Basic BIM Terminology

 

4D - Time allocation and construction sequence scheduling presentations

 

5D - Cost and simulation of construction, focusing on building sequence, cost, and resources

 

BIM - Building Information Modeling was coined in early 2002 by industry analyst Jerry Laiserin to describe virtual design, construction, and facilities management. BIM processes revolve around virtual models that make it possible to share information throughout the entire building industry. These virtual models are embedded with data which, when shared among design team members, greatly reduces errors and makes the process of designing, constructing and operating buildings more efficient.

 

BSA - buildingSMART Alliance operates within the independent nonprofit National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS). This public/private initiative expands on goals of the North American Chapter of the International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI-NA), whose Industry Foundation Classes (IFCs) have initiated open standards for national and international links among industry players. It provides developers and users of Building Information Models (BIMs), the digital tools that are increasingly helping to share highly accurate information throughout a facility's life cycle. www.buildingsmartalliance.org

 

Clash Detection - is a process of discovering the building system conflicts and issues by collaborating in 3D during the MEP Model Coordination process.  Sometimes referred to as interference checking and/or interference avoidance

 

COBIE - Construction-Operations Building Information Exchange is a standard way to manage information from a BIM model that is essential to support the operations, maintenance, and management of the facilities by the owner and/or property manager. The COBIE approach is to enter the data as it is created during design, construction, and commissioning.  Designers provide floor, space, and equipment layouts. Contractors provide make, model, and serial numbers of installed equipment.  Much of the data provided by contractors comes directly from product manufacturers who also participate in COBIE.

 

Constructability Model - is a BIM model used to simulate the actual components of a building in 3D, created as the building would be built, used primarily for MEP Model Coordination, 4D simulations and 5D Estimating or quantity take-offs. (Compare with Design Model).  May also be called the Work Intent Model (WIM).

 

CSI - Construction Specifications Institute

 

Design Intent Model - is a BIM model developed by an architect from which the automated construction documents are derived, along with automated schedules, details, and client presentations. (Compare with Constructability Model)

 

Families - are parametric 3D building components used in Revit.

 

FIC - Facility Information Council, a focus group created to improve the performance of facilities over their full life-cycle by fostering common and open standards and an integrated life-cycle information model for the A/E/C & FM industry. This program was integrated into the NBIMS mission in 2008. www.buildingsmartalliance.org

 

GDL - Geometric Descriptive Language, is a scripting programming language exclusive to ArchiCAD software that writes a .GSM file format.

 

GIS - Geometric Information System, is a 3D modeling approach that captures, stores, analyzes, manages, and presents data that refers to or is linked to a geographic location.

 

GreenFORMAT - a classification system in development to assist the construction industry list and find products using post-consumer, pre-consumer and rapidly renewable content, low-emitting materials and products complying with ASTM, LEED, ASHRAE and other performance standards. www.csinet.org

 

ICC - International Code Council

 

IAI - International Alliance for Interoperability is a global alliance of organizations dedicated to bring about a coordinated change for the improvement of productivity and efficiency in the construction and facilities management industry (Building Smart). Its members engage in national-industrial programs that aim to change the organization, process and technology of the industry. The IAI sponsors the IFC file format for data exchange. The main goal of the International Association for Inter-operability (IAI) is to define industry foundation classes in order to improve process improvement and information-sharing in the construction and facilities-management industries. www.iai-international.org

 

IFC's - Industry Foundation Classes, is a data exchange method that specifies elements that are used in building construction in an agreed manner that define a common language for construction.  IFCs provide a foundation for the exchange and sharing of information directly between software applications of a shared building project model. The IFC data model is a neutral and open specification that is not controlled by a single vendor or group of vendors. It is an object oriented file format to facilitate interoperability in the building industry, and is a commonly used format for BIM.  The format is known as ifcXML. ifcXML2x3 (current version) is currently supported by Autodesk, Graphisoft, Nemestchek and Bentley. www.iai-international.org

 

IFD - International Framework Dictionary is an open, shared, international terminology library for structuring object-oriented information exchange. It is being developed by the buildingSMART Alliance.  CSI (www.csinet.org) is developing a comprehensive Terminology Library and Dictionary for North America as part of this initiative, thanks to a grant from the National Center for Energy Management and Building Technology.

 

IPD - Integrated Project Delivery, a new project workflow method and supporting contracts developed by the AIA and ConsensusDocs, which leverages early contributions of knowledge and expertise through the utilization of new technologies, allowing all team members to better realize their highest potentials while expanding the value they provide throughout the project life cycle.  IPD avoids the realization phase challenges by allowing project data to be analyzed and understood prior to construction.

