Building Information Modeling BIM Images

Evolution of BIM

Characteristics of BIM

Managing BIM Models

Barriers to BIM

The Future of BIM

Recently, a lot of revolution has been taking place to bring change in the fabric of the audiovisual design and integration of business. Nasser (2010) noted that Building Information Modeling (BIM) is not a new innovation to the field of construction. It has been around for decades, even though the term BIM was introduced more recent by Professor Charles Eastman of Georgia Tech, who developed the first no-commercial BIM tool almost three decades ago and called it Engineering Data Model (EDM), when has undergone through a number of iteration (Nasser, 2010). In this paper, we evaluate the concept and application of Building Information Modeling (BIM).

Introduction

Recently, a lot of revolution has been taking place to bring change in the fabric of the audiovisual design and integration of business. Nasser (2010) noted that Building Information Modeling (BIM) is not a new innovation to the field of construction. It has been around for decades, even though the term BIM was introduced more recent by Professor Charles Eastman of Georgia Tech, who developed the first no-commercial BIM tool almost three decades ago and called it Engineering Data Model (EDM), when has undergone through a number of iteration (Nasser, 2010).

Wiley & Sons (2008) noted that Building Information Modeling (BIM) can be defined as a representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility digitally. It works as a shared knowledge resources for information on the facility which form a reliable basis for decision during the construction. It also provides an opportunity to designers to bring in a modest way of designing, and present an entirely a new way of looking at the design and construction of buildings (Eastman, Teicholz, Sacks, Liston, Hobken, John Wiley & Sons (2008).

A number of academicians have advocated for BIM for almost four decades now since the early days of a scientist Nicolas Negroponte's "Design Machine" at the Massachusetts Institutes Technology (MIT) in early sixties. However, commercial BIM has been in practices since the late eighties and early nineties. Nemetschek's Allplan, and Graphisoft's ArchiCAD were the first two commercial BIM tools. In the last decade therefore, the wide spread of BIM commercially to the market and to the academic environment have been seen (Kunz & Gilligan, 2007).

This paper therefore investigates the effect of Building Information Modeling (BIM) on the accuracy of estimates of construction and duration. It present how BIM has affected the estimate cost of construction time and costs in the industry and also analyses the methods which are being used to set upper and lower limits on the precision estimated of quantities and production rates. The paper also highlighted some of the benefits of BIM to the construction field and to the designers.

Literature Review

The concepts and methodologies of Building Information Modeling that are mostly being used and understood by designers has been in existence for more than 30 years, basically being used within the aerospace and manufacturing industries, BM as a design and construction terms has been in used for almost 15 years since it was first introduced. It was introduced to put in place emerging information rich, architectural computer 3D modeling technology different from traditional paper-based design 2D design and drawing. BIM aimed to designate both a software approach and a method of designing and constructing a building by the use of highly coordinated and internally consistent computable information about the building; all the way from conceptual design, through construction, to post construction and asset management (Willem K, & McGraw H, 2007).

Rightly assembled BIM is a digital, reliable three dimensional virtual representation of the project to be used as a template in the construction. It provides guideline in the decision making, construction document production, planning, performance predictions, and construction scheduling and cost estimates. As other computer based application operates BIM quality of the work produced depends by the quality of input insert by the designer. It represents a three dimension of a centralized database which contains all the items required in the actual building including the location, dimension, composition, cost manufacturing details, architect, the owner's name, constructor, and subcontractor. This make BIM brings out clear details about the whole project in one to date and integrated digital environment.

The BIM model assumes that information given is correct and will provide constructors with as easy incorporated view of the entire structure, its interrelations and any positional conflicts...

Most importantly, BIM also provides the understanding and information which are necessary to determine any positional conflicts and other issues which come during the design phase, instead of later on the building site to avoid much damage normally arise. These potential benefits notwithstanding, many organizations are still taking a wait-and-see attitude about BIM, waiting for the proverbial jury to return. Needless to say, for BIM software vendors, the jury is back, and has been for therefore BIM is the answer to solve all the traditional design technique.
BIM Images

The images of BIM are in 3D and are no longer having shape surface only, they contain objects also. These images are objects with contents with walls which contains studs at various intervals. If all database fields (parameters) pertaining to a given object are correctly populated, you can find out everything you need to know about any given item, including, among other things, its position and relation to other items, its R-value, its manufacturer, its cost, its place of manufacture, its use of recycled material, and its delivery time even its installation instructions.

When you take a look at the real meaning of information correctly, you will find that BIM images appears much more clearer and shows the real looking of the project at real time. It can be understood much better than a 2D drawing because it is visible truly the way it supposed to look. The strength of BM is much more visible, it provides easy communication between the owner and the designer and the constructor, who are supposed to see construction goes together to ensure there is no conflict between the contractors and subcontractor, who also gains a much better understanding of what, exactly, is to be done from the clear visual that BIM offer.

Evolution of BIM

Vector CAD is the first generation of CAD which represent buildings with geometry, vector-based lines, arcs and circles. But it was represented with dumb lines which are drawn using a computer instead of a pencil as normally happen with 2D. After which Object CAD was discovered to added properties to the object. The "Smart" object with properties is added to certain features of the designed project such as the object windows, doors, walls, roofs or stairs to governor their behaviors. A window could be pulled from a resource file into a drawing and stretched to fit the required opening. As it was stretched, the panes would grow but the jamb section would not. A user could associate information to the object such as the supplier, part numbers, the finish, the warranty and so on.

The drawing objects are "smart." They know how to behave and what they were.

BIM: From that point, it was a logical step to envision an entire building as a smart object with endless possibilities for algorithms that govern its behavior and associated information. BIM emerged. It's an awesome vision.

Characteristics of BIM

A BIM model is a digital description of a project. It may include information such as the physical configuration, programmatic requirements, functional characteristics, specifications, systems performance, supply chain threads, construction sequence, cost or any other information that might be useful.

Managing BIM Models

The management of a BIM models is actually similar to the way building is being managed. It requires a construction manager to understand the technology of construction so to produce a better result. The most important task in BIM is orchestrating the work of hundreds of organizations which normally coordinates the assembly of materials on-site with decision-making, sequencing, and supply chain management (Nasser, 2010). Many projects are usually built off site and then brought to the site during the construction time. However, failure by the on site team to manage well the off site activities which include the drawing of the planned project there will be delays in the completion.

In simplest sense, it doesn't make any meaning for a superintendent to know the forming and finishing concrete if that concrete cannot reach the site in time. A BIM models operates in the same system. Managing the development of a virtual construction model requires skills that are similar to managing the real thing. Too often BIM production is staffed with people who understand BIM technology but don't understand how to manage the workflow from multiple sources (Mihindu & Arayici, 2008).

However, management of BIM models involves setting BIM standards, understanding constructability, and construction sequence, evaluating supply chain data, and vetting information that is used in the model. But the most important knowledge needed is the ability to comprehend how to suck date into multiple sources into one integrated model. The manager is supposed to have a little knowledge in the…