Typically, speakers touch on one or two such cases to cover all the nuances as best as possible. However, Alexander Popov, technical director of SIGNAL, decided to use a slightly different strategy: at a BIM breakfast in August, he spoke about eight BIM application cases implemented in the company. Read a brief overview of his report in this article.
Release of working documentation from the BIM model
One of the most common use cases for BIM is the production of working documentation. This capability is especially useful during the construction phase. Drawings generated from the model are highly accurate, so the different sections of the documentation will correspond exactly to each other. This reduces the risk of errors and inconsistencies on site that can occur when manually processing documentation.
Check for collisions
Identifying incompatibilities between different engineering systems is one of the most important stages in the design and construction process. For example, collisions may occur if the automatic gates are incorrectly placed, which will lead to their intersection with the floor beams.
BIM technologies enable automatic detection of clashes, which reduces the likelihood of errors occurring on the construction site. This, in turn, helps to avoid additional costs associated with the reworking or dismantling of structural elements. The use of BIM also prevents duplication of materials (for example, when concrete elements overlap each other), which causes errors in volume calculations and cost sheets.
Calculating volumes for budgets and estimates
Another useful function of BIM tools is the ability to automate the process of calculating the volumes of materials and work. A BIM model allows you to determine with high accuracy the amount of materials required to perform work. Depending on the project, you can create samples by various characteristics: pipe diameters, element sizes, materials, etc. - and create reference books and classifiers for further use when calculating estimates.