What is BIM?
Building Information Modeling or “BIM” is the industry standard for site management in construction, covering the capture, processing, and storage of information across the project lifecycle. Despite 3D technologies like LiDAR and photogrammetry increasingly taking market share, they’re often categorized as separate to the BIM ecosystem. In our article, we take a look at where these solutions are best applied and how they’re moving the industry forward.
What is BIM?
BIM is more than just an industry-specific version of 3D modeling, it covers the entire data capture and processing workflow. Anything that involves building management – from initial design to demolition – revolves around data visualization, sharing, and analysis. As such, it’s imperative that architects, engineers, and contractors have a firm grasp of BIM concepts.
To make things easier, it’s probably best to explore the BIM fundamentals separately:
Process: Essentially, BIM involves using digital tools and collaborative workflows to create and manage building information throughout the project lifecycle. This could involve modeling and drawing, ISO standard compliance, or anything in between. All of the above helps promote cross-departmental integration and process control.
Models: Digital representations of a planned or as-built asset that include the physical or functional characteristics of the real thing. Depending on the stage of the workflow, this could be data-based or a full-fledged parametric 3D model. Think of it as a tangible output from BIM information collation – and an important cost & scheduling tool.
Management: Captured BIM data can be used to ensure traceability and compliance with the construction industry’s rigorous standards. Providing a bridge between design/construction and a company’s wider operations also allows for educated decision-making at scale.
Which standards are relevant to BIM?
When it comes to BIM compliance, it really depends on where you’re operating. But there are a handful of important global standards that warrant careful consideration.
ISO 19650 covers a series of international standards that span the entire BIM lifecycle, including design, delivery, data management, and security. These are built upon PAS 1192, another set of standards developed in the UK. PAS 1192-3, for example, covers information management across each project’s operational phase. Many of these rules are still used, especially during the restoration of heritage buildings, making them important to know.
Another ISO standard worth mentioning is ISO 16739. This lays out the industry foundation classes (IFCs) for BIM interoperability, which are vital to collaboration. Software like AutoCAD & Autodesk Revit, for instance, need to be capable of working together, without any data loss.
Less to do with 3D modeling, but still important to know, COBie – or the Construction Operations Building Information Exchange – covers the equivalent of BIM for non-graphical information. In practice, things like equipment lists and warranties are often shared in a spreadsheet format from BIM models, especially when public infrastructure is involved.
There are several others that effectively filter ISO 19650’s principles down into local frameworks. Ultimately, this means reading up on the BIM standards requirements of whichever country you happen to be operating in.
Different “levels” of BIM
If all this sounds a little confusing, the industry does have different levels of BIM integration, so you can tell how well-integrated companies really are. Here’s a broad summary of the scale:
Level 0: No collaboration – There’s little-to-no digitization and very little integration between architects, engineers, and contractors. Information is likely to be shared in traditional formats like drawings, or in a 2D layout with minimal tracking for quality assurance.
Level 1: Partial collaboration – Some information management has been introduced, with 2D drawings used in the early stages, and 3D design deployed for visualization. This brings tools like AutoCAD (3D), SketchUp, and MicroStation into the equation. Although a common server may exist, there are likely to be limitations in the way models are shared & integrated.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/@autocad
Level 2: Collaborative BIM – This is the level of BIM integration required for procuring many contracts – in the UK, it’s often needed for national infrastructure projects. Information-rich 3D models are a must, with data being exchanged in universal formats via standard processes. In design, engineers may still have separate 3D models, but they’re merged for clash detection.
Level 3: Fully-integrated BIM – Essentially, to hit the top level, companies need to be fully integrated from top to bottom, with everyone working from a shared digital twin in real-time. This should cover the complete lifecycle in a way that ensures data uniformity and compliance.
Applications of BIM
Design & visualization
Like all design processes, building construction starts at the concept phase. Using dedicated software, it’s possible to rapidly create realistic 3D visuals. Depending on the application, these may even include overlaying parameters for initial design checks and allow for the parametric modeling of parallel surfaces, whether it be walls, floors, or more complex systems.
