What is BIM and Why Should You Use it ?

Autodesk’s Revit Architecture is a  revolutionary modeling program for the architectural industry. Revit is in a class of programs that utilize Building Information Modeling (BIM for short) to organize and present large data sets that describe every aspect of a building .

Architectural design, by its nature, requires us to solve complex three-dimensional problems . BIM projects hold huge amounts of project data in a single file . Because of this single database, BIM creates efficiencies during design and documentation phases by quickly presenting and updating objects in multiple views . 

Some of these views take the form of architectural drawings like plan, elevation, section, and perspective . Other views take the form of tables and spreadsheets . 

The light blue built-in cabinet shown in these views is a single BIM object visually represented in plan view, perspective view, elevation view, and detail section view . Because each view is displaying the same BIM object, any modifications to that object are automatically updated in each view . 

In BIM, this principle applies to many other objects like doors, windows, furniture, and stairs . BIM also dynamically builds schedules that accurately reflect the location and quantity of items (like furniture and doors) in a project .

The bottom line is that when an entire project is organized in a single database, you can spend more time focusing on design and less time coordinating information across multiple sheets in a drawing set .

How is BIM Different from CAD ?

Computer-aided Design (CAD) software  provided a huge leap forward in building documentation from hand drawing .

•  CAD drawings are essentially digital sheets of paper . Like many digital tools, CAD improves productivity and accuracy by allowing users to copy and paste between drawings . CAD also allows users to quickly edit drawings .

•  CAD drawings are most commonly organized with multiple layers that host digital lines .

Revit models are organized broadly into three types of elements: Datum elements, Model elements, and View-Specific elements .

DATUM ELEMENTS are the foundation of the  Revit model by which everything is referenced . 

•  Levels are the most commonly used datum element . Levels define the location of level- hosted elements in the model . Level-hosted  elements include Walls, Floors, Ceilings, and Furniture .

•  Reference Planes are two-dimensional planes used to build three-dimensional objects in Revit .

•  Grids are used to define the location of structural elements like columns and walls .

MODEL ELEMENTS are subdivided into host elements and model components .

•  Common host elements include walls, floors, ceilings, and roofs . 
•  Model components often require a compatible host element . For example, a door (model component) can only be inserted into a wall (host element), which is placed on a level (datum element) .

VIEW-SPECIFIC ELEMENTS are visible only in the view they are placed . Annotation text, room labels, and dimensions are common view- specific elements .