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BIM, IFC and COBie
Introduction
Building Information Modelling is a process of creating and managing building data during its life cycle. The process produces the Building Information Model (BIM), which encompasses building geometry, spatial relationships, geographic information, and quantities and properties of building components. BIM processes are most easily implemented by businesses whose chosen CAD software was conceived and developed to sit with a powerful and flexible database such as SQL, as by definition it naturally lends itself to the task. MicroGDS 2010 is such a product, and its adoption can be demonstrably shown to enforce team collaboration and reduce project completion timescales, whilst at the same time improving the quality and interoperability of designs.
buildingSMART
Formerly the “International Alliance for Interoperability”, the role of buildingSMART is to define and develop an industry standard, supplier independent, and neutral file format to ensure interoperability between different CAD/BIM software solutions. One of the key standards being developed at present are the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) for BIM. These provide support for:
- Data Exchange
- Model-based descriptions for the spatial, building and MEP elements that constitute a building
- Shape representations of such components
Informatix, through the MicroGDS 2010 development roadmap, are fully committed to the goals of open interoperability and the full lifecycle implementation of building information models. This year our focus is to complete our IFC2x3 accreditation.
This an extension of the work already undertaken by our interoperability development sub-group whose world-class translation library currently support solutions for DWG, DWF, DXF, 3DS, SKF (SketchUp), PDF, XML, OS Mastermap, and many more.
Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie)
In the real world most contracts are completed by the handover of paper documents containing equipment lists, product data sheets, warranties, material schedules, preventive maintenance schedules, and other information. As part of the Build Lifecycle Management (BLM) paradigm, this information supports the everyday operation, maintenance and management of these assets by the owner or property manager.
It is today’s standard practice to gather this information at the end of the job, and often most of the information has to be recreated from information created earlier. Put simply, the aim of COBie is to reduce the cost and time involved in capturing and recording quality project handover data.
The COBie approach is to ensure that the necessary data is entered as it is created during design, construction, and commissioning. In the general context of our own Build Lifecycle Management portfolio, and more specifically in relationship to our integrated Facilities Management software solution (The MicroGDS 2010
extended family member InformatixFM), we are totally committed to further enhancing our work on COBie2 format compliance, and are actively involved with buildingSMART on this and many other standards’ issues.
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