Olivier presented three architectural projects in BIM on which his agency worked. Since 1996, all the projects have been conceived on ArchiCAD.
There is no such a thing as a single line of thought about BIM
As an introduction, Olivier Celnik indicated that the projects presented were a pretext to talk about BIM and that a unique way of thinking does not exist when it comes to architecture. However, different points of views and experiences do exist.
The first project was presented right after the presentation of a quantitative study on BIM’s perception among future architects (ENSA Versailles’ students) conducted by Olivier Celnik.
ROUEN: Substantial renovation of a commercial building from the 30’s, 2 teams of architects from which Z.STUDIO, 2 teams of engineers (heating and structural engineers)
This renovation project started with the digital modeling of the building as an illustration. Olivier Celnik specified: “we worked on the digital model from the paper plan, it needed 10 to 15 day of work that is to say 3 euros/m² (10.76391 sq. ft.) for this 5000m² building (53819.552084 sq. ft.)”.
When presenting ArchiCAD view of the project to our guests, Olivier Celnik explained: “How to imagine an architectural solution without understanding? We assume that without a 3D view, one does not understand anything about construction. Here we are talking about BIM because the digital model contains all the intelligence and precision of the construction”. He illustrated this with the example of the elevator installed at the entrance of the building to guarantee a PRM (person with reduced mobility) access.
He illustrated this with the example of the elevator installed at the entrance of the building to guarantee a PRM (person with reduced mobility) access. Even in the draft phase, the project team made sure to install the elevator taken from the catalog of a manufacturer (since the norms and dimensions are consistent with the reality). This was to ensure that the engineering design office would know how to install and place it into this specific part of the project.
Olivier added, “If I want to search this object into ArchiCAD library and that I take a product designed in Hungary or India, I am going to have a product adapted to local norms and not a product that I can insert in my Rouen’s project.
This approach allows architects to be sure about the architectural solutions proposed and about the cost of the project since the initial stage.
« BIM method allows a significant flexibility, we can change rapidly the project when working on a digital model to better match with the client’s requirements ».
The digital model can be used by all project’s stakeholders: the plans, drafts, PDF, etc. sent to them are all providing the same digital model to downsize the risks.
CAZAUX: Construction of a new building, training center of 3000 m² (32291.73125 sq. ft.), ZSTUDIO architect and authorized representative.
This second project was the occasion for Olivier Celnik to talk about the notion of collaboration. The associated engineer of the project did not work in BIM but he participated to the collaborative approach by working on documents from the digital model with Google Sheet.
This associated engineer and the architects could look at the same document by working online. Olivier learned the lesson from this: “If we wait for everyone’s BIM level to be the same, we will not move forward. You have to know how to adapt to everyone level and propose adapted solutions so that everyone will benefit from the digital model and from the information associated with the project”.
For example, a solution would be to consider that the contractual documents will only be documents from the digital model without any other intervention. That is how Olivier’s teams help some project manager to prepare BIM Offers and can thus provide the digital model for a consultative use.
This situation corresponds to today’s practices reality and does not overwhelm the interlocutors who are not “BIM ready”.
BREST: Construction of a new 5000m² (53819.552084 sq. ft.) commercial building. Z. Studio intervenes in the BIM process and modeling along with the architects and design engineers of the project.
The last 2 projects allowed Olivier to make a demonstration of the tools available for all the construction actors to work in digital models. Then, beyond the conception phase, the interest of BIM is to exchange more simply and more precisely.
To do so, the digital model was exported in IFC from the design software and opened on the free viewer BIM+.
Olivier’s teams propose to the clients, the companies and others to visualize the project and to make suggestions and instantaneous modifications. The software does not require a lot of power from the computer and the navigation into the project is simple so that everyone can be part of the game.
Olivier has shown how to annotate the project and how to create “subjects” identified as coming from him which could be read by all the project’s stakeholders: This type of window should be changed, the wall colour should be modified too, be careful and sure to take this support pillar into consideration…
“Mission accomplished”
Olivier ended this presentation by highlighting the pragmatism: “If thanks to the BIM use, we succeeded in securing the costs and delivery dates, if at the reception of the construction work we are not too far from the costs and delivery dates decided on the call to tender, we believe that the mission is accomplished, that we limited the risks.
