So what’s the plan for a good BIM setup at the timber-frame home manufacturer we’re examining? (Check out the introductory post on the company if you haven’t already.)
I note that they’re investing in Revit and Navisworks to control BIM as a process, to move step-by-step from ArchiCAD to a full Revit environment. Later the factory also plans to replace manual cutting with CNC machines. But the key is getting effective data flow.
The goal is an integrated solution with no more need for manual export/import, no more repeat data entry or modelling work, and no more reliance on static paper documentation. That will save significant time and money and sharply reduce the room for human error.
Recall how data flow at the factory worked until now:
By contrast, here’s how data exchange will work in the new BIM environment:
In short, we have a single building information management pipeline which can provide the needed information to each admin function and production/assembly point.
Each workstation is a drop point for information and is labelled as such in the diagram: DP1, DP2, DP3, etc. For each one, there’s a very specific set of information (SOI) which it needs and automatically gets from the BIM model, at the right time, via the common data pipeline.
To achieve this sort of data flow efficiency – to properly set up the SOI for each workstation and fully automate that precision data exchange – classification of materials and properties is vital. I’ll explain how the factory is addressing that matter in a separate post.
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