For Group A, the topic of the blog post this
week is “possible future problems with Revit/BIM.”
The first problem that I can envision surfacing
in the future with BIM is the disparity between hardware development and
software development. As the capacity of what BIM can accomplish increases, the
demand on the computers running BIM also increases. I think that a very real
problem in the future could be that companies will need to invest in new
hardware to support BIM. However, if BIM development continues to progress
faster than the computer hardware, companies will face the problem of
repeatedly investing in new computer technologies to support the power of BIM.
If I think back to the consulting firms that I have worked at, I have
difficulty imagining them overhauling all of their computers in order to use a
BIM software.
A second problem that may arise in the future
with BIM is overdependence. We saw in class how BIM has the capabilities to
reroute ductwork based on clash detection, and make design decisions based on
the data in the software. I find it dangerous to blindly trust software that
can make those types of decisions. I said in a previous post that our
generation of engineers will be the first to fully embrace Revit/BIM. Along
with that, I could also state that our generation of engineers will be the
first to trust Revit/BIM fully right out of college. The engineers that we
worked with on co-op all had experience drafting by hand, conveying ideas
through sketches, and had an inventory of projects they had worked on in the
past to give them a sense of what is good and bad design practice. My boss at
my last job told me once that when I am starting a new project, I shouldn’t
even touch a computer until I had a sense of what I want my design to be. I
think we should be cautious as we graduate not to blindly trust the software we
will be using at our jobs, but to keep a healthy degree of skepticism about
design choices BIM may offer.
Comments:
Comments:
To Dung Tran:
I think your point pertaining to curriculum
based on BIM is very valid, and is a topic I did not discuss in my own post
about the future problems of BIM. You are absolutely correct that courses in
BIM would benefit students in their professional careers and make them
desirable hires for an engineering firm after graduation. I think a few
additional challenges that would arise in developing a BIM curriculum is that
it must be dynamic. As we learned in our guest lecture, Dynamo (which is a tool
I hadn’t heard of before this class) is becoming a prominent tool for BIM
users. A valuable curriculum should be able to learn and adapt with these new
trends, which is very difficult. The best professors for BIM courses would be
adjuncts that can relay to students how Revit is actually used in the real
world, and they may be using these new and upcoming software tools.
To Joshua Lovett:
I think it is undeniable that the advantages of BIM
are very appealing. When I was reading your first paragraph about the
complexity of the models that can be generated today, it made me think of the
steel connections extension that can be downloaded to Revit. I think the
company that I co-oped at last just purchased it while I was there, and it
allows you to model in detail every weld, gusset plate, shear tab, base plate,
etc for steel structures. I think as BIM advances, it will be able to produce
very detailed, 3D representations of the building. Currently, the time it takes
to do this is too costly, but I would not be surprised if the user interface
continues to improve and drafters can rapidly produce this level of intricacy.
As the modeling for all disciplines gets this intricate, so will the “collision”
detection, and it will become more and more powerful. (and the file sizes will
get bigger and bigger)
To Sarina Tufano
I think RAM Structural System and Revit have a
nice link between the two software platforms. I have never used it to this
capacity, but I was discussing it once on an interview. If I recall correctly,
currently a RAM model and Revit model can be linked such that an updated design
in RAM will automatically populate to Revit. I completely agree with you that
the future will have a problem if Revit loses its compatibility with other
software… or on the reverse end of the spectrum, Autodesk may just create a
monopoly and dictate all the software for the construction industry, in which
case we wouldn’t have an issue.
I also really like your comment about a better
program coming along. I love thinking about things we can’t even imagine! It’s
similar to the point our guest speaker made - that everybody thought music had
reached its optimal form when a portable mp3 player came along. We currently
think BIM is the best thing going for the construction world. I wouldn’t be
surprised if you are right, and we’ll have newer and fancier programs to work
on during our time in industry.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing real experience during your Co-Op throughout your blog post. While building my new PC two years ago, I chose a used core i3 processor (CPU), and a pre-owned motherboard for affordability. However, I suffered in staring and the monitor to wait the computer for responding my MS Excel task. I believe fast data processing would be a keystone for BIM technology, and a huge demand on hi-end CPU on AEC industry will be a real thing. My only concern is about thing happened at a time when none of the hardware could support BIM technology.
Mark,
ReplyDeleteYour concern about trusting the reliability of the software not to make critical errors is certainly a common one. It may seem redundant here, though perhaps there could be a secondary software to check if there are any collisions of sorts. Perhaps a software not inherent to the systems related to the original software that is used to create the BIM.
Mark - You make great points about the different evolution rates between hardware and software and the problems that poses for BIM development in our industry. One thing that we didn't discuss as a group, which your post sparked me to think about, is the idea that it won't just be a one-time investment to be a part of the "BIM world." As the software continues to advance and grow, firms will be forced to continually invest in their hardware. It is not even just hardware that will need to be updated, but knowledge on the software as well. Each time a new release comes out, it will be up to someone in the firm to get trained and familiarized with the new updates for ease of use on projects.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a very realistic problem. We are often so focused on the possibilities of what BIM can accomplish that we forget to consider the reality of whether it will be possible with the tools we can afford. You are absolutely right that many companies would not be able or willing to invest in completely new hardware because of yet another BIM advancement, especially in a future where BIM becomes exponentially more powerful every few years. Additionally, this puts additional strain on smaller companies who are already competing with larger companies with vastly greater resources - they'll continue to fall further and further behind as the technology that they can't afford continues to become increasingly efficient.
ReplyDeleteMark,
ReplyDeleteI like that you bring up the point of just blindly following what the computer does because it can be dangerous and make a critical mistake which will affect the operation of the entire building. I would like to discuss the first issue you brought up about the hardware that computers are running on today do not have the capabilities to keep up with software being developed. My computer is about 4 years old, the second I open Revit for just a few minutes my fan runs non-stop and my battery dies within 20 minutes depending on the size of the project. This is because my computer does not have the ability to run Revit 2017 efficiently. Which, for a large company having to replace 50% of your computers for a $2,000 computer all so it can run a program efficiently will become costly and most likely become a negative selling point for a program like Revit. It could turn a lot of companies away because not only will they have to buy the computers, but they will need to purchase licenses every year for the software.
I very much agree with your outlook on BIM dependence factor. I never saw this as a downfall but now I can see clearly how too much trust in these types of software could likely get us into trouble. Perhaps even though hand drafting is very much a thing of the past, we should still try to incorporate it into a few college classes or internships so that our generation of engineers has a deeper understanding of methods and design. This could be helpful in aiding us in coming up with better ways to use BIM and get us accustomed to double checking everything in our computerized models instead of trusting them outright.
ReplyDelete