20151112 cita bim gathering keynote dublin

COLLABORATIVE ENGINEERING WITH IFCLéon van Berlo

LÉON VAN BERLO

I do BIM stuff

Carpenter Architectural Engineer “Researcher”H-index: 9@berlotti - leon.vanberlo@tno.nl

Open source BIM collective; BIMserver.org; CloudBIM; BIM Quickscan®; BIM compass; BIM Execution plan generator; BIM Quality Blocks; geoBIM.org; bullshitbim.com; National BIM Guidelines NL; Board member Stumico

NETHERLANDS ORGANISATION FOR APPLIED SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH TNO

Helmond

Eindhoven

Rijswijk

Delft

Leiden

The Hague

Zeist

Utrecht

Groningen

Soesterberg

INTERNATIONAL OFFICES / AGENCIES

Offices

Agencies

THE POWER OF TNOFROM IDEA TO INNOVATION

TNO IN NUMBERS

Number of employees (effective average)Consolidated turnover

3.276€ 564 million

INDEPENDENT OBJECTIVE KNOWLEDGE ORGANISATION

READ: “I HAVE NOTHING TO SELL”

NERVOUS

NERVOUS

?

HISTORY

BIM track record:First reference of ‘BIM’ in publication (1992)BIM Handbook in 1988 (!)Worked on IFC since beginningInvolved on several levels at BuildingSMARTDeveloped multiple (data)standards and (process)tools

We know what doesn’t work. And why. We know what does work. And how.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Can you predict the future?

Are you ready for controversial statements?

Can you handle sarcasm?

How about IFC?

START WITH A BIT OF HISTORY

1998 (?)

“SHARED DATA MODEL”

shared data model

COMMON MISCONCEPTION:

Shared data model is NOT equal to:Shared data(base)Shared BIM model instance

Shared data model comes from the need to share/distribute data in a standardized way…. “let’s agree this is a door”

shared data model == creating agreements (interoperability)

IFC = an agreement about a lot of objects and properties

BIM DATA FLOW THROUGH STANDARDS: REDUCING INTERFACES

YES, I’VE SEEN THE PICTURES…

SEEMS LOGIC, BRINGS STRUCTUREIT’S ALMOST LIKE A RELIGION

2008: BIMSERVER.ORG

2009: 1ST RELEASE

2010/11: NATIONAL BIMSERVER PILOT

2012: REPORT

THE PILOT / RESEARCH

Research: compare ‘homogeneous’ software with ‘own choice’ software

Compare Top Down enforcing software tools with Bottom up free choice of tools

“THERE IS NO CENTRAL MODEL”

(IN A COLLABORATION PROJECT)

DENMARK 2006:

DENMARK 2008:

NL 2012:

NO ROUNDTRIP(import/export in a chain of tools)

OBSERVATIONS:

“There is no loss of data using IFC”… It is all in the native software. The question is what data you want to share (using IFC). What data do you need to do your job? Then we look if that is in IFC (and in your tool after import) Not a single IFC ‘loss of data’-issue occurred during the experiments.

In a homogeneous software environment, users felt that all team members should have equal BIM software modeling expertise. When using the concept of reference models, not all project team members collaborating in a project need to have the same level of BIM expertise.

AND TO CLOSE UP….

The use of a reference model concept with IFC can lower the needed BIM competences for a project partner to be able to collaborate in a way that is sufficiently effective for the entire project team.

All respondents in this experiment were strongly convinced that choosing project partners based on their competence of a specific software tool, prior to their engineering competence, is never preferred

FOUND CONCLUSION:

WORKING (LIVE) IN A ‘CENTRAL’ MODELSERVER HAS MORE DOWNSIDES

THAN ADVANTAGES.

(OWNERSHIP OF OBJECTS, LEGAL ASPECTS, BIM MANAGER, CHANGE REQUESTS, ETC...)

“CENTRALIZING COLLABORATIONSTIMULATES WRONG BEHAVIOUR”

THE REAL QUESTIONS ARE:WHAT DO I NEED TO DO MY JOB?

WHAT DO OTHERS NEED FROM ME TO DO THEIRS?

EVERYONE BRINGS THEIR CRAFTSMANSHIP AND EXPERTISE

TO ACTUALLY COLLABORATE

HOW ABOUT ALL THESE “CLOUD BIM” PLATFORMS?

“Open API”

“Platform” “Open standards import” “Extendable”

ISLAND!

List

of f

eatu

res

on th

e le

ftComparison of ‘islands’

THE SITUATION

“integration is nót about sitting on the same island”

You can only use the features of your islandNo crossing over to the other island for that one cool feature they have!No integration of features between islands!