At the end of Olivier’s presentation, our guests asked a lot of questions to Olivier: “What are the criteria to choose the objects to integrate into the digital model? What is the BIM evolution on in-site? Are there a lot of regional discrepancies between Paris and other regions? Do manufacturers need to have BIM software at home?…”.
A common thought of our guests: Olivier has known how to immerse them in the reality of his BIM projects by focusing on a practical and concrete case study, far from preconceived ideas about BIM and he has known how to reinsure those who did not start using BIM yet.
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The BIM approach
Alucobond was introduced to Polantis in 2013, and its BIM (Building Information Modelling) approach was special because it was exceptional as it was developed in two phases.
A decision was made to create a model for the manufacturer’s panels, by first developing shaders or textures. The objective was to enable users to view the aesthetic qualities of the Alucobond products in the work that they were designing at the time.
In 2016, with many shaders produced and with Alucobond better understanding of designers’ interest, the teams opted for the creation of three facade panels.
What’s the advantage of downloading a complete Alucobond system? It lies in the ability to integrate a panel into a digital model and combine a texture with it in order to:
Throughout the modeling process, Polantis found in Alucobond’s German teams an attentive interlocutor that was careful to respond to the expectations of the user.
Shader modeling for Revit
In 2013, the chief architect of the Alucobond project at Polantis visited the Alucobond factory in Singen to learn about the history of the manufacturer, its manfacturing processes, and the attention paid to the quality of the designs created for facades.
Once production began, back-and-forth communication between Alucobond and Polantis were necessary for adjusting the level of realism and specificity of the colors in order to achieve a perfect rendering. The shader modeling was created thanks to the catalog of refererences and the samples scanned which were provided to the architecture team by the manufacturer.
Modeling of shaders for Archicad
In 2016, Alucobond asked Polantis to develop a range of textures first created for Revit for the ArchiCAD software.
The team dedicated to the Archicad program then took on the project. It was necessary to go back practically to the starting point to recreate each of the 94 textures: it was possible to retrieve the elements since they were RAL, the scale of the textures, and the dimensions of the designs.
Modelling the most elaborate textures was done from the Archicad rendering engine: the CineRender. In the same way as Revit, the level of difficulty varied according to the complexity of the texture: metallic aspects, fresnel effects, reliefs, etc.
The advantage of ArchiCAD is that CineRender is a very high-performance rendering engine, so the user can stay within the software and observe the aesthetic qualities of the product, without having to open up a third-party software program, so it’s easier to view the textures.
Upon its involvment in the second phase, the team in charge of modeling in ArchiCad suggested to Alucobond to allow users a download by packs: several shades of the same line could be downloaded in one go.
This simpler operation was adopted by the modelling team for Revit.
Modeling of the panels
Three years later, with the textures modeled, Alucobond asked Polantis architects to work on the « background », or rather, « backstage ». How many panels, how many slabs were behind a texture applied onto a given surface? What was going on behind the texture?
Modeled facades are a real time-saver for designers, who can try out several possibilities in the drafting phase, with the use of an automatic tile layout calculation and the chance to visualize the applied colors.
First, the team examined the level of desired details, and it was agreed that three would be developed:
Four layers can be distinguished by modelling the panel with the highest level of detail:
Modeling of panels for ArchiCAD
In order to offer its BIM solution to a maximum number of users, in 2016, Alucobond also chose to offer a range of its systems to ArchiCAD.
The architects in charge of the project therefore produced:
It is interesting to note that in ArchiCad, the BIM’d product is considered a parametric object while in Revit, it is considered a system object.
The desire to serve a maximum number of specifiers
The two software programs do not at all have the same functions at all, therefore it was impossible for the Polantis teams to think about the modelling of Alucobond products in the same way. The two teams worked independently from one another. Far from harming the production, these reflexions allowed the teams to obtain a global view of the project, and to innovate in order to underpin the Alucobond BIM approach.
Over the past months, on Polantis, downloads in BIM formats are distributed between formats as follows:
Revit totaled 47.3% of the downloads, so it is common for manufacturers to start their BIM approach by having their product modeled on that software. However, modelling in ArchiCad is more and more commonly requested by manufacturers.
The BIM approach
In September 2015, Polantis put the Rector CAD and BIM products online: the « ThermoPreslab and Masonry Wall » and the « ThermoPreslab and ThermoPrewall ».
What makes the manufacturer’s products unique? A part of the system is designed in the factory (with integrated iron framework) and the concrete part is poured at the construction site.
