Manfacturers data / BIM data

My last blog on CAD drawings and BIM returned some interesting comments from within my blog as well as from Linkedin Groups. It appears some were missing the point or not understanding it while some responses were building upon it. As a means to clarify my point I would like to take this discussion to the next level.


For the purpose of this blog, let’s consider the BIM data as representations of the manufacturer’s product data. In order for building manufacturers to be competitive they will most definitely have to be concerned with the BIM representation of their product data. But that is not all they are concerned with as they have the manufacturer’s representation of that data, not to mention marketing data such as cut sheets, shop drawings, etc.

• Manufacturers Representations – There are a number of categories relating to data from the perspective within manufacturers’ walls but let’s just look at a few items:
• Engineering data comes in all sorts of different methodology such as solid modeling, database driven and plain old 2D. This data is the life blood of the manufacturer, not only displaying current product line but being used to create new product (R&D). Actually, when I talk to manufacturers I like to draw a big circle and label it as the engine model from which everything is a derivative of this data.
• Marketing data - Even though there are and can be more derivatives than just marketing data from an engine model, for this blog let’s look at the marketing data as data including BIM data and cut sheets or shop drawings.
• BIM data is from a geometry point of view and should, for the most part, focus on providing the ‘foot print’ and ‘volume in space’ for the product. There are other concerns involving more detail that I will leave for another blog. The BIM data from the meta data perspective is also a key factor as it is really where manufacturers have to be cognizant in order to provide all the data necessary for their product, which includes pointers to cut sheets or shop drawings and specifications to name a few.

What I was trying to convey in my l last blog was that manufacturers will need to continue providing drawings of their products in a 2D fashion. This data will most likely take the form of a PDF file which will continue to provide the necessary detail and information that an architect or engineer needs. Again, this is something the BIM models do not provide other than by including a URL link to this data.
There are quite a few other derivatives we could talk about but the main point I want to emphasize is that all of the product data could be taken from the engine model, which is exactly what we are doing with the FAR Process - becoming a derivative of the engine model.

Patrick Johnson

The Future of CAD with the World of BIM

As one of the fastest moving initiatives in the commercial industry, Building Information Modeling (BIM) is an innovative approach to integrating the design, construction and management of a product.

• Recent studies revealed:
  Over 50% of architects, engineers, contractors and owners are utilizing BIM at moderate levels or higher.
• Architects are the heaviest users of BIM with 43% using it on more than 60% of their projects (that number is expected to grow throughout 2009).
• 77% of BIM users are involved in at least a moderate number of green projects.
• Half of the industry is using BIM or BIM-related tools today — a 75% increase in usage over the past two years.
• 42% of non-users believe that BIM will be highly or very highly important to the industry in five years.
• One in five users who formally measure ROI see returns above 50%, while 9% of users who
• formally measure ROI see returns above 100%.

BIM (Building Information Modeling) is changing the world and has also created a burden for manufacturers to supply data to the architects in a different format. This does not mean manufacturers need to forget about the simpler CAD drawings they have been supplying in the past. There will always be a need for these drawings. Actually, in the BIM format, a manufacturer should be supplying a link to their CAD file (shop drawing) as a way of providing the information part of the ‘I’ in BIM

As a manufacturer you may be asking, ‘Why do we need to provide BIM data?’ The answer is simple, the world of architecture and design is changing and it is changing fast. Right now we have two states, Wisconsin and Texas, mandating that all their government projects must be a BIM format. Many architects are stating that your product(s) will not get specified unless you provide BIM data. I will also add that a properly developed BIM model will put a manufacturer’s product specifications in front of the architect, which in turn, greatly increases the chance of getting that product specified.

However – not all projects will be in BIM. You will have some architects that will not move to the BIM format, projects that will not demand it and there are all of the existing buildings that may have expansion plans and already have documentation in CAD formats. With the understanding that BIM is a new format that is here to stay, it’s important to acknowledge the need to provide CAD drawings and shop drawings will not be going away any time soon.

The following are links to information supporting the use of BIM by architects:

BIM adoption rate exceeds 80% among nation’s largest AEC firms

http://www.bdcnetwork.com/article/ca6668193.html

SmartMarket Report on Building Information Modeling (BIM)

http://construction.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0249-296182_ITM_analytics

First Wisconsin, now Texas mandates BIM for state projects

http://www.bdcnetwork.com/blog/1340000734/post/1350047735.html

Patrick Johnson