B3 - Group C - Brennan Connolly

The Potential Future Advantages of BIM and Revit

              From the time I first heard about BIM in my senior year of high school 5 years ago, it has grown and improved by leaps and bounds. It still has growing left to do but right now it has changed the industry for the better. One of the main benefits of BIM is that it’s finished product is typically a 3D model of the design. A model that is well done will show the different materials and provide enough detail that will give the viewer an accurate look at what the structure will look like after construction is complete. The model is an attractive way for the owner to view the building, and how it looks in its surroundings, before construction starts. In the future, models will likely become more detailed and easier to design.

              One of the other benefits of BIM right now is that in multi-disciplinary projects, BIM programs can detect where clashes occur and point them out to the user. In the future and with more advancements in AI, I foresee the program itself being able to fix these clashes in reasonable methods. For example, if a duct is running through a pipe maybe the BIM program can fix the issue by rerouting the duct around the pipe while also avoiding walls and other obstacles. This will increase productivity amongdesigners as they will not need to spend time performing menial tasks.

              Jeff Yoders from the Building Design and Construction network anticipates that designers will be able to model energy performance quickly and easily. (Yoders, 2014) He discusses how Autodesk is coming out with plugins for their software that allow you to analyze the energy performance of your building. Energy performance analysis could allow designers to create the most efficient building given a certain budget. This could improve the push towards environmentally friendly and LEED certified buildings. There is also potential for AI to recognize what components are hurting the building’s energy efficiency and report those components to the designer similar to how clash detection works.

Works Cited

Yoders, J. (2014, December 23). 5 tech trends transforming BIM/VDC. Retrieved from Building Design and Construction Network: https://www.bdcnetwork.com/5-tech-trends-transforming-bimvdc

Responses

Maria - I liked your perspective on the file size of BIM models. Autodesk and other software companies will definitely have to tackle that issue if they want BIM to overtake AutoCAD and other drafting programs. I have used BIM programs that take a while to open file sizes and it's tough to say whether file sizes need to shrink or computer processors need to increase in capability.

Alexander - Your post sums up the challenges to fully implementing BIM in the construction industry well. However, companies are implementing BIM just as they would any other new process in their businesses, slowly and carefully. Design firms are teaching small groups of employees BIM and hoping that they will then be able to teach others and so on. So when you say that there is no consensus on how to implement BIM, I think you should reflect on how each individual firm will implement it.

Nick - I think your spot on with your analysis of the BIM program software updates being a major issue with its implementation today. The fact that smaller companies need to keep updating to a new software every year practically makes any file over 3 years old ancient. One solution to this problem would be if software companies released old versions of their program (maybe like 5 years old) to the public for free that way at least the older files can be opened with minimal hassle.

 

 

Assignment B3 - Group B - Maria Raggousis

The question: What are the current problems with Revit/BIM?

There are many answers to this question depending on who you ask. It is important to note the point of view: beginner, architect, engineer, technician, contractor, or client? 

An article that caught my attention was an editorial by a registered architect, Kelvin Donaldson, titled "The Problem with Revit...", published in 2012 as an article on the Autodesk User Group International United Kingdom website (link here). His words are eloquent and to the point, he notes, "the following challenges are more general to the construction industry rather than to BIM practitioners, [...] they are much bigger than software or hardware problems and much harder to solve, but that doesn’t make them any less real" [1]. And this resonates with me because we automatically assume that problems have to come in terms of the software, the user experience and interface, the glitches and bugs, etc, at least that is how I initially felt before I read his points. In short summary, the challenges he sees with the adoption of Revit & BIM among architecture firms are: 1.) diminishing architectural fees don't allow for a model with enough detail, 2.) demands of the software rapidly outgrowing the computer capabilities in place in the office, and 3.) clients are still conservative in their willingness to try the BIM method of documentation. 

