The IFC/COBie Report 2012

“The rest of the world is in awe of the UK BIM strategy and the progress made so far.”

The IFC/COBie Report 2012 is a document created by The NBS along with the OpenBIM network with input from some of the major Tier 1 contractors and their supply chains. It is a description of a series of test run on Autodesk, Graphisoft and Vectorworks BIM authoring software to test the capability of the buildingSMART IFC file format to find out whether it is capable of supporting the creation of COBie datasets from the Building Information Model.

Although the results of the tests are not directly stated, the report still makes for a very interesting read; discussing the obstacles and the changes needed to make the IFC format an accurate and universal file format for sharing information and data between BIM authoring platforms. You can read the full report HERE or click on the image below for a direct link to the document.

• “..the IFC definition of the COBie dataset provides for an enduring format, independent of software vendors and versions”
• “The industry must do more to promote the examples (case studies) that are available in the US and the UK”
• “There is also a lack of guidance on where the information to populate the COBie should be coming from, is it coming from the IFC schema or being manually added?”
• “Data is disorganised at the moment. COBie forces us to be organised.”

Above are a few interesting quotes and important questions raised from the report: For more information about COBie and a list of resources and organisations pushing COBie to the masses, view The NBS blog.

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“60 articles, 1,000 words each avg = 60,000 words on BIM”

Stephen Hamil who works for The NBS has created a list of over 60 articles and reports on BIM. Compiled from documents released from companies and members of the BIM blogosphere. The reports cover the following areas:

BIM – Getting started, Reports, Conferences, National BIM library, From a client’s point of view, From an architect’s point of view,  From a consultant’s point of view, From an engineer’s point of view, Legal considerations, Standards and Education and training.

Click on the image above to be forwarded to the NBS website, or click here. Thanks very much to Stephen Hamil for taking the time to put the list together, and to all the contributors helping to make the BIM community and open and free sharing platform. 

The national BIM library launches!

The NBS along with BIM academy and other involved parties, today launched the new National BIM Library at Ecobuild 2012. The new website which was also announced contains pre-made standard object configurations which are compatible with Revit, ArchiCAD, Tekla, Vectorworks and Bentley. The site also has links to manufacturer specific content and other useful documents and videos. 

“The National BIM Library contains over 200 pre-configured generic objects covering all major building fabric systems such as walls, ceilings, roofs and floors. And this list is set to expand even further, with new content added every few weeks, to make the National BIM Library the primary source of free-to-use platform neutral UK BIM Objects.

Also, it will soon be home to a wide range of NBS standard proprietary objects. A number of manufacturers are currently working with us to convert their products to BIM objects.”

Click here to view the NBS National BIM Library website.

 

NBS national BIM report 2012

NBS are heavily involved with the research and progression of BIM at the highest level. The national BIM report 2012 documents the state of the construction industry, and how far AEC professionals have come in the process of adopting BIM into their practices. The main topics covered in this report are: BIM and the UK construction stratergy. BIM from the view of a small practice. A BIM survery which was compiled from members of RIBA, CIAT plus many more AEC organisations. It talks about what BIM will mean for design fees, and finally discusses the collabortion and methods of BIM. The summary of this being that many heads are better than one when collaborating efficiently and succinctly. 

“Last year we suggested ‘BIM is the future… It looks like it might pay to get on board sooner rather than later’. We might now say that BIM is increasingly the present and it might be best not to get left behind. ”

The report shows clearly that a vast majority of architects in the UK are still using CAD based software in their projects. On a more positive note, more and more people are beginning to realise the potential of BIM. It is no longer possible for the old fashioned architects to ignore it. BIM is here now and BIM is the future of the construction industry. There is not really any dispute left there to be had. Over 75% of people on the surverys admitted they would be using it within the next year, and a massive 90% over the next 5 years. Those stuck in a 2D / CAD based mindset will be left behind, while those who are passionate about BIM and choose to implement it with a solid stratergy plan, will see their practices and collaborations flourishing.  

Read the full report here or visit The NBS website for more BIM related articles.