The outcome? Easier assembly and incomparable construction quality, specifically with very strong thermal performance (no thermal bridges).
For Polantis, modeling Rector’s systems was a challenge: how do you design a multilayer object and ensure that it is perfectly adapted to the project?
Test 1: « the super product »
With Rector’s full collaboration, the team of architects in charge of the project launched a study in order to determine the best way of understanding product modeling.
First, it was understood that the walls and flooring would be treated in the same way because the construction system was the same.
Next, the teams decided to create a super product. The iron framework would be distributed automatically in the part treated: this was the insurance that the product would be represented from « the inside » with all of the elements that constitute it.
However, very quickly, the team discovered several obstacles to modeling this product.
The iron framework, which became parameter-adjustable, could not be properly integrated with complex-shaped parts and was not adaptable to all types of surfaces.
What’s more, the Rector iron framework integrates into two principal layers of the system, which could not be parameter-adjustable in Revit.
Lastly, the question was raised regarding the premier user of the products: an architect did not have any utility to exploit this super product which, in addition to being slow to load in the model, included information that was more useful in design offices.
The study, therefore, revealed that this product was too elaborate.
A multilayer system
In parallel to the meeting with Rector, Polantis began to collaborate with Siplast (a specialist in impermeability). As the two products are successive layers of insulation, the reflection for modeling the Siplast products was also useful for reflections on Rector products.
Similarly, the agreement was to design a .rvt format system in which these layers would be represented: the insulation layer, the concrete layer, etc. The iron framework would no longer be represented on 3D elements, but on 2D elements and on other visuals provided with the product when it is downloaded.
A computer image that shows the layout of the iron framework
The difference between the .rvt format and the .rfa format
On a Revit project, the model is made in .rvt: it brings together all the elements of the project; in some respects, it is the anatomy of the building. The .rvt format model includes the nomenclature, materials, parameters, geolocation…all possible information. With all this information included, it is possible to communicate with the other trades involved in the design & build chain.
An object in the .rfa format belongs in fact to a Revit family. These are objects that can be taken and then simply moved, like a window, a chair, or a lighting fixture. We talk about them in terms of family because there is an organization between such objects: some are parents while others are the children or grandchildren.
The major interest in having designed the Rector system in the .rvt format resides in the fact that it can, unlike the .rfa format, contain information in the form of text or image files.
The « I » in BIM stands for Information
For example, modeling an .rvt object lets you integrate the iron framework layer into the system, not in terms of its geometry but in terms of its information.
This proved to be particularly necessary because, for example, if it was integrated into the product in the form of a layer, without, however, its parameters set by the Polantis teams, it would be up to the architect to decide how to place the iron framework, thereby involving the architect’s liability in the event of a calculation error.
The importance of the information provided is at a maximum in the case of the Rector BIM objects: in order not to overload the digital model, the product is visually « lightened » and represented more simply, but all of its qualities, its placement mode, unique points and performance information, and standards are associated with the object at the time of downloading.
A « hub » object
In order to best exploit this informational dimension, the agreement with Rector was to conceive of the modeled systems as « hubs »:
Information on acoustic, seismic, and fire-resistance performance
The BIM for all the actors involved in construction
Ultimately, this « hub object » proposed by Rector works to serve all the users of the Design & Build chain perfectly. Here is a list of the actors who are concerned with BIM objects:
To be useful for an ever growing number of persons, the Rector BIM objects are also available for the ArchiCAD software program. The objects modeled for Allplan are currently in production by the Polantis teams.
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The objective of the BIM approach
In October 2012, Polantis put online 29 brick textures designed for Wienerberger.
This incomparable specialist in terracotta began a BIM approach for a large panel of products: from traditional colored brick to more elaborate effects, and naturally-colored materials.
The end purpose for Wienerberger, a leader in terracotta, was to confirm its leadership position by putting itself at the cutting edge of innovation.
The issue for the team of architects in charge of the project at Polantis was as follows: with the wall covering being the first view of a project, it was imperative to reproduce with complete accuracy the aesthetic properties of the Wienerberger products.
The documentation provided by Wienerberger
Wienerberger provided Polantis with several sources with which to work: sometimes the photograph of a part of a wall, sometimes the photograph of an area of bricks superimposed but without joints, and other times views of the building in perspective.
