PAS 1192-2 in Consultation until 31st August
PAS 1192-2 and BS1192:2007 are 2 key documents in the UK’s Level 2 BIM Framework. They are currently both undergoing an update and are under consultation. This means that you get a chance to help shape the future of the industry with your suggestions. Remember, there’s no point complaining about how things work if you haven’t attempted to make them better yourself!
Two key documents at the heart of BIM Level 2, PAS 1192-2 and BS1192:2007, are being revised by BSI with the proposals available for comment until the end of August.
The PAS 1192-2 Specification for information management for the capital/delivery phase of construction projects using building information modelling is available here – and the BS1192:2007 Collaborative production of architectural, engineering and construction information – Code of practices available here.
PAS 1192-2 was originally released in 2013, while BS1192 was last updated in 2008. Both documents are being revised to update out-of-date wording and reduce conflicts between the two standards.
Autodesk BIM 360
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BIM 360 is a new technology recently released from Autodesk, A seemingly useful tool for BIM managers for overall project review and mark up. It is based on the Autodesk Vault technology, and is likely to be a key tool for future BIM projects.
Working along side existing technologies such as Revit, BIM 360 allows users to merge and align models, review clashes, reviewing model and integrating with CMiC. If you are already creating projects in Autodesks – Revit, Navisworks or AutoCAD there is a simple add in which you can download that will then get added to the addins menu on your ribbon. Simply click on this button in the ribbon to begin reviewing the project in Autodesk 360.
Autodesk®BIM 360 is Autodesk’s vision for collaboration and data management in AEC, which is exactly the new approach described above: provide AEC project teams with a complete,accurate, digital view of their project, with access to information across the project lifecycle.
For more information on Autodesks BIM 360 software click here to see the BIM 360 Autodesk Whitepaper
View more videos about Autodesk BIM 360 here YouTube playlist BIM 360.
Virtual Project Delivery system
I found a very interesting article this morning which was posted last month on the Californian Construction website. It describes how KH&S contractors teamed up with a software manufacturer Scenario to create a customised VPD system which could be used for all of their BIM projects. There seem to be a lot of companies investing in BIM management software, to make the work flow of projects run smoother and become more user friendly. Below is a snippet from the article
For Anaheim-based desin-assist specialty contractor KHS&S, achieving the benefits of integrated project delivery requires technology to give design and construction teams access to project data integrated across the software used by members of the team in real time, all the time.
KHS&S’s answer is Scenario VPD, a virtual project delivery collaboration software and system. KHS&S partnered with Scenario, a software developer, in 2008 to develop a virtual project delivery system. It set the project up as a separate entity within the company a year ago. The resulting tool is a Web-based project data management system with plug-ins to integrate data from three Autodesk products (AutoCAD 3D, Revit and Navisworks) into a single building information modeling dataset accessible on the Web. The goal is to reduce clashes and errors early, while projects are still at the virtual stage.
KHS&S’s product links the data via a tab-accessible interface from each of the three Autodesk products. The interface lets design-build team members access live project documents and data, manage three-dimensional models at the object level, identify clashes, assign and track changes, maintain the progress record and track the complete history of projects throughout their life cycles.
“Incorrect design costs owners a huge amount of money—and a lot more money the further along it is discovered,” says Paolo Hilario, Scenario’s director of product development. “We saw that being able to discover problems early, effectively communicating them to others and addressing them quickly can save millions of dollars on a project.”
Industry Foundation Classes
So, I’m sure most of us know by now what IFC are, if not, this post may be for you! I just wanted to make a small post to anyone who was still in the dark. IFC or Industry Foundation Classes are a data modeling standard which are complete and fully stable, open and international standards for exchanging BIM data. buildingSMART developed the idea and the certification process.
In basic terms, this means that IFC can be used to exchange and share BIM data between applications developed by different software vendors without the software having to support numerous native formats. As an example, your .IFC model which you created in Revit, can be opened and edited in ArchiCAD by your Architect and the same applies for your structural engineer using Tekla. This interoperability further promotes and makes the process of collaboration easier between different parties on a building project.
“We say that our organisation – buildingSMART – is ‘the home of open BIM’. Every implementation of an IFC exchange should follow what is known as an ‘exchange requirement’. This requirement specifies the information that needs to be present in an exchange or sharing of data at a certain stage in a project. It is important to be specific about the information needed. The exchange requirement prevents woolliness and uncertainty.
How can designers and other software users be sure that the software in use is compliant with the open IFC standard and truly interoperable? At buildingSMART we run a certification scheme that tests software products to check that they meet the IFC standard and clarifies the scope of their interoperability. The scheme was revamped in 2010 to make it more stringent and indicates precisely what parts of the product work interoperably.”
This IFC certification 2.0 process – more information about this can be found here.
Importance to user, supported software and other specific enquiries can be found here.
There are also case studies which have been released by buildingSMART using their technology. These can be found here.
As I have posted about on a previous blog, The NBS are creating a ‘national BIM library’. This is a library which can be used by everyone in the construction industry, with pre-made families and objects. All of these objects will be available in the IFC format. The NBS plan to have their library as “the primary source of standard and proprietary BIM objects.” With the upcoming release of the library at Ecobuild this month, I can imagine the use of IFC files and ceritifcation process becoming a standard practice in all AEC firms.
Please visit the buildingSMART website here for more information about Industry Foundation Classes
Free BIM webinars in February
There are a series of upcoming webinars and talks in February which will be of interest to the BIM community, from software users to managers ad industry professionals.
Firstly Asite are holding a webinar on the 1st of February 2012 at 14:00 GMT. The topic of discussion will be BIM compatibility and collaboration chaired by Tom Lane, assistant editor of Building magazine. There will be 3 influential figures from the AEC industry presenting and discussing ideas. It’s a free and open webinar so everyone is welcome to join. I for one am very much looking forward to listening and following the discussion.
The second virtual event is hosted by Imaginit and is called BIM Spectrum: Building a new perspective. This self entitled #BIMseries is an all day event on the 16th February 2012 from 10am – 5pm EST, more of an evening event for the European BIMers! This series of webinars will be aimed at 3 groups of AEC professionals: Software users, Managers and Special Industry sessions.
The day’s line up for the software users is as follows, more information about the whole event can be found on the Imaginit website here or on the links below.
BIM Chemistry: A Case Study on University Renovation
Time – 11:00am – 11:30am
Speaker – John Nadon
Avoiding BIM Blunders
Time – 11:45am – 12:15pm
Speaker – Robert Glover
Autodesk Plant Solutions
Time – 12:30pm – 1:00pm
Speaker – Scott Buchanan
Advanced Documentation – Keynoting
Time – 2:30pm – 3:00pm
Speaker – Tracy Bird
Modeling for Virtual Construction in Revit
Time – 3:15pm – 3:45pm
Speaker – Ken Flannigan
Facilities Models and Revit
Time – 4:00pm – 4:30pm
Speaker – Fulton Hartzog
I will be updating this blog over the coming weeks with more BIM related virtual events in 2012. Find more information about these events on the links below:
Asite – BIM compatibility and collaboration
Ben Malone
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BIMopedia 