Image courtesy of:Ryder Architecture Limited

ARCH 653

Building Information Modeling

Slides are made based on Autodesk BIM Curriculum, Greenwold, S., and D. Driver. (2007). Building Information Modeling with Revit Architecture: Lecture Notes, with some additional content created by Wei Yan, Texas A&M University.

Building Information Modeling (BIM)

A BIM is a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility. As such it serves as a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility forming a reliable basis for decisions during its lifecycle from inception onward.

- National Institute of Building Sciences, National Building Information Modeling Standard™(NBIMS), 2008

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a new approach to design, construction, and facility management in which a digital representation of the building process is used to facilitate the exchange and interoperability of information in digital format. BIM is beginning to change the way buildings look, the way they function, and the ways in which they are designed and built.

-Eastman, C. et al. BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers and Contractors, Wiley, 2008

3© 2007 Autodesk

Building Information ModelingBIM is an integrated workflow built on coordinated, reliable information about a project from design through construction and into operations.

BUILDINGINFORMATION

MODELING ARCHITECTS

STRUCTURALENGINEERS

MEP SYSTEMSENGINEERS

BUILDERS

OWNERS

CIVILENGINEERS

4© 2007 Autodesk

Explore real world design scenarios with different disciplines interfacing with the data differently (from different data views).

Architects leverage building information modeling for the building design.

Structural engineers work with the same data presented graphically in the form of framing, bracing diagrams and structural design and analysis.

MEP Engineers can use the same data to layout, design and perform analysis on the HVAC systems.

Building Information ModelingIntegrated Project Delivery

5© 2007 Autodesk

Building Information ModelingManaging Change

BIM solutions manage iterative changes in a building model throughout the design process all the way through to the design, construction, and operational phases.

A change to any part of the database is replicated in all other associated parts.

Advantages of using a database for a real design project: Improves drawing coordination Reduces drawing errors Saves time spent manually checking and coordinating

documents Reduced costs

6© 2007 Autodesk

Building Information ModelingBidirectional Associativity

Definition: Changes to any part of the design are immediately reflected in all associated parts. Bidirectional associativity is applied automatically to every component, view, and annotation

Example: A change in the dimensions of a wall is reflected in all elements such as windows, doors, ceilings, and electrical outlets.

7© 2007 Autodesk

Building Information ModelingParametric Relationships

Relationships among the elements in a building model. Enable the software to coordinate and manage the changes

made to the building model. Created automatically by software, or created by the user.

ParametricChangeEngine

ParametricChangeEngine

ComponentsComponents

ViewsViews

AnnotationsAnnotations

8© 2007 Autodesk

Building Information ModelingExamples

Examples of bidirectional associativity: Flip a section line and all views update. Draw a wall in plan and it appears in all other views including

material takeoffs.

Examples of parametric relationships: A floor is attached to the enclosing walls. When a wall moves, the

floor updates to remain connected to the walls.

A series of equidistant windows have been placed along a wall. When the length of the wall changes, the windows redistribute to remain equidistant across the length of the wall.

BIM: Features and Benefits

Modeling not Drawing or Drafting• Increasing accuracy and efficiency in the design, construction, and operation processes

Object-based Modeling Database of semantically-rich building objects and properties Computability: cost estimation, energy consumption, etc.

3D Modeling Design visualization Generating 2D construction documents

Parametric modeling engines Design intent Design change and options: quick, interactive, early and late design phases

10© 2007 Autodesk

Building Information ModelingRevit Architecture and BIM

Revit is purpose-built [with domain knowledge] software for building information modeling.

Traditional drafting and CAD software: illustrations are independent of one another, e.g. plans, elevations, and sections.

In BIM software such as Revit, a design is a series of intelligent objects and elements with parametric attributes.

You extract different (3D model) views from the single database, e.g. a 2D elevation or 3D rendering.

BIM (Revit) Data Structure and Organization

- Categories, Families, Types, and Instances

12© 2007 Autodesk

Working with Revit Elements and Families Building Elements

Building elements are the building blocks of a project. When you place an element in a model, the individual element is

called an instance of that element type. Instances can be classified as Model, Annotation, and View.

Model Elements such as walls, windows, doors, and roofs that help in the 3D representation of the building design.

Annotation Elements such as dimensions, tags, and elevation symbols that establish context or add supplementary information to document a building design.

View Elements such as plans, elevations, sections, 3D views, and schedules that dynamically represent the parts of a building model.

13© 2007 Autodesk

Working with Revit Elements and Families Building Element Types

There are five categories of building elements.

14© 2007 Autodesk

Working with Revit Elements and Families Building Element Types

There are five categories of building elements.

15© 2007 Autodesk

Categories: All objects in the building model are assigned a category. All doors in a project belong to the category Doors. This broad category is further broken down into families.

Families: Families are groupings of like geometry. Continuing with the door example, a single flush door belongs to a different family than a double door with glass in it because the geometry of the two types of doors is different.

Types: All design objects have a type. (A type is the same as a class.) The type defines what properties (values) an object has, how it interacts with other objects, and how it draws itself into each different kind of representation. (with a family, different types have the same set of parameters but different values).

Instances: An instance is simply a single object of a type in the building model.

Categories, Families, Types, and Instances

Wall:

Wall:

18© 2007 Autodesk

Working with Revit Elements and Families Families

Families are groups of similar elements. A family integrates elements that have the same parameters,

identical use, and similar graphical representation. Every family can contain multiple types.

1. Double glass door

2. Overhead-sectional glass door

3. Single-flush vision door

4. Single-flush door

Working with Revit Elements and Families Families

Families are groups of similar elements. A family integrates elements that have the same parameters,

identical use, and similar graphical representation. Every family can contain multiple types.

1. Double glass door

2. Overhead-sectional glass door

3. Single-flush vision door

4. Single-flush door

A door can easily be swapped for a different kind of door because they are in the same category. You cannot make a wall and then change it into a window because they are in different categories.

20© 2007 Autodesk