Session 2.4
BIM Content: Manufacturer’s V Generic – The War is Over
Synopsis:
The “product specific v generic” BIM content war has waged for two decades. Our inability, as an industry, to find a solution is a major roadblock on our digital journey. This session will demonstrate a new method for BIM content that has been 7 years in the making. We will hear from ASSA Abloy and Cottee Parker Architects who have adopted this new method for success on the Queens Wharf project in Brisbane Australia.
Learning Objectives:
1. Gain an understanding of flaws in the current methodologies and how to solve them.
2. Learn how to optimise the connection between Suppliers and Specifiers.
3. Learn how to ensure Suppliers know who is using their BIM content and precisely when.
Body:
The “product specific v generic” BIM content war has waged for two decades. Our inability, as an industry, to find a solution is embarrassing, and a major roadblock on our digital journey.
At BILT Europe 2019 I attended a Panel Discussion on this very topic. All the known arguments were raised with the panel remarking that they are 20 years old and we still don’t have a solution.
Approximately 7 years ago I set about ending this conflict by combining manufacturers and generic content in a single BIM object. Sounds a little pedestrian and has been done in minor and ineffective ways. However, I had discovered a capability that would enable it to be achieved in a very comprehensive and efficient way. So, I eagerly set to it.
The capability allowed me to have a generic object morph into a manufacturer’s product via external product data. It acquired the metadata AND GEOMETRY of the product without the need to download or import a file.
After 7 years of development and refinement a method has been established that is so effective it resolves ALL the arguments in the battle of Manufacturer’s V Generic BIM Content.
The development included close consultation with industry experts who have adopted the method; many of whom will be present at BILT ANZ or in fact were originally met at this conference.
Our first co-presenter is a manufacturer who has adopted the method.
Callum McInnes of ASSA Abloy Entrance Systems will discuss the company’s environment of innovation and how he began searching for a new BIM content solution. He will describe feedback to previous content and how the complaints and requirements were resolved by the key benefits of this new method.
Our second co-presenter is an Architect who has adopted the method.
Quinton Cooper of Cottee Parker Architects will discuss the problems they were facing on the Queen’s Wharf project and how this new method was the solution. This milestone project was a fantastic testing ground as it includes thousands of components that utilise the method and a requirement for ongoing maintenance of the digital asset.
We will revisit the arguments against and for each content type and look at how they have been resolved. We will cover the issues with levels of detail for geometry and metadata. We will also delve into the problems faced by removing and replacing model elements when product selections are made or revised, continuously during a project.
Finally, we will discuss the benefits of the method for communication between suppliers and specifiers. A major failing of BIM content is its inability to connect Suppliers and Specifiers for efficient project specific communication. Likewise, a major break in the building supply chain is the connection between Suppliers and Specifiers. However, the main benefit of this new method is its ability to resolve this connection and thereby establish this critical link in the building supply chain.
It’s time to leave traditional BIM content behind.