The « Lof Red » from Wienerberger
The first action taken by the team of architects in charge of the project was to cut out and isolate each brick present in the photograph to keep its specific qualities in order to continue to showcase the richness of the material.
It was also necessary to « flatten » the views in perspective so that the user could perceive in total specificity the sizes and formats of the bricks modeled.
The 3D representation
There are four types of BIM objects: the simple object (for furnishings for example), the parametric object (for a product with variable dimensions), the system (for a product composed of several elements and variable dimensions) and the texture (for wall or floor covering, for example).
Wienerberger products are textures: what was needed was to represent a wallpaper that would be applied to a given geometry.
Because the bricks could not be modeled and assembled one by one, since this would be too fastidious, the architectural team designed an infinite texture that could be applied with a click on any wall whatsoever.
An infinite texture
An architect who wishes to apply a given texture could be satisfied with cutting and pasting an image of a « brick » taken randomly from an online catalog: the repetition would be noticeable and the resulting effect would not be natural.
A texture that is simply « cut and pasted »
The Polantis teams worked in Photoshop in order to adapt the texture in such a way that it would react like a real assembly of bricks.
The shader, a combination of layers
The term « shader » is used when there is a combination of several shaders.
The 5 elements that compose the Wienerberger Purple Agora shader
A well-made shader always combines 5 elements:
The « Linnaus Etouffle » covering on the left is smoother and more brilliant than the « White Earth » covering on the right.
On the Wienerberger page presented on the Polantis platform, all of these elements are presented next to the shader so that the user can have a glimpse of what is found in the .zip he or she downloads.
This information allows prescribers to obtain in details how the shader to be applied to projects is composed.
The final informational element along with the shader is a view from the Wienerberger catalogue: this will allow the user to note the absoluteness of the resemblance between the given file and the real object.
Exchanges with Wienerberger
The work of the Polantis architects was validated after a meticulous study made by teams working with this specialist in terracotta. The attention given on the part of the manufacturer was above all devoted to the realistic effect of the shaders. Some elements had to be modified:
The architect and the client
These points needed a high level of interest because the architect needed the project presented to his client to be highly faithful to reality, so the image and the rendering were prioritized.
This fidelity allowed the client to identify with the result and validate the project more easily.
In the case of BIM, it is commonly said that the digital model allows one to « build before building », so to present an object with realistic aesthetic qualities helps the architect and his client to develop more constructive exchanges.
The main purpose of the BIM process
In March 2015, Enveloppe Métallique du Bâtiment (ex. SNPPA) met Polantis.
The main purpose of this syndicate was to allow its members to see their products integrated into projects created in BIM. To do this, Polantis had to model a selection of generic products among those most currently used in construction.
The choice made by the Enveloppe Métallique du Bâtiment was based on 58 construction systems: cladding, panels, covers, etc., and they wanted to be provided before November, 2015, for the presentation at the World of Construction (Batimat).
A unique client and BIM approach
Then Polantis’ teams asked themselves: « What information should we submit to the user for generic products? », « How can a synthesis of several products with many different technical qualities could be done? », « How to create objects intended to meet the needs of several manufacturers, and sometimes even competitors? »…
A revealing pilot project
As a pilot project, a first test object was created to check this process: the Polantis team of architects modeled a clad on Revit and realized its composition table.
This object was created with some difficulty. In fact, the team worked using documentation that was very extensive, perhaps too extensive, and presented diagrams in which there was no a legend, no scale, nor dimensions.
Horizontal double skin clad: the diagram of an angle
The need for a specific and hierarchically laid-out documentation
Polantis then asked Enveloppe Métallique du Bâtiment for more documentation: Autocad files, detailed diagrams, factory plans, etc. This was a request for specific and hierarchically laid-out information that the manufacturers could have easily provided but that the syndicate, unfortunately, did not have.
With the help of Polantis, a lot of work was then undertaken by Enveloppe Métallique du Bâtiment to gather together the documentation, to sort it, to annotate it, and to organize it. For each product, the syndicate had to provide an informational sheet completed with designs where all fundamentally important information appeared.
A document provided by the syndicate
To ease this process, the team of architects and the expert from Enveloppe Métallique du Bâtiment made the decision to work together.
