BIM? WHY?

[Anonymous]

We all know by now that BIM is the next evolution of the AEC industry. However, what I am unsure of it what began the revolution? For me I went through Architecture school doing 3D modeling as a standard practice. It just makes sense to me to take that model and use it for everything that it is worth. What I can not figure out is why we see resistance from architects of today? Now, I am not talking about the senior architects, they actually seem quite receptive to the notion. I am talking about the 30 something guys, the guys who were on the other side of the coin not to long ago with the CADD revolution. Today, I here things like, “BIM won’t last, it is just a fad and the industry will go back to the way it was.” Sound familiar to anyone? I wasn’t around when computer drafting began, but I’m sure that the same things were said then. My question to the group, why?

[Dwight]

Nobody enjoys change when they don't personally profit.

When 3D modeling came along, all the drafters saw their easy lives get difficult. More learning. Less "Work."
When BIM arrived, all of a sudden,, there was more work. Now eveybody is a quantity surveyor. Yay. Drawings had to mean something.
The real benefit of all of this BIM stuff is that it eliminates the b u l l s h i t in a drawing set. Our colleague Mitch has pioneered a service where his model detects the collision of structure and services in a project. Imagine even NEEDING that service in a competently designed structure! Huy yuy yuy! Good thing it is called the BIM and not the Building Utility Model.

You see my avatar? That's a Tai Chi move for the new milennium called "Archiect Explains the Concept." I was imitating my old boss, Mr. Vague Direction. He wasn't a BIM type of guy.

[Anonymous]

I believe that people are afraid of what they don't know/understand. This new concept of putting in all of the building data while constructing is new to many and therefore, scary.

I can understand cost issues when it comes to switching to BIM software, but for those that say 'its a fad' are just fooling themselves to the real truth: They are afraid of the work it will require to learn the new stuff.

I am just finishing 90 days of 'learning' the listing features of ArchiCAD, finishing up a template, and being able to pull pertinent data for estimating purposes. It has been a challenge to not only learn additional software portions of ArchiCAD, but also convert the current drafter/designers into drawing with certain standards that provide all of this great data. I can attest that learning BIM software is a challenge, but a valuable (and I believe an essential) one none-the-less. BIM is where the industry will go/be so all the better to learn it now rather than later.

[Anonymous]

I have seen the most resistance over the years coming from experienced AutoCAD drafters. It takes a lot of work to become good at working in AutoCAD and they are understandably reluctant to toss all that and start over.

Part of the trouble is that an AutoCAD background not only doesn't help someone to grasp ArchiCAD, it typically impedes the process.

The other problem is that the whole way of working changes. There is no guarantee that a good drafter is going to make an equally good building modeler.

[Ernest Atanasiu]

Who will benefit from the BIM situation?
The architect? then BIM should move towards the 'soul of a building', not the details (yeah, yeah, the details are everything), meaning you should put the accent on the building itself and not the components. relations within components are more important than the components. defining those relations might put BIM in its desired place.
The drafter? in this case BIM is very good, since you can do more in less time, don't have to check 200 drawings to see one mistake.
The others involved in the process? engineers, clients, maybe? in my case engineers got stuck on autocad plans long time ago. BIM means nothing to them. and clients want to see only the vray version, if possible. and also the specs and scheduling, cost estimations, before you will even draw the first guideline of the model.

[Dwight]

Perhaps your practice is all storage sheds or boxes, but as soon as you go beyond where you can hold the whole project in your head, everybody benefits from BIM:

BIM allows architects to think in three dimensions and helps those (most of them) who can't.

BIM makes better details.

BIM identifies assembly problems before the steel is cut. Steel errors not so bad, but wood errors catastrophe because you can't weld on extra.

BIM cuts the c r a p - no more "kiting" a sketch in the hope that the lads on site will figure it out. Saw that a lot while installing my last art project in a new building. Heard lot of cursing from glaziers re: "colorful euphemism architects!"

BIM creates information, something drawings cannot do.

BIM makes better buildings in less time, but is not necessarily less work.

BTW: Uisa: Time for you to get modern engineers. Maybe not so important for electrical but even HVAC is all 3D now.

[Ernest Atanasiu]

You're right, it's time to change something. I'm thinking I should start by changing the country I'm living in. Fogging communists, they screwed up this one.
Anyone hiring in the EU? I like Spain and Portugal a lot. Maybe a seashore town?

[Richard Morrison]

PivoArch wrote:
Now, I am not talking about the senior architects, they actually seem quite receptive to the notion. I am talking about the 30 something guys, the guys who were on the other side of the coin not to long ago with the CADD revolution. Today, I here things like, “BIM won’t last, it is just a fad and the industry will go back to the way it was.” Sound familiar to anyone? I wasn’t around when computer drafting began, but I’m sure that the same things were said then. My question to the group, why?

Actually, I WAS there when computer drafting began, but I don't think it was ever perceived as a "fad"; rather the inevitable that was resisted by some for as long as they could. In fact, I know some that are still resisting it, and draft everything by hand (after they finish shoeing their horses).

My guess is that the senior guys who successfully made it to the other side from manual to CAD drafting simply are already comfortable with significant paradigm shifts, and don't see it as threatening. Maybe even a good thing. (I can remember the shift from slide rules to battery-powered calculators in architecture school. Now that was GREAT! I doubt most of the young whippersnappers now have ever SEEN a slide rule.) Then there was a shift to "pin bar" overlay drafting. Woohoo!

Younger folk maybe have only known shifts like from AutoCAD R14 to 2004. Not a lot to prepare them for entirely different ways of thinking about production.

[Anonymous]

PivoArch wrote:
...why we see resistance from architects of today?

I stumbled recently on THE ANSWER. http://www.cafepress.com/tennesseetees/774984

Can't imagine any architect wanting to 'do it' with virtual models, much less building information models.

[Anonymous]

>Today, I here things like, “BIM won’t last, it is just a fad and the industry will go back to the way it was.”

That's why Autodesk acquired Revit, which is the attempt to copy ArchiCAD. Autocad Architectural Desktop is beaten red and raw by Revit. So they say... 😉

Bob