CIVE 3062 BIM Project

Topic 5
Interoperability

Dr Wong Jing Ying 1

Building Information Model

Geometry Semantics

Processes

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 Motivation
Laws and regulations CAD software
-Building regulations -Drawings, calculations
-Building specifications
VRML
Knowledge databases -Visualisation, 3D models
-Best practise knowledge
-Own practice Simulations
-Comfort
-Ventilation, heating
Briefing -Life cycle cost
-Functional req.
-Estimates
-Conditions
BIM -Light, sound
-Insulation
-Fire, usage
-Requirements -Environment
-Life time predictions

Demolition, refurbishment
-Rebuild
-Demolition
-Restoration

Facility management
-Letting, sale, operations Specifications
-Maintenance -Specification sheets
-Guaranties -Classification standards
-Estimates, accounting
Construction management
Lars Bjørkhaug, SINTEF Byggforsk,
-Scheduling Procurement
Illustrations: Statsbygg, -Logistics, 4D -Product databases
Arkitektstudio AS. Olof Granlund, -Price databases
NBLN Stanford University

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Motivation

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 Motivation

• The role of high-quality information is vital for successful

delivery of a construction project.
• This includes efficient methods of sharing of information.

• One of the key requirements for this is effective and good

interoperability of information between systems used by
different people in a project.

• Poor interoperability of information has been a major issue

in the construction industry, not just in the UK but also
worldwide.
Data exchange and interoperability

Why?
– Large number of involved technical planners from
different domains (architect, structures, HVAC, costing,
project management, etc.)
– Distribution of design tasks among different companies
– Several different software tools are in use
– Design decisions are strongly interdependent
– Frequent design changes, also in later phases

Need for an extensive information exchange

– Past: Sending paper drawings
– Today: Exchanging digital data
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Data exchange and interoperability

• US NIST study (2004)

– “Annual loss of
$15.8 billion due to
deficient data
exchange.”

bilateral interfaces
*National Institute of Standards and Technology
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Data exchange and interoperability

Open BIM

bilateral interfaces common data format

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BIM Drawing Software
BIM Structural Analysis Software
BIM Construction Management
Software
Closed BIM
• The same software product of a
BIM application is used by all key
people in project team.
• Using a single vendor will achieve a
suite of interconnected products,
with in built data exchange
capabilities.

Limitations:
• Relies on others on the project
team using the same tools. Those
who are not will have to convert
files.
• If development the software moves
adrift of your requirements - cutting
loose and migrating data to a
different product could prove tricky.
Open BIM

• Use software from different

vendors that can ‘talk’ to each
other.
• All participants can collaborate
and exchange project
information irrespective of the
BIM software they use
• Use of a standard format should
mean being able to access your
data in the years ahead.

Limitations:
• Potential information errors
during translation between
different software products
 Geometry oriented format

• DXF (Drawing Inter-(/Ex-)

change Format, AutoDesk)
• IGES (Initial Graphics Exchange
Specification, US Product Data
Association)
• SAT (Standard ACIS Text,
• Dassault Systems)
• DWG (Drawing Format,
• AutoDesk)

➢ Limitations
– Loss of semantics
– No subsequent model processing
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– No direct simulation and analysis
 Object oriented format

• STEP (Standard for the

Exchange of Product
Model Data, ISO 10303)
• STEP AP 225 (Application
Protocol for Building
Elements Using Explicit
Shape Representation,
covers building geometry)
• IFC (Industry Foundation Classes, ISO
16739, buildingSMART)
• CIS/2 (CimSteel Integration Standard,
Construction Steel
Institute UK)
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IFC
 What is IFC?

• Industry Foundation Classes (IFC for short) is a global

standard used to describe, share and exchange construction
and facilities management information.

• As a data format IFC is neutral (not the product of or

favouring any particular vendor) and non-proprietary.

• Using IFC means that construction professionals can use

the software application(s) of their choosing to work with
data = OpenBIM.

