Disadvantages to BIM

BIM requires more effort at the front end of a project to establish the initial framework. But the payoff is that you are able to extract a much higher quality and greater quantity of information from that model.

BIM allows changes to happen easily, so clients may continue to make changes too late in the process, and that can impact construction and design costs.

BIM results in much larger file sizes than traditional CAD systems, and requires higher performing computer hardware to operate it effectively.

BIM requires more thoughtful design. We now have to do what all good designers have done in the past: Think in 3d and visualize the final product!

Building Information Modeling

BIM is the process of using a single 3d model to produce all of your 3d and 2d construction drawings.

More than just traditional drawings, BIM is also a database that can be queried to produce detailed schedules and lists of the items and quantities in the project.

BIM is not all 3d. In a BIM model, there are still a number of components that may be drawn as flat 2d objects, or even just listed as data in a schedule.

 

Advantages to BIM

3D VIEWS. One of the largest advantages is the ability to easily produce a number of 3d views that are more easily understood than traditional plan and elevation views. This is particularly useful for unique or complex designs.

EASY CHANGES. Another advantage is the ability to make changes easily, even late in the project. This means that late changes to a design may be done with much less effort than in the past, and that more options can be explored during the early design process.

COORDINATED DRAWINGS. In the BIM process all of the information comes from a single file, so it is always up to date and coordinated. Coordination means that if you change a window in one place, that window will be updated every other place it is seen in the drawings. This is in contrast to a traditional CAD (computer aided design) system where the person drawing must remember every place where that window occurs and go back into many drawing files and manually change each window in each view of that window.

MATERIAL TAKEOFFS. The Building Information Model allows us to ask the database questions like "How many cubic yards of concrete are in the foundation?" or "How many square feet of this type of plywood?" or "How many electrical receptacles of this type are in the project?".