In class our group discussed some of these - in particular the second point regarding the computer capabilities. We noticed just in our short experience that Revit & other BIM software either take a significant time to load as it is (10 minutes +), or they frequently freeze, or they completely crash the program and all your work. These are not infrequent and therefore cause real damage to productivity and efficiency. It may feel like we are saving all this time by using this incredibly powerful 3D model but what happens when it takes 5 minutes just to draw a wall in? Kevin Donaldson's point in the article is that some of this can be solved by upgrading the firm's computer hardware - new, faster computers, larger storage, increased network speeds - but if you are a small Architectural Firm with staff that you can count on two hands, then these sort of amenities simply do not exist. His other point was the incredible packages that Autodesk comes out with - he compared it to grocery shopping and there is a sale, 'Buy 3 for the Price of 2!' but in reality you could not even finish just one item before the expiration date. That is what he feels happens in Autodesk, especially in small firms that cannot fathom using these tools. In my opinion and experience, however, the more staff that is available, the more flexible everyone's time could be in trying and utilizing these features. I will note however, that even though I worked at a large firm for co-op, we continued to have computer crashing issues and AutoCAD version issues - to me the solution was that every machine needed to have both versions that we were working in 2013 and 2016, yet only a few machines had 2016 and they were still reluctant to give the whole office access because of the licensing costs. 

If we look at a different perspective, perhaps a Mechanical, Electrical, or Plumbing designer perspective, we see the more technical aspect of the limitations. Although a little dated, this article by Beck Ireland, titled "Growing Pains", published in 2010 on the Electrical, Construction, & Maintenance website (link here), indicates that a challenge with BIM starts at the beginning, because everyone has to be involved. Many decisions are made upfront and way too many people are in the room at the same time trying to make these decisions. BIM is useful as a construction management tool if those are willing to utilize it, which can be difficult if not all the features are available. They note, "We're still working on this big project, but if we had done it in AutoCAD, we'd be finished already — and we'd have more detail on the drawings,” he says. “It's just the way it is right now” [2]. I think that this has improved greatly since 2010 - every day there are more contributor's making BIM better and more reliable with more detail, and each version that comes out is more user friendly and powerful than the next, but I imagine it can often leave much to be desired if the projects become so big it is hard to keep track of everying. This article further emphasizes that compared to systems like windows and appliances, the electrical engineers cannot simply find their equipment whether that is a switch or particular transformer. The database just is not there for them to really utilize BIM and particularly the 'information' part of it. 

Both articles note that many large clients are now requiring BIM to be implemented in projects. This is an excellent way to further the advancement of technology and it looks like it is not going anywhere for a long time. With each project that finds barriers and limitations with BIM, there will be more solutions found. 

References:

[1] K.  Donaldson, "The Problem with Revit...", Augiuk.co.uk, 2012. 

Available: http://www.augiuk.co.uk/index.php/articles/17-articles/31-the-problem-with-revit.

[2] B. Ireland, "Growing Pains", EC&MWeb.com, 2010.
Available: http://ecmweb.com/design/growing-pains

Comments on Other Student Blogs:

Arthur McCloskey: I think the sad truth is that all of these computer capabilities is reducing our intellectual ability and spatial reasoning on our own. If Revit can become so good and tell you exactly where you should place XYZ components to maximize an architectural element or sun exposure (things like that), then are we really engineers, architects, and designers? If the programming becomes more efficient than the user, that ties in to the Artificial Intelligence component of it and can become a scary world if we think about it in that way. Maybe buildings will be designed and built by themselves... no user input? Only time outside of our lives can tell about that.

Ray Powell: Since I was looking at current disadvantages, I wanted to make sure I had a dose of positivity and read something related to the advantages! I see how it would benefit efficiency and quality of the engineering and bidding process. I think by this system of storing all the information it takes out the guessing work for the contractors and they can provide faster and more accurate bidding numbers, which makes them more attractive, which lends itself to more bidders. It is always a sad sight when there are not enough bidders and the project needs to be re-bid. Further, your point about design specifications and how it is almost like testing resonates with me, because what got me interested in this field was the idea that we could simulate a building digitally and figure out all its problems before it was constructed.

Hayley Seldon : I completely agree with you on the comparison between Revit and other programs. There are some overlaps and basic features but then there are places where the systems veer off from each other. The difference between modeling and drafting from Revit to AutoCAD is significant. Although I used AutoCAD over co-op for bridges, highways, roads, and transportation planning purposes, I cannot imagine making a building in AutoCAD without Revit. It just doesn't seem like the better option. In general, I do think that AutoCAD's topography may be more flexible than Revit's.. but here we are talking about buildings so, again, Revit to me has those capabilities beat. I think Sketchup compares more to AutoCAD than to Revit only because we are dealing with lines and areas as opposed to Revit's object oriented things (floors, walls, doors, modeled specifically). It is like this bizarre triangle of resources available in this modern age. 

