BIM Part 2

BIM

          The second part of the BIM article from the BIM handbook provided a more detailed perspective about the various BIM programs available on the market today. Before examining the specific programs, several different criteria were mentioned. These included: user interface, drawing generation, ease of developing, scalability, and extensibility, just to name a few. User interface and ease of developing were parameters which when done well would help make the amount of time actually figuring out the software go down significantly. This would ultimately mean that the drafters could accomplish more drawings in the given amount of time. Drawing generation and scalability both had to deal with raw computing power. Some programs are saved in a file system which means smaller processing power is needed; while others create one large file which takes a lot of processing power to update and create. In addition, the extensibility of the program refers to its capability to design certain structures. Some programs, for example are better able to render complex curves and difficult to conceive structures, while others are unable to graphically show these curves.

            This first article I read on the subject matter was entitled “BIM at its Best.” This article goes through many of the different aspects of BIM and notes how they save both drafting time and construction costs for companies. Specifically, it was mentioned that there was a significant decrease in request for information (RFI) forms during construction. In addition, the number of change orders submitted throughout the construction process was greatly reduced due to the conflicts in design being addressed in the steps prior to the start of construction. Finally, because of these cost saving effects of BIM the article mentions how the software is nearly always paid for by project savings. After finishing this article, I thought to myself, why not purchase several versions of BIM? It appears that there are some factors that one program offers which would make it the better program to use for a specific project. For example, those which can render complex designs can be used for the more in depth projects. On the other hand, those which are very user friendly and not as in depth could be used for the projects on the smaller scale. Ideally, there would be a program which can handle all aspects needed for a successful BIM software, but it does appear that purchasing more than one version of the software might be worth the cost.

            The second article researched how often BIM classes are being taught at the college level. The presence of AutoCAD classes greatly outweighs those of BIM classes, which was not particularly surprising. Since the industry seems to have just recently adopted BIM into its list of prominently used software, it will take some time before academia can develop coursework and appropriate classes. It would not make sense for the schools to offer courses for a program which is not used in the industry, so it makes sense why there were few classes until now. It does seem like there are being more courses offered in the subject though, which is a good thing to hear. I am happy to be introduced to BIM while in school so I can gain exposure before entering the job market.