Half-day meetings were held bi-monthly. The work was organized according to the opposite steps. First, the expert corrected one or two products, and during corrections, he explained the construction principle of the type of products in question. This allowed the architect who was project lead to understand the product better and to realize it. This cooperation also allowed her to understand what she needed to hide, or on the contrary, what she needed to explicitely show. After the session, similar products were treated independently and sent back to the expert for validation. The following session was about another category of products.
The expert also took advantage of this work to understand the possibilities and the limits of the CAD and BIM software programs on which the team of architects was working. Each person took away from these exchanges more competence about the project, and also a better understanding of the professional task.
Finally, beyond the architectural work, this collaboration between the syndicate expert and Polantis architects was important since there was no industrial in charge of its products. Thus, the presence of the expert was needed for him to be responsible of the products designed, to check their faithfulness to the reality, and to attest that each member of the syndicate was represented in these generic products.
Thanks to this checking phase, Polantis was able to guarantee the satisfaction of the members.
Product information
In BIM (Building Information Modeling), one element is Information. A BIM object is partly the visual representation and manipulation of the model and partly the information (standards, material resistance, thermal performances, etc.).
This information linked to the product informs everyone, from the designing to the building maintenance: it can be consulted by each of the persons concerned.
Composition tables, unique points
First the specific situation in which the products can be integrated in building phase were treated . The purpose: the final user could then have access to a solution for most of the uses he or she may have once the product modeled.
A composition table
This stage was very important for the proper usage of the products. Indeed, designing these unique points with such precision allowed them to better perform what they were there for: to be directly embeded into the plans of the CAD and BIM software programs, at scale to understand which detail size is designed, and ensure compliance and coherence, thanks to the organization of legends.
Mastering the information
Regarding the information contained in the products, Polantis shared the expectations of the final user (the architect, the designer, the engineer, etc.) with the syndicate. At the moment of design, what information should be provided to take the best advantage of the BIM? Enveloppe Métallique du Bâtiment teams were able to respond by completing an Excel file submitted to them.
In addition, and upon request by the syndicate, users should find this information attached to a diagram outside of the digital model. According to Enveloppe Métallique du Bâtiment, by using this, a user who does not master a BIM software program could ensure that the information was properly linked with the product.
The organization of the information
To better explain the product to the user, the syndicate also thought about how the information was organized.
For example, to be as learner-friendly as possible, a color code was submitted to the Polantis team of architects to enable the user to better visualize the construction principle of each point:
– Red for fastenings,
– Blue for spacers,
– Green for finishing parts.
For the same reason, the pictograms below were designed to present regulatory information about the product: the user should be able to click to directly access the site of Enveloppe Métallique du Bâtiment.
The software indicates that the « Shock Resistance » pictogram contains a link that can be consulted
3D representation
There are four types of BIM objects: texture (for wall or floor covering, for example), the actual object (for furnishings, for example), the parametric object (for a product with variable dimensions) and the system (for a product composed of several elements or with variable dimensions).
Based on the request made by Metallic Envelop and following a preliminary study, the Polantis team of architects chose to create different systems. A BIM system has the advantage of being able to integrate into the quasi-totality of projects and digital models, and it offers a remarkable degree of flexibility.
The 3D product models were worked on in CAD with maximum 3DS for a rendering that perfectly matches the reality, with an extremely well-developed control process, all the way up to a study of the dowels and fastenings.
The product’s faithfulness to reality is also perceived through its respect to regulation. In the same way that the product is designed according to regulation, its digital avatar complies with standards. For example, for the type of cladding below, construction regulations (interaxial between two IPEs) or types of insulation (rockwool or polyurethane) combined with the product needed to be modeled.
The question of what is visible and what is invisible was also raised: what did Polantis need to show to the user? Enveloppe Métallique du Bâtiment chose to show the whole composition of the product, showing the various elements that constitute the product.
For the example above, you can distinguish from left to right:
Therefore, the task was to turn a real product into a digital system, going from abstract to digital.
A rewarding collaboration
In a nutschell, the 58 products that are now available were designed by combining the expertise of Polantis architects and the will of Enveloppe Métallique du Bâtiment to fully address its members’ needs.
The ultimate proof of the success of this operation: Enveloppe Métallique received the Industrial Silver BIM during the « BIM d’Or », awards ceremony organized by Le Moniteur magazine.
Today, the BIM process is still ongoing: Enveloppe Métallique du Bâtiment teams and industrial members are working with Polantis to improve these generic BIM objects thanks to the feedback given by BIM professionals and experts.
