BIM Reading #2

The required reading for this week was the remainder of Ch. 2 - BIM Tools and Parametric Modeling from the BIM handbook.  These sections talked about the different types of tools and programs that use BIM, such as Revit, Bentley Systems, and ArchiCAD.  The purpose of the reading was to point out the strengths and weaknesses of each of the different systems.  Most of the programs are designed to do the same thing which is to create three dimensional models for structures but each of the programs are unique.  Each of the programs seem to focus on a specific that would be best for a specific type of project.  Therefore someone might choose a different program depending on the type of project they are working on.  Due to the number of programs that are in use it shows the potential problem with sharing information. Not all of these programs are compatible with each other.  If one company uses Revit for their models and they needed to send the models to a company that uses Bentley it would require significantly more work to just convert the files before they could be sent.  This is similar to something our guest speaker talked about in the last class.  One of their clients uses a different program so they needed to have people who were dedicated to converting files for the entirety of the project.  This is highly inefficient and costly. 

The secondary article that I read was called 'Getting the Best of BIM'.  This article discussed what the company FASTTAC Inc. is developing a technology called Digital Distribution System that will optimize the use of BIM. Due to the wide spread of the use of BIM more companies are integrating their software to be able to manipulate and share the models. One of the disadvantages to most BIM software is that it is restricted to the computers at the office. The Digital Distribution System being developed by FASTTAC would allow access to the most updated model without the use of printouts. The most widely practiced way to access models in the field is for the necessary information needs to be downloaded, printed, and any changed that may need to be made would have to be made to the model in the office. This takes up precious time when most changes that are found in the field should be dealt with as soon as possible to minimize any further loss. The proposed system from FASTTAC would help improved communication, collaboration, and coordination between parties working on a project. Communication is very important and the required reading pointed out some of the problems and this article discussed a solutions that a company is developing and integrating into the work place to optimize the use of BIM.

BIM Reading - R3

The required reading of Chapter 2: BIM Tools and Parametric Modeling from the BIM handbook was very informative and had a lot of information.  The first part of the chapter discussed the concepts behind BIM and why it was created.  It then described early forms of solid modeling and the development of programs that are used in BIM. Some of these programs are ArchiCAD, Bentley Architecture, Revit Building, and Digital Project.  These programs are used to represent space defined by a building's walls, floor, and ceiling.  The article discusses the information that BIM uses in parametric modeling to create structures. The last section discusses the biggest problem with using BIM and that is scalability. 

The article I read 'BIM Getting Bigger' talks about this issue.  The problem is when BIM models get too large due to the large amount of information that is inputted.  Buildings can be made up of millions of objects, each of which has constrains attached to them in order for all the objects to work together.  It can be difficult for a model to be broken into parts and still work the way it should.  These large models are also difficult to share.  For most design and construction projects there is more than one group of people working on the project.  The model may be designed in one office but then may need to be checked by another office.  Then when construction begins the model may be needed out in the field.  Currently this transfer of data is possible but not efficient and takes a lot of time and effort.  The article I read talks about how different companies are trying to find a solution to this issue.  For example Bentley Systems has formed agreements with Adobe Systems and Bluebeam Software.  These companies are creating a solution that will allow models to be converted to PDF format and can still navigate the 3D models while within the PDF documents.  If this problem of large files that are difficult to manage can be solved BIM may be used more readily in the construction industry. 

Robotics Reading

The additional article I read was:

“Team Robot: Researchers Demonstrate Autonomous Vehicles With Advanced Collaborative Exploration and Mapping Capabilities”

The assigned robotics reading provides a lot of general information about the field of robotics, but it does not go into detail about the applications. It discusses how robots function through movement, controls, sensors, and intelligent systems. It is useful for general knowledge on the topic, not the use of robotics for intelligent buildings.

The above article discusses robots that function autonomously and collaboratively to simultaneously explore and map a structure. The project is being developed by a team from the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania and the California Institute of Technology/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The designed application is for first responders such as firefighters or soldiers entering a potentially dangerous building.  The robots communicate with each other and send a map back to the people outside without relying on GPS, but GPS can be used to also relay the robot’s current position.  The robots use video and laser sensors to detect the structure and radar and infrared sensors are in development.

This technology can be used in disaster and military scenarios to provide a quick map of an unknown structure and even danger areas and locations of people. It will lower the risk for people entering dangerous situations and increase the efficiency of their mission.  The article only briefly mentioned future development and did not discuss other applications of this technology.  This technology can be applied to robots that roll on the ground or fly and carry many different sensors.  I also see this technology being used for applications such as inspecting buildings under construction or in danger of collapse and evaluating the performance of building systems.  It relates to the idea of swarm robots, many small robots working together to accomplish a task.  These mapping robots could work with construction robots to inspect the progress of building construction and provide the plans for remaining work.

Robotics

Besides reading the articles from Access Science two was a blog post titled Architects Using Robots to Build Beautiful Structures and the other was a journal article titled Trend analysis of research and development on automation and robotics technology in the construction industry these two you can see on our Gdocs page.

The robot in “Architects Using Robots to Build Beautiful Structures”  is a mechanical arm and it looks like the ones used to build cars. It has the capability to work inside or outdoors.  Besides creating brick walls, this robot could also build a column out of wooden slats and has a milling attachment to mill parts for construction. This robot is able to move as well, it can be fitted onto tracks or onto treads where it can to roam freely. The robot can do large projects such as a 22 meter long wall. In 2009 the team used robots to help create a wooden structure. The robot was able to cut and place the wooden slats according to an algorithm. You can see a video of it in action from the link to the article.

In the research article “Trend analysis of research and development on automation and robotics technology in the construction industry”, it focuses on the growing trend on the research and development of robotics and other advanced technology in the construction industry. It looked at research papers that appeared in the International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction (ISARC) from 1990-2008 to see if there were any trends. The authors looked at organized the research into different categories, such as Planning and Design, Construction Robotics and Intelligent Job-Site Management, Operation and Maintenance. They also discuss in what countries are researching these technologies and what organizations are doing the research and what categories they are focusing on.

How does all of these articles relate to each other and relate to class? Well, based off what I found and the discussion and video from class on Tuesday, the industry seems to be focusing on research and development of robotics and automation in the construction phase, more so than the design or maintenance of a building. If they can streamline the construction process, more projects can be done faster and in the long run save project owners money and increase profit margin for construction firms.