Ng Andrew – Assignment B3: Current Problems with Revit/BIM (Group B)

The Sinking Cargo of Revit and BIM

Great things are achieved when you have the tools. Revit and BIM, new technologies being implemented in the engineering/construction/design world, push for greatness as designers, architects, engineers, and parties related, bring their ideas from their minds to reality through 3D interfaces. While these technologies are becoming more adopted due to their benefits, many issues with the operation exist.

The user experience is one of the main factors in determining the welfare of a program. In the case of Revit/BIM, several users haven’t had the best experience due to glitches and bugs. Revit/BIM applications are huge and require a large amount of a computer’s processing. This leaves chances for computers to have problems if they do not have a great graphics card. To use Revit/BIM, companies would have to buy computers with appropriate processing abilities. Using computers that aren’t suitable would make the program slow and “clog” up the machines. [1] With machines that can’t really be used due to freezes, operation efficiency would decrease. Additionally, Revit/BIM are not flexible and more susceptible to user-generated problems. [2] As companies have their own way of operating, they need custom designed elements for their BIM/Revit models. With the current programs, users are forced to set up families in a certain way which can lead to complication and could be cumbersome to designers.

Revit/BIM are not up to the point where electric design is suitable. As of right now, Revit/BIM for the electoral industry is lagging. [1] There is currently very low amount of electrical design elements in the applications. Without the components to use for electrical design, there’s no point for electrical designers to use the application instead of other options.

This leads into the collaboration issues between parties for using BIM/Revit. For the programs to be successful for projects, everyone in the project should be on board. Currently the industry is to blame as there are cultural separation of using the program. Construction teams for example may not be well adept in using BIM/Revit as much as architects. [2] Some sources have said that they encountered some awkward and sometimes backward and unsystematic approaches with clients when presenting BIM/Revit file structures. Clients may not have the program on their computers as the technology is new.

Copyright infringement would also be another issue with BIM/Revit. When using these programs, various design elements are being fed into them. [2] However, the authors who create the design elements to the application is not really acknowledge or creditability is blurred. There is no way to know who created a design element first.

Another issue involves the case of whether BIM/Revit is feasible to use in construction projects. For small scale projects, sources say that it is not worth using since it’s an extra expense where the return of investment wouldn’t be great. [2] Using BIM/Revit for small projects wouldn’t be cost-effective. Instead of using BIM/Revit, the job can be done much faster in CAD software. For large scale projects, people have said that there is an awkwardness in deciding whether BIM/Revit should be used. It is a great tool and can expedite the process, but for the issues discussed earlier, the risks can be high.

References:

[1] Ireland, B. (2010, March 1). Growing Pains. Retrieved January 31, 2017, from http://ecmweb.com/design/growing-pains

[2] Klimt, M. (2011, July 11). Legalese: The problem with BIM. Retrieved January 31, 2017, from https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/opinion/legalese-the-problem-with-bim/8617331.article

Maisson Ksara – Software like Revit are running really slow. In my own personal experience, working with Revit has caused my computer to crash unfortunately. I really hope the creators come up with better programming to improve the program’s functionality. Additionally, I believe it will improve with the evolution of technology. I can’t wait until BIM/Revit are used more extensively, because as a user, I personally enjoy it.

Drew Hovey – Introducing new technology is always a challenge for industries to face, especially in the case of BIM/Revit. When certain methods are already set, people would have the concept of a successful way in doing things. When exposed to something new that no one has done, there are not statistical numbers to ensure a project’s success. It is a risk.

Ronald Herazo – I liked your evolution of BIM technology; specifically, when you stated the problems for the owners, architects, and lawyers. So many issues arise for many parties. Having them stated in a list is a great way to acknowledge the issues. I haven’t thought about the problems for lawyers and banks as much so that was an interesting take of future issues.