“Clash detection” carried out at this stage is also critical to efficiency. Automated checks for conflicts between overlapping designs allow potential issues to be flagged and rectified with minimal project interruptions due to rework or on-site errors. In the early stages, it’s equally important to keep project consultants in the loop – so initial models aid coordination.
Construction planning
Without delving into the in-depth analysis process, BIM models basically facilitate accurate forecasting by dynamically linking design and construction to project budgets. Integrating such models with time & sequencing data allows for project simulation – making it easier to identify potential crossover in machinery paths and monitor progress in real time.
Ultimately, live planning is the cornerstone of BIM; tight asset management helps drive down project costs and lead times, as well as keeping corporate backers in the loop. It’s also vital to analyzing the environmental impact of each build, a growing concern for the industry.
As-built verification
Using laser scanners or photogrammetry, it’s possible to capture structures and compare them to original designs. Side-by-side comparisons are useful for identifying misalignments, dimensional/tolerance issues, and any elements missing entirely from the build. Ensuring that design intent is followed also minimizes issues caused by structural elements, whether it be floor elevation or wall thickness, which can lead to time-consuming, costly reworking.
As-built scans are also incredibly valuable from a wider project management perspective. With a live model, asset tracking and cost planning become much easier. When errors do occur, it’s equally useful to have a dataset covering the full workflow, showing where things went wrong.
Smart building integration
If you’re not familiar with the concept, “smart buildings” are structures that incorporate advanced interconnected systems that centralize control, automate, and optimize performance. Inside a factory, this could mean setting up an Internet of Things (IoT) network. Connecting physical machinery, sensors, and software allows for automatic monitoring and fast decision-making.
Other forms of smart building include more conventional technology like HVAC, elevator, and access control systems. In each case, BIM models offer a single, unified dataset that makes it easier to install and configure complex overlapping systems. They also have practical benefits – lighting, heating, and air conditioning, for example, can auto-adjust to real-life conditions.
Scan-to-BIM: How 3D scanning can help
It’s important to reiterate that BIM models and 3D models are not identical. Though the latter can include vital texture and geometry details, they don’t contain as much information as BIM datasets that span the wider project at hand – covering walls, doors, and equipment.
That said, 3D models can be used as a basis for creating BIM models. 3D scans are valuable tools when building on existing structures. They allow for the verification of as-built conditions, facilitating clash detection, fast documentation, and contextual analysis. After construction is complete, 3D scanning can also be used for infrastructure inspection and monitoring.
Artec Ray II, for instance, has been used to inspect a floodwall, while Artec Eva helped retrofit a hydroelectric dam by capturing submillimeter-accuracy CAD data for turbine manufacturing.
Compared to surveying or technologies like SLAM, structured light and LiDAR are more versatile and accurate. Ray II captures scenes with up to 1.9 mm accuracy, while wireless handhelds like Artec Leo pick up fine details with 0.1 mm accuracy. Artec Studio then merges point clouds in a single step, unlocking huge scans with tiny high-fidelity where it counts.
Achieving this requires a bit of extra work. Object, building, or area scans often have to be exported to third-party software. But the process is only getting easier to perform, and there are many options out there, ranging from Rhino 3D to Autodesk Revit for design and planning. Any application requiring as-built data can benefit from adding reality capture to the BIM workflow.
BIM vs. CAD – which is best, and what’s next?
Just like with 3D models, CAD is a bit different to BIM modeling. CAD is the industry standard modeling format for almost all design and documentation professionals. BIM, on the other hand, is all about creating data-packed models for multi-disciplinary project collaboration.
With features like Autosurfacing in Artec Studio, it’s increasingly possible to convert 3D scan data into solid CAD surfaces, so designers don’t have to start from scratch. Scan-CAD comparisons are also great for deviation analysis and monitoring wear. In the latest version of the software, it’s even possible to fit primitives to point clouds, as well as meshes. Effectively, this opens built-in measurement tools to on-site verification and inspection applications.
In future, expect to see a growing number of solutions for going from scan-to-CAD or scan-to-BIM models. But for now, they represent adjacent, occasionally overlapping, separate fields of data capture.
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