Modeling Standards

While developing BIM standards for the Design Stage of the project, understanding the end goal for the models being developed is very important.

BIM Modeling Standards at this stage involve several aspects to be considered;

BIM Modeling Software

As a first step to defining the modeling standards, understanding the BIM uses and deciding on the right software to use for the modeling is critical. It is ideal to ensure that all discipline models are developed using the same software and same version for easy coordination.

However, when that is not possible ensure that the interoperability features available in the BIM Modeling tools used will enable data exchange between all modeling tools and also for the subsequent BIM uses like Coordination, Quantity Take-off etc.

BIM Model LOD Matrix

The very first issue to standardize at this stage is the target level of development of the models at this stage. The LOD Matrix should clearly document the extent of 3D and 2D Information required in all components in the BIM Models. The list of parameters and the information to be incorporated should be organized using the LOD Matrix.

File Break Down Structure

Although conceptually BIM is a unified 3D environment, it is not practical to prepare the entire project in one single file. To be able to better manage the files and also to enable parcel wise coordination, a well organized File Break Down structure is necessary. It is a common practice to develop each discipline model in a separate file. However, basing on the scale of the project, the models are further broken down into parcels like tower models , basement models etc.

File & Component Naming

Naming conventions are very important for any project where there are multiple disciplines with several model files involved. Defining the right prefix to identify the project and the suffix to identify for the discipline is a good practice.

Ex. Project_Code_Parcel_Name_Discipline Code