Siplast launched their first CAD and BIM objects library with 5 highly detailed roofing systems on polantis.com – Europe’s first, largest and most visited CAD and BIM objects web platform. 5 new roofing systems will be published in the upcoming weeks and dozens more in the upcoming months.
Siplast‘s high performing CAD and BIM objects were developed by Polantis expert architects team. These objects are specially tailored to match the needs of architects and AEC professionals during all planning, construction and operation phases.
Siplast is amongst the first roofing manufacturers to understand the importance and power of a CAD and BIM objects catalogue for the use by the entire supply chain of the building industry. These first 5 systems (and the dozens to follow shortly) give Siplast a huge advantage over its competitors who are yet to create their BIM catalogues.
Polantis insures the worldwide distribution of Siplast’s CAD and BIM objects on its various platforms and partner platforms. Since their introduction last Friday (28th of November) hundreds of systems were downloaded and deployed in projects by hundreds of AEC professionals. In the upcoming days Siplast expects to reach thousands of Architectes and specifiers. Polantis has a base of over 75,000 AEC professionals with a new member joining in every 8 minutes.
The five systems already available online at https://www.polantis.com/siplast all belong to Siplast’s most emblematic and universal line – “Silver”.
The currently proposed roofing systems are of the following categories:
– Autoprotected
– Under heavy protection or pavers on paving supports
– Garden roofing
All of the “Silver” line products have an integrated RFID chip with and a 20-year guarantee. Siplast provides an in-depth technical support for AEC professionals and thanks to these CAD and BIM objects specifiers get a much faster and better service.
In the upcoming months the entire Siplast catalogue will be developed into CAD and BIM objects. Including interior acoustic insulation products.
Please click here in order to access the Polantis platform
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past two years, the chances are you know about the impending government BIM reform. Numerous articles have been written about what BIM is, how it can save everyone in the construction chain money and ultimately how those that don’t adapt will be left behind. The deadline looms and is now less than 2 years away.
Scaremongering is rife but what is lacking is practical and sound advice on how to proceed as an AEC manufacturer. You have questions that need to be answered: How do I invest in BIM? Do I need to train my staff in BIM? What kind of return on investment am I looking at? How long will it take? Can I create BIM versions of my products by myself?
So where are you in the global race to adopt BIM? Well, most accept BIM is the way forward for the construction industry, but there exist vast cultural differences when it comes to the uptake of the technology. Early adopters in the US and parts of Europe are already reporting a significant return on investment for BIM.
Some are being forced to change by law, as in the UK. This list also includes the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland and Norway – all of which will require the use of BIM on publicly-funded building projects by 2016.
Others are being encouraged more ‘gently’. The European Parliament recently voted to « encourage all European countries to recommend the use of electronic tools, including BIM, on public works contracts. »
As usual, Asia is steaming ahead. One UK construction expert recently lamented that « In Japan, modular construction is used on more than 50% of its buildings, while the UK uses it in less than five per cent. »
When it comes to BIM uptake though, the real disparity is not geographical, it is between the actors involved in the construction chain. That’s somewhat ironic as the whole point of BIM is to enable manufacturers, architects, quantity surveyors, engineers, builders and owners to better communicate. By 2016, we are told, if any of these groups want to have a hand in lucrative public projects, they will all need to have a firm grasp of what BIM is and how to use it. BIM is no different to any other new technology in that some are more willing and able to get on board than others.
So here’s the good news for you as an AEC manufacturer. This really isn’t your problem because of all the actors in the chain, you have the most simple part to play in the whole reform process. All you need to do is to provide a BIM version or catalog of your products. This is not only simple, you are the group most likely to see a return on investment. Why? well, a BIM catalog will help you to promote and sell your products to the very people that prescribe them.
So you’ve accepted BIM is the way forward and you’ve decided to go ahead and create a BIM objects catalog. You now have two options, outsource the process to a CAD and BIM objects expert manufacturer or attempt to create your catalog yourself. Whichever option you choose, don’t forget that albeit the fact that more and more specifiers and AEC professionals use BIM. A BIM method is only mandatory in the public market. If 39% of architects knew about or were already using BIM in the UK in 2013 (according to the NBS) – this also means that the remaining 61% don’t use it yet. The US, which is a « ripe BIM market » had 60% of architects using BIM according to Autodesk’s report if this is what we can expect in 2016’s UK it still means that a big chunk of AEC professionals will never be BIM ready or at least will be extreme laggers. These architects and specifiers will continue using « traditional CAD » indefinitely and you, as an AEC manufacturer cannot allow yourself to ignore them. Make sure you’re not only BIM ready then. Make sure no matter which professionals using no matter which solution or method – has access to your catalogs.
