The design and construction of buildings has been around as long as recorded history. As technology has evolved, so has the sophistication of buildings. In today’s world we utilize that technology to create the most complex buildings the world has ever seen. One of the greatest technological tools we use today is Building Information Modeling or BIM.

The concept of BIM has been around for more than 40 years. Since that time, it has progressed a long way, reaching its pinnacle of popularity today.

According to Autodesk, BIM is, “an intelligent 3D model-based process that gives architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals the insight and tools to more efficiently plan, design, construct, and manage buildings and infrastructure.”

BIM would not be possible today without the software technology that has been created and improved throughout the years. There are many BIM software products available, such as Revit, Archicad or Microstation, to name a few.

Each of these BIM software programs are useful in many ways, but they would be unusable without the BIM content needed to create and populate the BIM models. Therein lies the biggest challenge with BIM software, finding and creating quality BIM content.

The three previously mentioned BIM software products use BIM content to achieve the goals of the designer. Revit uses Families, Archicad uses GDL objects, and MicroStation uses DGN files. All of these BIM content programs use BIM content in a similar way.

One of the great things about BIM software is the 3D capability it has. Designers are able to use that 3D technology to better understand and convey how a building will look and come together. But BIM is more than just a pretty 3D picture. Sometimes we forget the “I” in BIM is for information.

That is where BIM content really comes into play. Quality BIM content will not just be a 3D representation of the object but will also have parameters and information associated with it built right into the content. AEC professionals and building owners can leverage this information to manage a buildings lifecycle – before, during, and long after construction.

Unfortunately, not all BIM content is created equal. Any design professional will tell you it’s much easier to design a quality building with quality BIM content. Finding and using good BIM content can be a challenge, but one that is worth the effort. There are many BIM content resources out there but sifting through it to find quality content is all part of the challenge.

Good BIM content will provide exceptional 3D models, with a low polygon count, and plenty of useful information built in. Bad BIM content typically consists of overly complex 3D models with no information built in. Bad BIM content can be more of a hindrance than a help in creating BIM models by inflating file size and only doing half the job by not providing the critical information that is needed.

In addition to the modeling benefits of good verse bad content, there are costs associated with good and bad content management Good content is easy to find, place; quick to document, schedule, and coordinate and can be found in 2 minutes by implementing a solution like UNIFI. Poorly managed content on the other hand is hard to find, nearly impossible to place, does not document, schedule. Or coordinate correctly. It can take up to 20 minutes to find and even crash your Revit projects resulting in costly downtime. Please click here for a downloadable chart that showcases the cost associated with good and bad content management.

In conclusion, BIM technology is a wonderful and useful tool that can be used to create complex and beautiful buildings for all the world to enjoy. BIM content is essential to that task and is a must to the longevity and lifecycle of any building. Managing that BIM content properly will save your firm tens of thousands annually. To get started with the industry leading content and data management solution, contact us for a demo today.