 

iRoom - a conference/presentation room dedicated to MEP Coordination meeting sessions, usually found on a job site, managed by the General Contractor; a conference/presentation room dedicated to collaboration by all members of the design and construction team during the IPD approach to project delivery.  In some instances the iRoom is referred to as a CAVE.

 

MASTERFORMAT - is the recognized industry standard for categorizing building products for more than 40 years.  MasterFormat 2004 Edition replaces MasterFormat 1995, expanding the well-known "16 Divisions" to 50 Divisions of construction information.

 

MEP Coordination - is the process undertaken during pre-construction to uncover any building system conflicts with Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing or Fire Protection systems using 3D models integrated into one Master Model that can facilitate interference checking or clash detection.

 

MVDs - Model View Definitions, are used for documenting IFC based data exchange capabilities in software. The MVD format was adopted by the IAI in spring 2005 as the official format for defining views for IFC.  MVDs are structured such, that different audiences can focus on the information relevant to them.  The main division is between technical and non-technical. The non-technical definitions are aimed at software users, the technical definitions at software developers. www.blis-project.org/IAI-MVD

 

NCS - National CAD Standard - a US government sponsored standard that coordinates the efforts of the entire industry by classifying electronic building design data consistently allowing streamlined communication for the industry. www.buildingsmartalliance.org

 

NIBS - National Institute of Building Sciences, a United States Government organization that serves as an interface between government and the private sector. The Institute's public interest mission is to serve the Nation by supporting advances in building science and technology to improve the built environment.  This organization leads the buildingSMART Alliance, National Building Information Model Standard (NBIMS) and National CAD Standard (NCS) programs. www.nibs.org

 

NBIMS - National Building Information Modeling Standards, exists to provide a National BIM Standard to improve the performance of facilities over their full life-cycle by fostering common and open standards and an integrated life-cycle information model for the A/E/C & FM industry. The efforts of this program continue that of the FIC which was integrated into NBIMS in 2008. www.buildingsmartalliance.org/nbims

 

OCCS - OmniClass Construction Classification System, a new classification system for the construction industry.  OmniClass is useful for many applications, from organizing library materials, product literature, and project information, to providing a classification structure for electronic databases.  It incorporates other existing systems currently in use as the basis of many of its Tables "MasterFormat" for work results, UniFormat for elements, and EPIC (Electronic Product Information Cooperation) for structuring products. www.omniclass.org

 

OGC - Open Geospatial Consortium, is a non-profit, international, voluntary consensus standards organization that is leading the development of standards for geospatial and location based services. www.opengeospacial.org

 

SCIP - Specifiers of Construction in Independent Practice, is an organization developing a minimum set of attributes that can be specified to be included on all manufactured products in a BIM model.

 

SMARTcodes - International Code Council’s effort to support automated code check of BIM models.  www.iccsafe.org

 

UNIFORMAT - Uniform Classification System, is a system for organizing preliminary construction information into a standard order or sequence on the basis of functional elements. Functional elements often referred to as systems or assemblies, are major components common to most buildings that usually perform a given function regardless of the design specification, construction method, or materials used.  UniFormat users can easily understand and compare information since it is linked to a standardized elemental classification structure. The use of UniFormat can provide consistent comparable data across an entire building life cycle. The use of UniFormat's elemental framework reduces the time and cost of evaluating alternatives in the early design stages of a project, assuring faster and more accurate economic analysis of alternative design decisions. www.csinet.org

 

WBDG - Whole Building Design Guide is an online gateway for up-to-date information on integrated Whole Building design techniques and technologies, providing news and informational resources such as the JBIM, Journal of Building Information Modeling. www.wbdg.org

 

XML - Extensible Markup Language is a general-purpose specification for creating custom markup languages for computer software.  It is classified as an extensible language because it allows the user to define the mark-up elements.  XML's purpose is to aid information systems in sharing structured data, to encode documents, and to serialize data.

 

gbXML - Green Building XML is a file format standard that allows one energy analysis program to 'talk to' or interoperate with another.

 

agcXML - Association of General Contractors XML, is a file format standard linked to the BIM for the transactional data that is now commonly exchanged in paper documents such as owner/contractor agreements, schedules of values, requests for information (RFIs), requests for proposals (RFPs), architect/engineer supplemental instructions, change orders, change directives, submittals, applications for payment, and addenda, to name a few.