Vmzinc, the specialist in innovative zinc solutions for building covering published its first fifty Rendering and BIM textures compatible with 100% of professional software used by architects and AEC professionals.
This first VMzinc BIM catalog is part of the company’s communication strategy and its group: Umicore – an international specialist in metals and materials technology. VMzinc is its international brand name of rolled zinc solutions for the building industry.
VMzinc manufactures a broad range of products for the building industry, including a full range of Titanium-Zinc products available as sheets, coils or as specially tailored systems. Their extensive range of products reflects their wealth of professional and practical experience. These products are designed to meet needs of various climates and standards worldwide.
The first 50 BIM objects for VMzinc were specially designed by Polantis so that they could seamlessly fit and integrate into any kind of building project. The product categories « Systems and and products for roofing » and « Systems and products for façades » were conceived first in order to reply for the increasing demand of architects, specifiers and other AEC professionals. The other product categories are already under production by Polantis’ expert architects and will be published during 2014.
VMzinc hopes to profit from the ongoing BIM revolution and make sure architects and specifiers in the UK and elsewhere in the world could employ their range of products easily into their projects. The VMzinc catalog joins hundreds of other CAD and BIM objects catalogs recently published by a many AEC manufacturers in anticipation for the extensive UK BIM reform that will be in full effect on the 1st of January 2016.
UPM the Finnish giant of wood for construction enters the BIM era with the publication of a first CAD and BIM objects catalog made available for Architects and other specifiers in the UK and the rest of the world online at polantis.com
The first products to be published are systems of wood panels for cladding. UPM chose to make them available in 16 different CAD, BIM and Rendering formats. The BIM components could be easily integrated into a 3D BIM model and enrich any project with an extended palette of colors and motives.
UPM is a frontrunner of the new forest industry. The company leads the integration of bio and forest industries into a new, sustainable and innovation-driven future. UPM is known to create value from renewable and recyclable materials.
UPM’s structure consists of the following business areas: UPM Biorefining, UPM Energy, UPM Raflatac, UPM Paper Asia, UPM Paper ENA (Europe and North America) and UPM Plywood.
In 2012, UPM’s sales exceed 10 billion euros. They are present in 65 countries and their production plants exist in 15 different countries. UPM employs over 22,000 people worldwide and their shares are listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki stock exchange.
It’s likely you have a team of technical experts at the heart of your business. This team is probably made up of experienced engineers who design and process your products. The question is do they have the specific skills necessary to develop a professional CAD and BIM catalogue in house?
Most product and industrial engineers are well versed in PLM computer design but are not architects. None of them have previously worked in architectural firms or specified products in an architectural design. Only an architect can create a high quality, professional CAD and BIM catalogue because only an architect has the specific experience in BIM or CAD software and the understanding of the proper functioning of an architectural practice.
A professional CAD and BIM catalogue needs to make your objects available in as many formats as possible. In order to maximise your return on investment, architects and prescribers must be able to download and manipulate the 3D versions of your products in to the software they habitually use. Today there are four BIM software versions in use as well as dozens of CAD and rendering programs.
Converting objects between one BIM program and another is quite simply impossible (this despite the claims of IFC and IFD’s so called « interoperability »). Converting CAD objects from one format to another is possible(in most cases) but it can be tricky.
The upshot is, if you fail to produce your catalogue in the maximum number of formats (at least 10) you will be limiting your business to a very small number of architects and prescribers. (i.e only those who use the few programs your objects are available in)
CAD architectural programs, and to a greater extent BIM programs, are far removed from the programs used by your designers and engineers. They really are distant cousins and converting an object from PLM to CAD (for example from .igs format to .dwg format) will more often than not produce monstrously large files with too much detail, in the wrong scale and may contain sensitive information you don’t want out of your premisses.
Converting an object from a PLM format to a BIM format is simply impossible today. (.sat to .gsm for example) Even if you manage somehow to make a « geometrical conversion » of a PLM object into a BIM format (i.e – you manage to convert the 3D form from one software format to the other) – you will end up with a heavy « dummy » object that has none of the attributes and parameters necessary for a proper functioning in a BIM project environment.
