Future Problems with Revit/BIM

Week 4: What are the possible future problems with Revit/BIM?

Some problems that BIM could face in the future include technology becoming too advanced or too simplified. Although a certain amount of user friendly aspects need to be maintained, it would significantly decrease the usability for authorized construction aspects of the program if it were to be made too simple. Along with that, there exist other similar programs which could be described as simpler versions of Revit, such as SketchUp that may be accessed by less advanced users.

In examination of BIM/Revit becoming too advanced too quickly could cause it to be too difficult to learn and not adopted as widely. However, BIM has a sort of monopoly on the construction fields since it is one of the most compatible methods of tying projects together completely. This would deem it very difficult to update, and looking at its history would prove that quick updates or advancement of the program are not the aim of Autodesk corporations. If it were to become too complicated, then all of the older generations within correlated work fields would be unable to perform as well in their jobs. This could lead to greater expenditures in training and other related matters which over time could add up significantly.

Other costs besides those that would have to be invested into necessary training implementations would be due to the program directly. Files containing a large amount of information such as structural and architectural details tend to be quite heavy. If these programs are going to get more detailed, then the files will get even heavier and this will require higher resolution viewing methods along with higher storage systems and rule out people/companies who don’t have the most updated software available for access. 


Comments: 

Mark - 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.

Cody – I like how you mentioned simple time cutting tasks that BIM can offer as advantages to its users through the use of added commands and coding. Also, I never knew that BIM incorporated energy analysis software. That is quite interesting and must be one of the smaller updates that they keep improving slowly over the years that you had mentioned. While I do agree that it is important for Autodesk to keep listening to its clients, I do believe that it is also important for them to concentrate on listening to the current client base for the best possible improvements to be made.

Lauren – Your post mostly goes to show that even though AutoCAD is a very useful tool, BIM is slightly better with its automated generation of things. For example, in different views such as an elevation, will be automatically created when a user has only created something such as a plan view. I have never heard of MicroStation, but I should look more into it. I do agree that on the surface Revit seems quite simple and easy to follow but mastering it takes a great level of dedication and time. I like how you point out that only so much can be perfected when it comes to AutoCAD and similar programs and therefore it is easier to manage unlike Revit software as one delves deeper into its intricacies.  

Chapter Two of BIM Handbook

     Chapter 2 of this text focuses on the origin of technologies that have been updated throughout the past couple of decades and are still used as common 3D imaging tools. It defines the word behavior as the ability of how an object can update itself and a very important characteristic to maintain when incorporating new and customized features into new BIM programs. It also stresses that BIM environments can include many different architectural platforms so that accessing tools necessary to create any type of object can be made easier.

     The earliest modeling occurred in the 1960s and started with very basic 3D shapes that were able to be modified to a certain extent. Towards the late 1970s this had evolved into more complex structures such as the gable figure shown within the text. CAD systems soon joined within the 1980s but were not as well developed or user friendly as techniques most drafters and designers had gotten used to up until that time. After discovering that shapes could share parameters more shapes were able to be generated within the programs such as AutoCAD and older methods were allowed to be updated as well. Parameters can be thought of as objects that are able to be altered, given specific rules or properties and also be connected to other objects. 
     Much of the processes to create parameters is found within “if-then” statements but had not evolved tools to allow for complex curved shapes. Along with that, the programs were starting to also incorporate self-fixes within the modeling design process which proved to be a lot less work in the end than previous 3D techniques done by hand.  

     Eventually the chapter starts leading up to current generation of BIM tools and the modeling of current structures. They discuss many of the programs that can be included within the BIM environment and how parametric design works. First topic discussed is wall construction and the rules associated with that. Next, they proceed to explain more complicated figures such as difficult design connections. The book goes on to describe several different technologies combined to form a modern parametric modeling system followed by “Base Object Families” that are designed to work well with each other within BIM Architectural Design Applications.  

     Further sections describe what to do when a certain capability does not exist in any BIM tools, how to create user defined objects and which types of libraries can be useful resources since parametric objects are ever-evolving. A common issue that many users have with BIM and associated programs has to do with scalability. This issue leads to usage of a program becoming bogged down when files get too large to process quickly. To overcome this problem, object management can be a good technique to abide by. The last few sections of the chapter discuss Revit in further depth along with the interfaces it works well with depending on the specialist using or creating the file. It defines them as either a tool, platform or environment while listing specific strengths and weaknesses of each as well. 

     After reading other posts within my group, I notice that I am not the only one who did not imagine how much is done in the background to make all of the most useful BIM programs work well with each other. I also had no idea that this design process dates back to the 1960s. This is good because many different types of expertise need to utilize these types of tools to be successful and this software makes it even easier to exchange information and integrate everyone well. 

Comments:

Nay Ye Oo - Thank you for concentrating on the history sections of this chapter. I as well reached the same conclusions you did about CAD being a bit more "rugged" as compared to BIM, especially after reading the chapter. I think it is very interesting that although BIM is more widely used that it is not taught as often as CAD like programs.

Sarina - I like how your post includes a lot of the up to date applications that are considered to create a BIM "environment". It really helps provide a quick summary of the end of the chapter where many different interconnected interfaces are described further in depth. I agree that with the way technology has advanced in the past 50 or so years, that there is no stopping when it comes to the level of detail we can and will achieve in order to keep improving.

C.M. Eastman. "Chapter 2: BIM Design Tools and Parametric Modeling" in BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors