BIM Curriculum Lecture Notes

BIM Curriculum Lecture Notes

Graphisoft
Visit the Graphisoft website at http://www.graphisoft.com for local distributor and product availability information.

BIM Curriculum Lecture Notes Trademarks

Copyright 2009 by Graphisoft, all rights reserved. Reproduction, paraphrasing or translation without express prior written permission is strictly prohibited. ArchiCAD, Virtual Building and Virtual Building Solutions are trademarks of Graphisoft. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

BIM Curriculum Lecture Notes

BIM Lecture 11: Documentation

BIM LECTURE 11: DOCUMENTATION

Topics:
Methods of design Effect on operational costs by method Time spent on project stages Advantages of automatic documentation Documentation concepts in BIM programs Deliverables available from BIM

METHODS OF DESIGN
The process of building design documentation has gone through considerable changes in the last decades. In this session well compare different documentation methods and analyze their effects on operational costs and workflows: Pen/paper based offices prefer traditional design concepts. The document creation and modification is a continuous process. An enormous amount of hard copy is needed to maintain the design phase. 2D CAD based offices are working with hard copies as well as computer aided design applications. Since 2D CAD is not an object based design method, it has several limitations, thus this workflow requires it requires printed hard copies in order to cooperate with different design professionals. BIM program based office environment use intelligent 3D objects as the basis for design. All aspects of the design process are continuously up to date for all parties.

Methods of design: Paper based office

Paper based offices create hand-drawings on paper. This results in huge documentation folders while modification leads to big volume waste.

Every modification on the design requires new layout preparation. Quantity takeoffs and calculation are time consuming, and cooperation with contractors requires on-site personal discussions.

Methods of design: 2D CAD environment

In 2D CAD offices, hand-drawings are substituted by drawings created on the electronic drafting board. Modifications are easier to perform, but quantity take-off for calculation is still done manually, and modifications have to be performed on every single drawing. Recalculation of all modified building components has to be done individually

BIM Curriculum Lecture Notes

BIM Lecture 11: Documentation

Methods of design: Offices using BIM solutions

The basic concept of BIM modeling is that architects are able to use the 3D building model to extract all the required project drawings and building views including sections and elevations, presentation drawings, renderings and detailed construction drawings, as well as quantity calculations and price estimations.

Consequently, changes to the model are instantly updated on all drawings. Benefits: considerably less paper usage more efficient cooperation with other professionals through various output formats easy and coherent change management

Effect on operational costs: Paper based office

Due to continuous documentation creation, it is easy to imagine a high material cost factor. Maintaining such a large volume of paper based information requires considerable manpower as well. This resultsin continuously high human operational expenses, with all its consequences. The cost envelope contains both high human and high material cost factors, which are unpredictable in time.

Effect on operational costs: 2D CAD environment

In semi-developed office environment such as 2D CAD offices, the cost structure is even more complex. 2
BIM Curriculum Lecture Notes

BIM Lecture 11: Documentation

There are relatively high material costs as well as moderate manpower cost on top of occasional software and hardware investments. The IT investment can be easily planned, while material costs are mostly driven by daily needs.

Effect on operational costs: Offices using BIM solutions

In a well-developed office environment using BIM solutions, the cost structure should look like the following: Low material cost due to limited material needs Low manpower cost due to limited number of employees Low maintenance cost Well planned software and hardware investments Full control of profitability

Time spent on project stages

The results of technological development also affect the distribution of time among the project stages. The traditional process can be modeled with a bell-shaped curve where most of the time is spent on documentation. In contrast, using BIM technology, architects can put their efforts on their core business: the design. Documentation and coordination issues become almost automatic procedures and the overall time to market is shorter. The area under the curves represents the total time BIM can save around 20-50% of the total, depending on the project type, the complexity and the amount of changes throughout the project cycle.

BIM Curriculum Lecture Notes

BIM Lecture 11: Documentation

Documentation concepts in BIM

The ultimate goal of architectural design - even in the era of BIM modeling - is to produce the construction documentation set from which the building can be constructed. Three dimensional models and visualization materials are also important since they help to win the job, but architects still get paid for delivering drawings. BIM programs support the automatic production of drawings from the 3D model, allowing architects to spend more time on design and less on documentation.

The benefits of BIM documentation are:

Contractor-specialized view sets Automatic scale change and recognition Less time spent on side effects of the design (layouting and dimensioning) Cooperation options are provided (several output types, redlining) Immediate quantity and cost control due to lists and inventories

Advantages of automatic documentation (1)

Avoid human errors One-click up-to-date documentation: Modification of one view is reflected in all drawings Effective communication with contractors One model, several representations Partners receive plans specialized to their requirements Alternative output types are environment-friendly and provide more room for further design processing Less paper consumption Less material archiving needed

Advantages of automatic documentation (2)

Contemporary consignation formats Formatted lists and consignation Intelligent quantity take-offs ease the cost analysis both internally and externally Automatic update on all aspects of modified elements

Dimensioning
Automatic update of all dimensioning of modified elements Automatic dimensioning saves considerable time

Documentation concepts in BIM: Virtual Trace

The Virtual Trace technology allows placement of a selected Reference view as Virtual Trace Paper above/below/ alongside current model display. The following items can be used as a Trace Reference: All model views (floor plans, sections, elevations), drawing views (Worksheets and Details) Views and layouts 4
BIM Curriculum Lecture Notes

BIM Lecture 11: Documentation

Trace Reference can be used to edit active view: trim with/adjust to elements on Reference, pick up element parameters from Reference. It provides an easy and direct navigation between the Active Content and the Reference.

Documentation concepts in BIM: Scale recognition

View sets make it possible to create different representations from the same model. Layer combinations, model display options, zoom and scale settings help the user to display the items they wish to be visble.

Documentation concepts in BIM: Scale recognition

The feature of scale recognition ensures fast and easy documentation. Different output types such as conceptual plans, construction documents or detail drawings are easy to create without the need of drawing anything again.

Documentation concepts in BIM: Master layouts

Master settings and automatic drawing IDs speed up documentation. Using automatic texts saves a lot of time we would spend on labeling each layout.
BIM Curriculum Lecture Notes

BIM Lecture 11: Documentation

Documentation concepts in BIM: Numbering referencing

Layouts and Drawings have IDs assigned to them, as an aid in organizing, navigating and outputting the project. The primary use of assigning Layout IDs is to achieve the automatic numbering of the Layout Book and follow up the references to each elements originating from the model. While an automatic logic can be applied to the whole Layout Book, BIM solutions provide maximum flexibility in customizing the assignment of IDs. In the picture below the section marker contains the reference to the layout where the section has been placed.

Documentation concepts in BIM: Detailing

Detail creation with BIM solutions is fast and flexible. Details can be enhanced with 2D editing tools or even replaced with a ready-made DXF/DWG item downloaded from the Internet.

Documentation concepts in BIM: Multiple output types

Designing, constructing and maintaining a building is a highly complex process that requires the close co-operation of many people. The architect must be in the center of this communication process, and the BIM model provides the ideal platform for communicating the building information.

BIM Curriculum Lecture Notes

BIM Lecture 11: Documentation

BIM is an open system

Different project participants require different data. Moreover, project stakeholders typically use different applications with several file formats. BIM programs allow the architects to export their projects in several file formats. This way the BIM model can be opened in various programs without loss of data.

BIM

Deliverables available directly from the BIM model

The BIM model provides all the necessary outputs: Sections Elevations Details Interior elevation Element schedules

BIM Curriculum Lecture Notes