Building information modeling, BIM, can be complicated to talk about for one simple reason: BIM processes aren’t normal yet.
With that comes a range of claims — let’s call them “myths” — that, frankly, deserve some attention. In this article, a Vectorworks product specialist sits down to explore these myths in search of the truth.
Note that the Vectorworks staff member featured in this interview is an architect, but BIM and its advantages apply to landscape architecture just as it does with architecture.
Myth #1: BIM is all or nothing
Myth: If you aren’t doing BIM workflows like the largest firms are doing, you aren’t doing BIM properly.
Rob Hollis, AIA, Vectorworks Architect product specialist:
BIM is really the collection of geometry and data that’re used to export and share with consultants or construction sets. And it’s really just how much of that you’re using. You can use a little bit, or you can use a lot; it just depends on the needs of the firm, project, clients, so on and so forth.
That’s the critical element here: figuring out what exactly it is you need at the end of the project, and then you can develop your BIM model accordingly.
Myth: Busted.
Myth #2: BIM is too complicated and costly for smaller firms
Myth: Smaller firms can’t do BIM because the of the upfront costs and how complicated it can be.
Hollis: I think there’s a struggle at least in terms of thinking there’s a large obstacle to BIM; you can see people reluctant to move out of their current workflow, and it’s because of the upfront costs of maybe new software they think they have to learn, or the cost associated with incorporating a new workflow.
But it’s about turning that into savings down the line, whether it’s allowing resources to build up to be used from file to file, or the cost savings you build up along the way by collaborating earlier in the process. Time savings are big here. If you’re more efficient, you can do more projects, and BIM helps a lot with efficiency.
A lot of firms must get over this mental block, and it’s a lot easier to do when you do it in smaller increments. I think of BIM as a spectrum — it’s not all or nothing, rather it’s where you need it to be at a given time. By starting small, you’re able to get comfortable and continue adding BIM detail with each project at a pace that works for you or your firm.
Myth: Busted.
