BIM Newsletter - August 2012

This article is not for pros. It is for those who are totally dim about BIM, just like myself a few months back. Now I am not that dim, and felt it would be good to share it in the same way I began to understand real BIM. If you already know what BIM is, don’t read this.

OK, here we go, ...  Assume that I wanted you to build a building, a security hut, in my plot of land. As we normaly do, I could have given you a set of drawings (and technical specification). But, instead of those, I give you a document which reads as follows.

The Building Information Model server (BIMserver) is just what you need to setup your new online project collaboration environment for BIM. BIMserver is open source, which means it is free to use. All they expect from you is your feedback for further development. However, they will appreciate your financial support by buying the BIMserver Book.

As per their description, this software enables you to host your own BIMserver to centralize the information of any construction (or other building related) project. The core is based on the open standard IFC and therefore knows how to handle IFC data. The BIMserver is not a fileserver;

David Mitchell from Mitchell Brandtman (MB) explains how they use CostX for 5D BIM. The Fifth dimension of BIM is the cost.
MB is a leading Quantity Surveying and Cost Management firm in Australia having their footpirnts in many parts of the country. David explains how powerful and intutive estimating software CostX have anabled them to produce cost estimates for large and complex projects in minutes (if not in seconds). Enjoy this video. (click read more).

Cloud computing is about provision of computing and storage capacity over a network, usually the internet, for users. Cloud computing becomes a handy model to overcome challenges in practical BIM implementations. Construction projects usually comprised of temporary teams. That is why a project organization is termed Temporary Multi-Organization, or TMO. Acquisition of permanent BIM infrastructure may not become economical, and might go waste at the end of the project.