Overview of BIM Terms: Checklist

The following article provides a list of the most important terms used in BIM workflows. The purpose of this article is to clarify any uncertainties regarding the use of these terms and to establish a common understanding of the terminology. The focus here is on those terms that are particularly important for business owners when preparing to award a contract or sign an agreement, as they subsequently have a major impact on workflows and costs.

Effort: high

Inquiries: Yes (BIM Manager or Plandata)

As-built documentation is often a prerequisite for BIM-based facility management; in other words, the BIM model serves as a digital representation of the physical structure. This requires that data from the local building authority (ÖBA) and the contractors be incorporated into or modeled within the BIM model.

Effort: high

Inquiries: Yes (BIM Manager or Plandata)

"As-planned" refers to the planning status of a model and its data density at the end of the shop floor planning phase. This implies that the shop floor planning has been incorporated into the model. However, the effort required for this can increase exponentially if contractors only provide 3D or 2D data and no usable model as specified.

Difficulty: medium

Inquiries: Yes (BIM Manager or Plandata)

The Level of Geometry, formerly known as the Level of Detail, describes the level of geometric detail in digital building models. The currently existing definitions are only adequate if they are specified with precision down to the component level. This applies to all components of the contracted trades.

Difficulty: medium

Inquiries: Yes (possible via BIM Manager or Plandata)

In principle, the term implies that there must be no collisions in the model. However, since there are “tolerable” collisions (e.g., pipes with a diameter of less than 20 mm intersecting a drywall partition, since the “breakthrough” does not need to be modeled in this case), when this term is used, the tolerances regarding collisions must be precisely defined and specified for each individual component. This includes, for example, determining at what point a breakthrough must actually be modeled or up to what size it can still be “accepted.”

Effort: low

Inquiries: Yes (BIM Manager or Plandata)

This is not just a matter of form (file format, software, data density), but also of the frequency of data transfers. This is often tied to quality management requirements that were not clearly defined beforehand. Model transfers in a non-native file format (i.e., not Revit) always require significantly more effort.

Effort: High

Inquiries: Yes (BIM Manager or Plandata)

Building Information Models consist of a given number (n) of 3D elements, to which a set of information (i) is assigned for each life cycle phase (t). The so-called “planning dimensions” 4D, 5D, and 6D describe all information that goes beyond the model’s 3D data. This includes factual data on time (4D), costs (5D), and sustainability or life cycles (6D).

The 4D and 5D data in the model come from both the designer and the contractor. Target dates can be entered into the designer’s model during Phase 3. Actual dates and any changes to the construction schedule must be reflected in the model by the contractor.

Note: ATP-Revit models do not currently store 5D data.

Difficulty: medium

Follow-up questions: none

The term "master model" describes the structure of the model in terms of whether the models for the respective disciplines are edited separately or whether all work is performed on a single model. If the latter is the case, it is referred to as a master model. A comprehensive model makes a difference in terms of editing/modeling in that, due to its high data density, it exhibits poorer model performance compared to working with partial models, which results in a loss of time for the entire project team and thus additionalcosts.

Effort: high

Inquiries: Yes (BIM Manager or Plandata)

CAFM stands for "Computer-Aided Facility Management" and refers to the process of computer-assisted data management and collection for the operation of a building. CAFM requires that the operator provide the necessary data, broken down by building component, at the time of signing.

Through joint workshops between the operator and the client, appropriate guidelines can be established for the contractors regarding which product data must be included in the model upon completion of construction and in what format.

BKS/AKS

Effort: low

Inquiries: Yes (BIM Manager or Plandata)

Many project owners already have existing project platforms. In this case, it is important to clarify how frequently or at what intervals data must be uploaded to these platforms. Equally important are the naming conventions used (e.g., for drawing designations, etc.) and the scope of deliverables.

Defining these points early on is essential.

Difficulty: medium

Inquiries: Yes (BIM Manager or Plandata)

Model communication, also known as model-based communication, refers to various methods of storing meeting and review results for a specific stage of planning within a virtual building model. This is done using tools specifically developed for this purpose, which place a kind of “virtual Post-it note” in the model in the so-called BIM Collaboration Format (BCF, file format). This type of communication is only necessary if there is no general planner contract in place.

Effort: critical

Follow-up questions: none

It is important to note that the ATP Group currently always uses the latest version of the software (with a six-month delay). If the project extends over a longer period and the requirement to work in the same software version is maintained throughout the entire project duration, this entails a significantly increased administrative burden.

Difficulty: medium

Inquiries: Yes (BIM Manager or Plandata)

Models need to be updated when a project spans more than a year or when the project duration extends beyond a software update. Since major software manufacturers release new versions of their products annually, the models must be updated to the latest software version. This typically takes place in late December or early January and is carried out by BIM managers or those responsible for the models.

Difficulty: medium

Inquiries: Yes (BIM Manager or Plandata)

Now that “BIM” has made its way into some building projects, many new job titles are circulating in the industry. Often, these roles are not clearly defined. To address this, it is necessary to clearly define the respective responsibilities for each project.

Here is a list of such "new" job titles:

• BIM Coordinator
• BIM Specialist Coordinator
• BIM General Coordinator
• BIM Champion
• BIM Manager
• BIM Master
• BIM Planner
• BIM Auditor