Week 3 Class Discussion - Group B - Current Problems with Revit/BIM

We have discussed many current problems with Revit and BIM modeling based on our experiences.

Firstly, just as Kayleigh mentioned, he Phasing of projects has very little capability without making new models. It can get tedious and hard to make sure you are not interfering work between each construction phase.

Another problem that we have observed is that the file size can become very large very quickly and the computers cannot handle those files. Revit Models frequently crash and lag behind - this is both an issue in compressability and the massive amount of information in the model. It would appear that the code is not optimized and is hard on your graphics card to handle.

The next problem we discussed is that we notice the Electrical Engineering field has not had attention in the BIM - it is hard to model because of all the components and there are not these quick fixes that we may see in MEP models. Turning the 3D model in to a 2D CAD printed drawing to be used in construction is also sometimes difficult - lines don't translate as well as symbols do and there is this "double" work that technicians are doing, one for the 3D and one for the 2D.

We also feel that it takes longer to understand the Revit model - it takes more time to set it up in the beginning of the project and may come more easily at the end. Because it is so powerful, there are so many features and it is complicated - so balancing an easy user experience to the capabilities could be improved.

A-Team: Possible Future Problems with Revit/BIM

One of the problems with using Revit is how the program tends to slow down when large files are used. Revit could also become more difficult to update and handle central processing power. Also, due to its simple user interface, Revit users might overlook the theory behind designing a structure and instead just rely on BIM's abilities. This could cause engineers to be more reliant on the software rather than firsthand experiences (surveying, on site visits).

Term Project - Robotics in Operation

Team Members - Brennan Connolly

Brennan Connolly - B2 Blog Post

Why BIM Technology is Important for Owners and Facility Managers

             

BIM, or Building Information Modeling, is in the process of revolutionizing the way that buildings and structures are built. Done properly, BIM models can contain more useful knowledge than any other method of design. But how does the type of design impact the thought process for the owner of the building? Well, the owner plays a key role in deciding how they want certain areas of the project to look or feel. They also decide what the main and secondary functions of the building should be. BIM makes information about the building design easy to visualize so that the owner can make changes before construction begins. Pictured below, you can see Figure 1 which is a table taken from the referenced text that describes the benefits of BIM to owners and provides relevant case-studies of each benefit.

The owners number one concern in most cases is cost. They decide whether you design for the highest quality LED lights and most efficient HVAC system or the “value engineered” systems. Incorporating BIM into the design process will allow the owner to analyze what the building might cost if it were built to that design and make changes if need be. If BIM were not chosen on a project the owner might not figure out if the project is too expensive until the construction is already in progress. The design team can also provide energy efficient suggestions to the owner if that is something that he is concerned about.  

To conclude this post, owners and BIM have a very important relationship with each other in the building process. If an owner is familiar, and supports the use of BIM on his project, the project is more likely to be built much more efficiently. The design team and the owner can make key decisions about the building while it is still in design which leads to fewer mistakes in construction and more accurate cost estimates. The construction schedule will also be more accurate as there will be minimal changes to the project during construction. 

 

Figure 1: BIM Impacts on Owners

References

Eastman, C. M. (2011). BIM Handbook : A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers and Contractors. Hoboken: Wiley.

Responses

Joe Dressel: I focused my post on the owners and not so much the facility manager. I wasn't familiar with the impact that BIM could have on them, but I see you included them in your post and it's definitely a excellent prediction that BIM could help them maintain the building through the use of parts schedules. If the facility manager can have a list of parts and how long their average useful lifetime is, he can keep an updated scheudle as to when parts need to be replaced and maintain the building much more efficiently.

Peter: One of the most unspoken potential benefits of BIM is going to be secondary analyses that can help designers look at the actual cost of the building. Right now we estimate costs using RSMeans but that be heavily improved if incorporated into BIM.IF a project could be estimated real-time, then designers will be able to demonstrate how much a certain piece of equipment or a certain material will affect the end total cost for the owner.

Taryn: The impact of families in BIM is remarkable to read about. Your post highlights the benefits that they will have very simply. The easier it is for the design team to finalize designs, the quicker and easier it will be for buildings to be built. If designers can have families of all the equipment/furniture/fixtures that they deal with, then designs will be much easier to produce.