• IFC is supported by about 150 software applications

worldwide and this kind of interoperability is crucial as
construction becomes increasingly collaborative.
 Industry Foundation Classes

• Open, object-oriented and standardised

Product Data Model for Construction and
Facility Management
• Developed by the (former) International Alliance for
Interoperability (IAI)
– Founded in 1995
– Consortium of software developers, users and authorities
– Since 2004: buildingSMART
• ISO Standard ISO 16739 (Data standard)
• Several BIM authoring tools offer Import and Export of
IFC files
• Current Version: IFC4 Release (2013)

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http://www.buildingsmart-tech.org/ifc/IFC4/Add2/html/
 History

• IFC can be traced back to 1990’s.

• It was an output of the Industry Alliance for Interoperability (a consortium
founded by Autodesk).

• The consortium is now known as buildingSMART – a not-for-profit

organisation that describes itself as the international home of openBIM.
• It promotes IFC as a neutral product model supporting the building
lifecycle and opens up membership to all interested parties.
 What is IFC?

• IFC provides the ‘guidelines’ or ‘rules’ to determine what

information is exchanged between applications while
maintaining meaning.

• It presents tangible building components such as walls

and doors and also enables the linking of alphanumeric
information (properties, quantities, classification, etc.) to
building objects and maintaining these relationships.

• Design packages will typically store data in their own

specific file format and offer a 'Save to IFC' option.

• IFC files can be output and exchanged between software

products using the .ifc, .ifcXML and .ifcZIP file formats.
 Interoperability

• Autodesk Architecture  IFC  Graphisoft

ArchiCAD

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 Interoperability

• Autodesk Architecture  IFC  Graphisoft

ArchiCAD

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IFC for BIM data exchange

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 Limitation of IFC

• IFC is complex and difficult to maintain. Too

many different ways to define geometry and not
all types are implemented correctly.

• For the IFC model to facilitate full interoperability

between applications, it would have to be a
superset of all their data models, which would be
a near-impossible task.

• It is important to keep this in mind so that

expectations from the IFC do not exceed what is
realistically possible.
 Limitation of IFC

• Accurate implementation in software is a big problem in

general. If not implemented correctly, no benefit (reliability).
Some will find it safer to use ClosedBIM.
• To some extent vague rules within the IFC specification and
so there is work to be done to make IFC work better.

IFC

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Revit Archicad Fabian Ritter (TUM)
 Levels of BIM Maturity

• There are different levels in which information on a

construction project can be exchanged.

• “The concept of ‘BIM Maturity Levels’ has become

the ‘accepted’ definition of what criteria are required
to be deemed BIM-compliant”

www.thenbs.com (2017)

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Levels of BIM Maturity

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 Levels of BIM Maturity

Level 0 BIM

• The simplest form of BIM Maturity

• Level 0 effectively means no collaboration
• 2D CAD drafting only is utilised
• Output and distribution is via paper or electronic
prints, or a mixture of both.
• The majority of the industry is already well ahead of
this now

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 Levels of BIM Maturity

Level 1 BIM

• Typically comprises a mixture of 3D CAD for

concept work but 2D for drafting documentation for
final production information.
• CAD standards are managed to BS 1192:2007
• Electronic sharing of data is carried out from a
common data environment (CDE), often managed
by the contractor.
• Models are not shared between project team
members.
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 Levels of BIM Maturity

Level 2 BIM

• All parties use their own 3D CAD models to create

a Federated Model.
• Design information is shared through a common
file format (e.g. IFC) using a Common Data
Environment (CDE).
• This is the method of working that was set as a
minimum target by the UK government for all work
on public-sector work, by 2016.

