When it comes to BIM models, lightweight data matters

Question: Does quality matter with BIM objects?
Answer: “’Quality’ is a very subjective word because it means different things to different parties in the business. To us, as consultants, a 'high-quality model' contains an object with a good representation of the volume dimensions, correct data to perform calculations such as pressure, sizing and sounds, and fields for identifying object data so we can create a bill of materials.

“If the objects are too detailed, our models will be too heavy to manage, and it costs time and money to correct them. It is important to be able to create 3D models in a correct way regarding placement of all objects in plan and height. Objects in ceilings, on walls and near and in floors need to be correct to collaborate with the other disciplines in the build.

“In that way, we minimise mistakes on the building sites. Everything that can minimise the handling in the building site is a benefit for the customer.

“The free modeling libraries on the internet are often created by a person for a specific purpose. Very often the purpose is only a geometric correct object, and sometimes it is too detailed than we need. We also need to rely on the object data to be able to perform our calculations.”

Q: How do you use the models?
A: “When we are modeling a building we use generic objects in an early stage. In the detail design we uses products that we can perform calculations for. We can handle this by the find and replace functions in MagiCAD.”

Q: Is speed important?
A: "It is actually not the speed for handling objects that is important. When we have a local database the speed for creating objects is good. It´s about having reliable data on the objects. It’s important to have the downloadable 3D models, because we need to be sure that we are using products sold by manufacturers. The online 3D objects are also updated regularly, which means that they contain as correct data as possible.”