If you want to create your CAD and BIM catalogue in house, you will need to think about acquiring a number of BIM and CAD software programs. Consult our cost analysis below for more detail.
Creating a 3D catalogue can be immensely time consuming without the aid of technologies specially adapted to the task. Even if you do manage to hire top notch architects, they will still have to spend time mastering the programs they’re not familiar with. Once they do, they will then have to learn how to create an object using this software. After all, these programs are designed for the purpose of architectural design, not creating objects for catalogues.
Your architects will need to learn how to ‘divert’ or ‘hack’ to properly create your objects. A lot of these programs come with a ‘catalogue object creation mode’ but its rare to find someone with the know how in this domaine because very few architects pass their time creating catalogue objects.
At the bottom of this article you’ll see how it will take two excellent architects 19 years to create 1000 catalogue objects in all the necessary formats – don’t underestimate the time it takes!
Creating a CAD and BIM catalogue is good, but getting it to the people who will use it is even better. If you have managed to create a professional catalogue you will now have thousands of files, some in 2D format, some in 3D, others in BIM. Some will be purely textures or ‘shaders’ that can cover polygonal surfaces etc. How do you intend to get all of this out to architects and prescribers? Remember, each uses a different software program and perhaps different methods within a program.
-If you wish to distribute these files online, you will need to think about a costly web upgrade for your site. Aside from the distribution you’ll have to think about costs associated with hosting and downloading these objects.
– If you’re thinking about sending your catalogue via email, how will you go about managing a group of files that might totalize 8Go and how will you ensure your mail isn’t flagged as spam? Do you have a good list of contacts when it comes to architects and designers?
-If you want to hand out copies of your catalogue at trade fairs and other events which is the best format? A QR code? A DVD? a USB key? All of these need to be properly designed and thought of.
Let’s imagine you produce a range of 1000 different products and you want to create a CAO/BIM catalogue
– You will need to find and hire the services of two experienced architects who are content to abandon their career in architecture in favor of designing catalogue objects (no mean feat!) Assuming you manage to negotiate a salary of £2500 for each per month, you’re looking at an annual cost of : £60,000
– You’ll need to buy software licenses for CAD and BIM for 2 desks + any other essential software (Adobe creative suite, pack office, etc) That’s 12 software packages X 2 at an average cost of £3700 per license = £88,800
– An architect who can master several CAD and BIM software is a rare thing. You will need to pay for training. It takes around 5 days to properly master each program at an acceptable level. On top of that each architect will need to learn how to use the object creation mode of each software package. A day’s training costs around £250. £250 X 5 days for each program X 10 programs = £12,500
– 2 workstations properly adapted to high level 3D creation = £5000
The time it takes to create a professional CAO/BIM catalogue will also have an impact on costs… There are about 230 working days in a year (52 weeks X 5 days a week less 30 days of vacations / sick leave / bank holidays etc)
The time it will take to train your two architects will end up at around 50 work days. Add to that around 30 days each to learn how to use the object creation mode in each program. So each architect will need 150 days of training in the first year.
A very good architect who is also an expert in CAD and BIM will create, on average, one complex object per day. In just one format. Remember, you need to create objects in 10 – 15 formats. So let’s imagine your architects are particularly efficient and they manage to produce all the formats for one object in 10 days. At the end of the first year you will have 30 finished objects for your catalogue.
So the first year’s cost: 60,000 + 88,000 + 12,500 + 5,000 = £165,500
That’s £5,500 per object
The second year will cost the architect’s salaries + the software updates. Let’s assume your architects produce around 50 complete objects in all of the required formates each year. You will be looking at a cost of about £2,600 per object.
It will take your firm around 19 years and cost you more than £2,6 million to create a professional CAD and BIM catalogue in house covering your range of 1000 objects. That’s with two architects. If you hire 4, you will of course halve the time and double the costs. If you hire 6 architects and a project manager, they could get the time down to around 3 years but that will cost you significantly more.
Creating a CAD and BIM catalogue in house at the cost of around £5000 per object probably isn’t a very good idea, especially when a cheaper, easier alternative exists.
Get a professional CAD and BIM objects manufacturer to work on your catalogue. A good service provider and an expert in CAD and BIM catalogue creation will:
If you have any questions, feel free to drop them in to our comments box