In civil engineering, a project can span decades or even centuries, encompassing phases such as planning, architectural design, construction, and ongoing operation and maintenance. It involves numerous stakeholders, including owners, construction companies, and suppliers. Given this complexity, it is clear that a project engages many people and generates extensive business requirements.
Some may suggest developing an all-in-one software solution to cover all aspects of a project’s business lines. However, given the current state of computer and information technology, this is clearly unrealistic. A more practical approach is to create different software tailored to various project participants and stages, enabling information exchange and sharing between them.
The development of BIM standards aims precisely to standardize the exchange and sharing of information among diverse users at different project phases. Dana K. Smith, Chairman of buildingSMART International (bSI), once stated, “The era of relying on one software to solve all problems is gone forever.”
Today, many software developers claim their products are BIM software by incorporating BIM technology. However, some of these so-called “BIM software” cannot even export model files in the IFC format. Only software certified by bSI qualifies as true BIM software. Unfortunately, due to widespread misconceptions about BIM technology, users can be easily misled by developers’ claims.
Charles Eastman, a professor and author of the “BIM Handbook,” identified four modeling techniques that do not qualify as BIM technology. These criteria can help determine whether software is genuinely BIM software:
(1) 3D data models that lack object attributes;
(2) Models that do not support behavior;
(3) Models composed of multiple 2D CAD reference files that define buildings;
(4) Models that do not automatically update other views when dimensions are changed in one view.
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