanding IDM and MVD), development of NBIMS, analysis of and addressing client BIM requirements, and a review of HOK’s “BIM Certified” program. Please comment on this post if you have any suggestions to enhance my topics before I complete the presentation (early June).

Topic: Building Smarter Models

As the building industry starts shifting away from document-based deliverables towards models, it is important for the authors (architects, engineers, and builders) to understand the requirements for quality content development. In this session, you will learn about the latest developments in open standards, how to address client BIM requirements, and methods for avoiding “BIM wash.”

Key Learning Objectives:

Develop an understanding of industry open BIM standards.
Learn how to develop high-quality models suitable for sharing with other project stakeholders.
Establish a measurable approach to implementing BIM workflows for your company or project.

New Features of Revit 2013

2012-03-28T11:27:00.001-04:00

The news is now starting to flood the blogosphere…Revit 2013 will soon arrive! As usual, Mastering Revit contributing author, David Light, has provided an in-depth review of the new features. Please hop on over to his blog and read all about it…

http://autodesk-revit.blogspot.com/2012/03/what-new-in-autodesk-revit-2013.html

Moving Forward with LOD

2012-03-01T10:09:00.001-05:00

I first wrote about LOD (I’ll break down the acronym later) and the AIA E202 BIM Protocol Exhibit in a post from December 2008, but the topic is such an important part of doing BIM right that I wanted to bring it back for further definition. Here we are three years later and I am reflecting on the last statement of that post…

“[The BIM Protocol Exhibit]…has not yet become a formal addendum to any of our project contracts. That will likely change very soon.”

Since early in 2011, I have been participating in a work group that was spawned from the AIA and the AGC BIMForum to further expand upon the LOD definitions. That is to say, if you are a designer, engineer, or builder and you are asked to provide model elements at LOD### – do you know what you are required to provide? The group will be presenting a progress update at the upcoming BIMForum event in San Antonio, Texas, but for now, allow me to share some insight I have gained while involved with the group.

What is “LOD?”

First, let’s get our terminology straight. According to the AIA E202 document, LOD is defined as “level of development.” It does NOT mean “level of detail;” however, this is an important concept. Unfortunately, the choice of words makes for increased confusion over the acronym, but there definitely is a difference.

Level of detail is the amount of information and geometry provided by the content author or other project participant. There can always be a higher level of detail in a project model than what is realistic to be used by others in a downstream workflow. Level of development is the maximum amount of information and geometry that is authorized for use by others.

Expressed in different terms: DETAIL = INPUT and DEVELOPMENT = RELIABILITY

No Such Thing as an “LOD### Model”

I mentioned this in a recent post about the ‘fluffy kittens,’ but allow me to reiterate the point that LOD is based on assemblies – NOT entire models. In my opinion, the easiest way to understand this is to separate the milestone deliverables from your thinking about LOD’s. In other words, don’t think that schematic design = LOD100; design development = LOD200; and so on.

At any given project milestone, you will likely have a combination of LOD’s. For example, at the end of construction documents, the interior walls and doors might be at LOD300, furniture is at LOD200, and information about electrical fixtures is only supplied as an allowance per square foot; thus LOD100.

Let me explain this a little further with an example many firms are using (including some folks at HOK). Below is a screenshot from an LOD modeling guide offered by one of the participants in the LOD work group. I won’t use the person’s name or the firm name, but I certainly do not mean any disrespect by using this example (many others make the same assumption).

In this image, a progression in LOD is assumed to be aligned with the development of the project design – probably from SD to DD to CD. However, if you look closely at the difference between the 200 and 300 plans, elements like the plumbing fixtures seem to be the same model object. How can that be if the deliverables are at two different LOD’s? What if instead we label the plans as “SD Floor Plan,” “DD Floor Plan,” and “CD Floor Plan?” In the example above, you might know exactly what manufacturer and model number the plumbing fixtures will be (‘buy it’), so that assembly will be listed at LOD300 in the DD and CD deliverables.

In contemplating the LOD concept as it relates to any assembly or component in a project model, I developed the following (although I’m still working on a better explanation for 100):

LOD100 = Interpolated calculations (estimates)
LOD200 = Specify it
LOD300 = Buy it
LOD400 = Build or install it
LOD500 = Operate or maintain it

The above list simplifies the concept of authorized uses. Essentially, what you should be able to do with an object given a certain amount of input information.

Does LOD Imply Time?

Another misconception about LOD is that it implies an ‘in progress’ state of content. For example, you might think that LOD200 means that you are placing manufacturer-specific content in your model, but you are still in an early phase of design such that quantities and locations are not finalized. In this case, the correct LOD assignment would be LOD300 with the understanding that at design milestones quantities and locations will be in flux.

Here’s another twist, if you are working on a project that will be competitively bid – essentially, design-bid-build – what LOD would you use for final construction documents? If you think about it, specifications for bid projects usually allow for (or require) a list of alternate products (Wicks Law, New York state). As such, even if you are using a model component provided by a specific manufacturer, the level of development (reliability) can only be at a generic level – LOD200. This may seem counter-intuitive, but a full understanding of these levels is going to form the foundation of ‘good input’ for the industry to start realizing improved interoperability.

I invite you to read more about LOD at the Vico Software website, BIModal Evolution blog, Revit Sticky Notes, Revit OpEd, The BIM Manager, and Q5 (Tocci). There are also some good discussions happening in the BIM Experts group on LinkedIn.