BIM Interoperability

This week's reading focused on the issue of building information modeling interoperability. After reading the assigned reading, I've gained an appreciation for some of the software engineering issues which enable the passing of data between applications. As an industry, this is something that we have struggled with, beginning in the 80s with the earliest CAD software, and today, with the pallate of sophisticated BIM and analysis software. It's comforting to read about the effort to standardize data, known as the National BIM Standards project (NBIMS). However, as the Bentley representave alluded to in class, it seems like part of the problem is the software manufacturers unwilling to open up properitary file formats to other vendor's software. A joint and open alliance between Bentley, Autodesk, and other BIM providers would be paramount in overcoming the interoperability issues that the industry currently faces.

One of the additional articles that I read this week was titled "BIM Interoperability." This article discusses the story of information flow as it travels from the design professionals (read: actual hunam beings) to the BIM system, then to the design and analysis software, to the fabricator, to the contractor, and finally to the owner. At the present time, the workflow of data between the BIM system and the analysis software is currently strangled by the lack of design or analytical capabilities in BIM software. Rather than complete the analysis in BIM software, the design must be exported to a 3rd party design and analysis software, such as RISA 3D, RAM Steel, or SAP2000, through an inefficient exportation process. This process is shown in the following chart:

In the future, hopefully interoperability standards will be more defined, and programs like Revit and Microstation will include analysis tools within the software. This seems to be the direction that Bentley is going in with their latest software.

The other article that I read this week was the National Building Information Modeling Standard, which is produced by the National Institute of Building Sciences. One of the most interesting things I found in this standard is the justification for why a BIM standard is necessary. In this section, the following graph highlights the potential game-changing impact that BIM can have on the construction industry:

Thus, the effects of BIM interoperability are incredibly consequential. Hopefully the industry can adopt standards faster and more efficiently than it has with computer aided design throughout the past three decades.