Objects (also known as elements) form the basic building blocks of digital building models. Each object in a model (e.g., a wall, ceiling, or column) digitally represents a real-world object in the physical structure. Objects are controlled via parameters in their geometric representation and can be assigned any number of attributes (Austrian: Merkmale).
BIM objects can be thought of as "small programs within a program." Each BIM software package handles its objects differently, which results in significant differences in how they are used. In ArchiCAD, for example, all objects are based on a proprietary programming language (GDL). In Revit, on the other hand, objects (called “families” here) are defined through a combination of modeling and parameterization.