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 Levels of BIM Maturity

Level 3 BIM

• Full collaboration between all disciplines by means of

using a single, shared project model which is held in a
centralized repository.
• All parties can access and modify that same model, and
the benefit is that it removes the final layer of risk for
conflicting information.
• Current nervousness in the industry around issues such as
copyright and liability are intended to be resolved.
• The UK government reasserted its commitment to Level 3
BIM as part of the Digital Built Britain programme.
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Levels of BIM Maturity

Taken from Figure 1: PAS 1192-2:2013

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The Federated Model

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‘Lonely BIM’ vs a Federated Models

• You could build a model in Revit (like you have done in GDP) on
your own and generate 2D drawings from it.
• Some companies do this. This Level 1 BIM, sometimes called
‘LonelyBIM’.
• Very useful way to analysis a building and generate drawings but
not in the true spirit of BIM.
• The real benefit is when all disciplines can produce a ‘Federated
Model’, Level 2 BIM.

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 The Federated Models
A Federated Model is a combined/merged Building Information
Model that has been compiled by amalgamating several different
models into one.

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• Note: BS 1192-1 refers to the above as a ‘combined model’.
 The Federated Models

• The different models from each discipline are shared through

a central CDE (Common Data Environment)
• Each discipline will download the most up to date models
from the other disciplines and link them into their own model.
• You cannot edit other disciplines models. Only view them in
the context of your model.

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Clash Detection

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 Clash Detection

• A construction project requires information from a multitude of

disciplines (e.g. architecture, structural, services etc.).
• The information is reviewed during the design process and it is
inevitable that there will be clashes that need to be resolved.
• It is part of the process.

• In design terms a ‘clash’ occurs

when components that make up
a built asset are not spatially
co-ordinated and conflict.

• A ‘clash’ is not failure of the designer, but not spotting one is.
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 Clash Detection
• A traditional design process sees different disciplines working on
separate 2D drawings which overlay during co-ordination
checkpoints to check for compatibility/clashes.

• If clashes were missed (as some and 3D problems are difficult to

visualise when using 2D drawings) they were then only spotted
during construction - potential for huge costs and delays.
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 Clash Detection

• A BIM model makes it easier to pick up complex 3D 'clashes’.

• BIM modelling software, and integration tools, also allows us
to automatically check for clashes (clash detection) in our own
models, and then when models are combined into the
Federated Model.

• Resolving these clashes early means it is easier, cheaper and

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takes less time to rectify.
 Clash Detection

Hard Clashes
• When we imagine clashes we commonly think of two
components occupying the same space. These are often referred
to as a 'hard clash'
• e.g. a column running though a wall or pipework through a steel
beam

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 Clash Detection

Soft Clashes

• A 'soft clash' occurs when an element is not given the spatial

or geometric tolerances it requires or its buffer zone is
breached.
• e.g. an air conditioning unit may require certain clearances to
allow for maintenance that the position of a steel column
would negate.

• Given sufficient object data,

software can be used to check
adherence to relevant regulations
and standards.
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 Clash Detection

Acceptable Clashes

• Some geometric clashes will always be perfectly acceptable.

• e.g. pipes passing through an RC beam
• Software rules that draw on embedded object data can stop
these kinds of clashes being flagged up.

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 Clash Detection

How are clashes resolved?

• Running a clash detection scan or report will typically bring up many
clashes.
• Some will duplicate instances of the same issue.
• e.g. if a single run of pipework clashes with five beams, it will show as
five clashes though, in reality, resolving one issue (the placement of
the pipework) will solve all these five clashes in one go.

• Reviewing and cancelling these

clashes in the design is a key
part of the BIM process.

• As with any automated process these kinds of scans should not be

relied upon in isolation and should form part of wider design co- 44
ordination processes.
 Clash Detection

What does the future hold for clash detection?

• Software tools are likely to continue to become increasingly
sophisticated as ever-richer data in standard formats are combined
into models.
• The greatest potential for improvement however comes with Level
3 BIM:

• In Level 3 BIM one collaborative,

co-ordinated building model
(rather than a federated model)
should mean that the number
of project clashes are
dramatically reduced.
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