Hardware Requirements for BIM Software

Building information modeling (BIM) has been making a big impact in the structural engineering, design, architecture and construction worlds since the software has become fully developed over the past decade or so. However, that big impact on processes and profitability is matched by an equally big impact on computing resources! Slow networks and computer crashes can be immensely frustrating even when you’re surfing the net at home … but especially so when you have a deadline to meet. It makes sense to ensure that all the benefits of BIM are not lost in wasted productivity, waiting for computers to reboot or a terminally slow connection to send a file. We look at the hardware you’ll need to effectively support your 3D modelling software.

Operating system

Most 3D building modeling software is designed to work on a Windows platform. While Mac-based programs are available, their operation is not always as easy and efficient as on a Windows-based computer. The best software will be compatible with Windows 7 as well as Vista and XP.
Click Here To Read More

Customer Stories – Real Life Reasons for Changing to BIM

The internet has grown into a monstrous and amazing information resource. However, with the trend towards marketers writing websites, it is certainly easy to feel that you’ve spent hours researching a particular thing and really don’t know any more about it. Today we are getting past the generalizations, past the ‘benefit statements’ and the ‘Why You Should’ sections, and looking at how Building Information Modelling (BIM) is impacting the real people that use this construction software in their work.

BIM for … non standard architecture

ONL is a multidisciplinary design firm with offices in the Netherlands and Hungary. Their reputation is for creating ‘visionary’ structures … which as you can imagine, would involve far more than grids and right angles! The senior project architect, Marthjin Poole, says that “To better develop, understand, and build these non-standard architectures, we depend on coordinated highquality 3D models”.
Click Here To Read More

True or False? 5 Facts About BIM

As revolutionary as Building Information Modelling (BIM) is, there are still some that believe the old way of designing and constructing buildings is better. This belief often comes from those who haven’t used the construction software extensively enough to have ironed out all of the initial bugs … and they often give rise to some quite incorrect points of view! Today we are busting BIM myths, and explaining why transitioning to the system is always worth it for structural engineers, architects and construction professionals.

True or False: BIM Isn’t Worth the Changeover Time

Just like any major change in a business’s operating methods, there is lag time before an investment starts being profitable. In the case of building information modeling, though, the profit potential is very real! When you consider:
Click Here To Read More

Green Buildings with BIM Part 3: Construction

Traditionally, construction is one of the least environmentally helpful activities that humans can engage in. We use heavy machinery which guzzles oil to remove trees and plants from their natural habitat, disrupt the ecosystem above and below the soil, and create sometimes substantial amounts of waste. These are the old norms in construction, from at least 50 years ago. Now, an awareness of the environmental impact of various tasks, and the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to minimize these, is rewriting history. Today we are looking at how the construction phase of a project can be made cleaner and greener than ever by utilizing 3D modelling processes to create green buildings.

How does BIM ‘green’ the construction process?

There are several main ways that utilizing BIM technology can help the green credentials of construction project. These include:
Click Here To Read More

Green Buildings with BIM Part 2: From Concept to Detailed Design

It is much more difficult to create an optimal environment within a building when it has already been designed, compared to working to specific goals from the planning phase. This can be expressed in fewer words: ‘You can put lipstick on a pig … but it’s still a pig’! In terms of green buildings, this means that systems like grey water tanks, solar panels, recycled office furniture and low energy appliances are the lipstick. If the building was not well-designed to take advantage of natural sunlight and ventilation, to be able to catch its own rainwater and provide it’s own soundproofing and if it constantly requires heating and cooling to maintain a comfortable temperature – it is a pig. Today we are looking at using building information modelling in the conceptualisation and detailed design phases of a construction project to ensure you don’t end up with a lipsticked pig.
Click Here To Read More

Green Buildings with BIM Part 1: Determining Requirements

The biggest impact on the natural environment is the built environment – as we start to see the effects of generations of ignorance about how human activities impact the natural world, there is a growing push towards green technologies. Green building design is about more than adding a grey water system and using solar panels, though. These measures are important, but the building’s design can make quite a difference in the demand for resources and therefore reduce load on whatever water and power systems are in place. We are launching a two-part look at how building information modelling pushes green design to the forefront of a construction project, and specifically at the requirements-listing phase.
Click Here To Read More

BIM for the Bird’s Nest – A Case Study

The Bird’s Nest, officially known as the National Stadium, caused quite a stir when it was unveiled in 2008. It was both hated and loved, but for architects, engineers and construction workers around the world, it inspired another emotion – awe. This project was enormously detailed, and could not have been achieved in as short a time, with as low costs and little room for error, had it not been for building information modelling technology. We look at how BIM made it possible for the structural engineers, steel detailers and construction team to put the Bird’s Nest together in time for the Olympics.
Click Here To Read More

Implementing Building Information Modelling In Small Firms – Best Practices

Building information modelling is one of the newer construction and engineering technologies available and it is much like any other capital improvements to the business. In the short term, it requires an investment of time and money. In the longer term, both employees and managers wonder how they did without it. With careful planning and management and some expert help at critical points, you can help ease the transition to using building information modelling in a small firm and be reaping the benefits much sooner. We look at how, with guidance on timing issues, human issues, and equipment issues, the transition to BIM can be a small business success.
Click Here To Read More