What is BIM? What is “Fake” BIM?
Feng Shujian, Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Institute of Building Information Simulation, once said, “3D modeling alone is not BIM. Computer Graphics (CG) is not BIM either. While these have their own forms, they lack the spirit of BIM. Counting types, quantities, and having a tactile model is only half of BIM. True BIM embodies style, spirit, and responsibility.”
In our consulting services, we often encounter clients asking questions like, “We only need to build a model and hand it over upon project completion, with no further output requirements.” Similarly, some manufacturers mention, “We will do post-BIM for this project.” From the perspective of interface integration and graphical output, creating what is essentially fake (post) BIM serves no purpose beyond contract fulfillment, and actually increases project costs. Owners then feel that BIM brings no tangible benefits, creating a vicious cycle where they become reluctant to invest in BIM. Meanwhile, contractors deliver fake models simply to satisfy owners’ cost constraints, benefiting no one.
One major reason BIM implementation in projects becomes difficult and frustrating is the prevalence of what I call “fake BIM.” Fake BIM undermines the original intent of BIM and fuels misconceptions like “BIM is more expensive” or “BIM is too complicated.” In reality, many are using fake BIM without realizing it, and clients who trust BIM are often unknowingly deceived because they cannot distinguish between genuine and fake implementations.
What is Fake BIM?
Before answering, it’s important to understand the differences in how design and construction information are created, managed, and exchanged in traditional processes versus BIM processes.
Traditional Methods
Traditionally, the design and construction information exchange revolves around producing “documents”: individually created 2D drawings, detailed schedules, and specification documents. Information about the building’s main structure and details appears in multiple formats—floor plans, elevations, sections, detail drawings, schedules, and regulatory notes. These require manual cross-checking to maintain consistency. Any changes must be manually coordinated across these independent documents, a process prone to human error. This often leads to conflicts, misunderstandings, delays, cost overruns, and disputes.
Information transfer between project stages typically occurs through paper or static digital files (like PDFs), which are not digital data that can be extracted, queried, or edited. As a result, project participants must spend additional time and resources re-entering data into their own systems—a problem BIM is designed to solve.
The BIM Approach
BIM replaces traditional document-based methods with a digital 3D building model. Each virtual component corresponds to a real-world building element. Unlike traditional methods, you only create each building component once in the 3D model. Each object serves as a digital “container” holding all relevant information.
Within this virtual environment, stakeholders can easily visualize the building and the relationships between components. BIM software can detect conflicts between objects and, by selecting an object, users can access all associated information. This data can be used for various tasks, such as project scheduling (4D BIM), cost estimation (5D BIM), detailed structural and energy analysis (6D BIM), and facility management (7D BIM).
Importantly, drawings and schedules are simply “views” exported from the model to serve as records. Since all information originates from the same model database, these views remain coordinated automatically. If changes occur, updating the model once automatically updates all related drawings and schedules, eliminating manual rework.
Compared to traditional methods, real BIM significantly improves efficiency, saving time and costs. The 3D model enhances understanding and collaboration, reducing misunderstandings, delays, changes, cost overruns, and disputes.
So, What Exactly is Fake BIM?
Now that we understand the differences, let me explain fake BIM. Due to lack of technology, resources, or a desire to reuse traditional data, some firms continue to operate in traditional ways and merely add BIM-like shells when requested by clients. In other words, they create 3D models after the fact, based on traditional drawings, schedules, and specifications.
This approach naturally increases costs, frustration, and complexity. Since the original graphic resources are independent, it becomes very difficult to accurately integrate all information back into the model. Errors in the model can cause conflicts between drawings, quantities, and the model itself, leading to misunderstandings, delays, changes, cost overruns, and disputes. Therefore, fake BIM fails to solve the problems inherent in traditional workflows.
True BIM represents a fundamentally different working method, and it cannot be achieved by simply applying traditional practices superficially. Understanding this is essential, as real BIM can bring infinite benefits—provided all project stakeholders adopt the approach. Unfortunately, some companies insist on delivering fake BIM, depriving clients of the true advantages BIM offers and undermining its potential.
That concludes our discussion on What is BIM? What is “Fake” BIM? I hope this article helps clarify these concepts for everyone!
Related Recommended Articles
What is the Concept of BIM? What Does BIM Mean?
Must log in before commenting!
Sign Up