Won’t go into detail now. Please visit bimbots.org

THE BUSINESSAutomating tasks Individual applications; not dependence on a ‘platform’Can be closed source / ask money for specific features Can be more than one per topic (competition)Is centralized for the bot provider (big data analyses)

This:Creates a new market for niche appliations (you don’t have to choose an island anymore; combine features)Takes advantage of the fragmented nature of the industry Open approach instead of getting everyone on one island

DATA DRIVEN INDUSTRY

Many many (!) more dataFrom many different sources

Even ‘shared data model’ will be impossible in the near future

IFC is ‘one’ of the many dataformats

AMSTERDAM ARENA

“Data driven operations”“Living BIM”

Integrating information about traffic information, weather reports, seating availability, parking gate, beer taps, heating and cooling, automatic doors, fire system, temperature, waiting lines, video cameras (!), etc...

“Fully” up and running in 2018

ANOTHER EXAMPLE: PROCESS MINING

ELASSTIC PROJECT

THE BUSINESSAutomating tasks Individual applications; not dependence on a ‘platform’Can be closed source / ask money for specific features Can be more than one per topic (competition)Is centralized for the bot provider (big data analyses)

This:Creates a new market for niche appliations (you don’t have to choose an island anymore; combine features)Takes advantage of the fragmented nature of the industry Open approach instead of getting everyone on one island

HOW ABOUT BIMSERVER?

BIMSERVER TODAY:A stable base to build on (bottom up)

AND MANY MANY OTHER EXAMPLES

(SEE THEM AT OPENSOURCEBIM.ORG

BACK TO COLLABORATION…..

STATE OF BIM COLLABORATION IN 2015

Working with ‘Reference model concept’ is the norm

Working with IFC is like sliced bread

IFC usage and understanding is on high level and rapidly growing

Making a BIM is not the goal – redundant data are welcome

Collaboration is seen as something else than just sharing data!

model

coordinate

conclude

communicate

model

coordinate

conclude

communicate

EXAMPLE: SEVERAL MODELING TOOLS

Several modelling tools usedAll sharing parts of the model as IFC

Quality checksFiltering objects to create a new view

For good coordination you still need to know who created what objectSo even in a single database you still have separate models….

EXAMPLE: CONTRACTOR USING SUPPLIER MODELS

Architectural and Construction model as a base

Suppliers deliver IFC models to replace original model parts

EXAMPLE: COMPARE DESIGN / ENGINEERING

Contractor and lime stone supplier

Comparing models

EXAMPLE: 3 IFC EXPORTS FROM 1 MODEL

Because that is what collaboration is about!

IFC Coordination view

IFC 2nd order space boundaries

IFC explicit geometry

WHO’S TAKING NOTES?

NATIONAL BIM GUIDELINES

Written by the sector (“this is how we do it, and it works”)

Higher quality than most (any) mandates

Only extensively proven content (no experiments or innovations – “this works”)

Series of topicsComing from the industry itselfAll using same terminologyAll aligned with each other

2015 PUBLICATION (UPDATE)

RESULTS

Many unnecessary myths around about IFC (proven to work)

Top down policy makers are not on the same track

Standardized ‘BIM Execution plan’ is not possible

Educate top down policy thinkers / Look at current practice!

Increase priority on BIM education (myths)

BIM EXECUTION PLANS

DO NOT WORK

Top down approach!

THE REAL QUESTIONS ARE:WHAT DO I NEED TO DO MY JOB ON THÍS PROJECT?WHAT DO OTHERS NEED FROM ME TO DO THEIRS?

Bottom up thinking

2014: BIM EXECUTION PLAN GENERATOR

BIM EXECUTION PLAN GENERATOR

Ask others about their preferred way of workingWhat data do you need to do your job? How do you want it?What tools do you use? And what data structures?

We developed the BIM Quickscan® to help organisations in their BIM journey: www.bimquickscan.nl – currently rebranded to www.bimcompass.com

Also in development: www.bimqualityblocks.com to help client defining their BIM norm / employers information requirements https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMM5MttMNV0

BIM EXECUTION PLAN GENERATOR

Ask others about their preferred way of workingWhat data do you need to do your job? How do you want it?What tools do you use? And what data structures?

Protocol generator merges the answers to a concept protocol.Team discusses the issues and transforms it to final protocol.

“Protocol generator is a team building machine”

COLLABORATION: FORGET ABOUT THE BLACK BOX!

BEWARE OF QUEST FOR STRUCTURE AND STANDARDISATION

HOW ABOUT IRELAND?TOP DOWN DRIVEN, OR BOTTOM UP?

TALKING ABOUT IT, OR DOING IT?

“green representing the Gaelic tradition of Ireland, orange representing the followers of William of Orange in Ireland, and white representing the aspiration for peace between them”

PDF documents?

Today’s BIM profits and gains

FLIP THE ICEBERG!

YOUR DISCUSSIONS DEFINE WHAT IS ON TOP OF THE ICEBERG!

ASK YOURSELF:

HOW CAN WE GET THE SILENT MAJORITY OF HIGH LEVEL BIM DATA

USERS TO LEAD THE WAY?

THANK YOU FOR THINKING FOR YOURSELF

LEON.VANBERLO@TNO.NL