So I've been a little further behind than I anticipated...anyways to expand on what we were discussing earlier, I have been digging a little deeper lately into more of the project management end of what it means to be a BIM Manager.
To that end I have posted here a spreadsheet in Google Docs that shows how we are linking our weekly time sheets to our monthly projections / expenses. While some of it looks like it got lost in the translation, I think you'll get the general concept.
Probably one of the biggest hurdles we've had in our current implementation is billing against project budgets that are slim to nonexistent. The course of action I've taken to resolve it, is to get involved earlier in the process of estimating/bidding or establishing the GMP on negotiated work to make sure that we have a justifiable and accurate budget in the job so we aren't making PM's unhappy campers.
Currently we are using this type of spreadsheet (though in Oracle) to track our cost histories for each phase of a project to validate future BIM enabled construction projects. While I know a number of companies bill their BIM Department to General Ledger, I've found you still need to know just how much a certain size of project will cost in the overall project framework which ultimately affects that bottom line.
I've made it a point to start discussing with the PM's at the beginning of each month exactly how many total hours we anticipate billing towards their projects. Although at first some of them love to kick and scream a little bit after a while they really appreciate the communication and more importantly the value add to their job.
Some more posts coming soon!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Setting up a New Division
First of all, apologies for not posting for quite a while, you will start to see much more frequent posts now that things are a bit more settled...
Settled you ask?
Well, it's been a whirlwind couple of weeks, however we have officially relocated to the west coast to be closer to my wife's family and we are truly enjoying the beautiful weather, beaches and people. More importantly the new challenge of setting up a new BIM division in the San Diego market!
Stay tuned as I will continue to upload standards, tasks and challenges as I undertake this journey once again and hopefully it will be helpful to the folks who have emailed me about being tasked with setting up a BIM department and making it work! Coming soon: How to measure BIM profitability vs. time lost on an employee and project level...oh yes this will involve spreadsheets.
Lucia digs the sand
Settled you ask?
Well, it's been a whirlwind couple of weeks, however we have officially relocated to the west coast to be closer to my wife's family and we are truly enjoying the beautiful weather, beaches and people. More importantly the new challenge of setting up a new BIM division in the San Diego market!
Stay tuned as I will continue to upload standards, tasks and challenges as I undertake this journey once again and hopefully it will be helpful to the folks who have emailed me about being tasked with setting up a BIM department and making it work! Coming soon: How to measure BIM profitability vs. time lost on an employee and project level...oh yes this will involve spreadsheets.
Lucia digs the sand
Monday, June 8, 2009
Top Ten Architecture Modeling Mistakes
We've all heard it before. "The architects models are worthless and unusable." So here's my first crack at a top ten list of things architects need to avoid when modeling that inhibit further progress when dealing with contractors and consultants (i.e. structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, GIS and so on)
Top ten modeling mistakes architects make:
1.) Alignment - This is uber important. Especially when using the model for IES, CFD or other analytical tools. Floors connect to walls, parapets extend past roof lines, footings align with slabs or are integral to them. Oh yeah and windows and doors need to be modeled as constructed. Unfortunately a 500 lb aluminum storefront window can't bear on only the substrate and exterior finishes.
2.) No generic modeling. Or at least don't share the models until they have material and intelligence otherwise the models are distributing maybes and kind ofs which don't help any body and in reality can really confuse the team.
3.) Model as constructed. Walls are not 150 ft tall. Floors are not 1700 ft long without joints. Pre-cast panels are just that, panels. Also when concrete floors and deck pans are modeled they need to be modeled to their exact dimensions. Also ceilings have wire supports, which can easily be worked around pipes for the most part, however pipe hangers, duct hangers and other supporting appurtenances need to be modeled. Use best judgement.
4.) Don't use design options. A lot of tools will not recognize the difference between design option 1 or 2 when exported and lump everything together. Separate files work here and in reality work better at an early stage.
5.) Align and orient all structure to grid lines and exact locked and constrained dimensions. This saves on time (moving a grid line as opposed to 100 columns) and makes the modeling inherently more accurate.
6.) If a floor replicates exactly a number of times use groups and copy. You can always ungroup if the program becomes more complex.
7.) Don't model the structure if you have a structural engineer on the team who is doing BIM. The engineer's model is what should be built and tested, not the architects. Link it in, save time and if you need additional structure create a separate workset that you can send to the engineer to update his model.
8.) Limit 2D info. BIM is nice in the fact you can click on a component and it will tell the user what it is and that you can model as needed.
9.) Control your levels and families. Family creation needs to be created as accurately as possible and with flexible sizing options. This is the only time I encourage an architect to use a generic block and then go back later and change it to a worthwhile family object. Also learn how to model families correctly, these are often the biggest propagator for "blank" clashes. Levels need to be limited. When there are too many different objects hosted to too many differing levels it will get very confusing during the analysis phase unless there is some system put in place that makes sense to the team.
10.) Don't send junk. if the model isn't finished, if it's not usable and if it's not coherent it won't be to anyone else.
Thanks to Jeff Woodward from Midwest CAD who came up with this idea and I hope this helps begin a dialog.
Feel free to add on if you can think of anymore, these were just the "biggies" off the top of my head.
Top ten modeling mistakes architects make:
1.) Alignment - This is uber important. Especially when using the model for IES, CFD or other analytical tools. Floors connect to walls, parapets extend past roof lines, footings align with slabs or are integral to them. Oh yeah and windows and doors need to be modeled as constructed. Unfortunately a 500 lb aluminum storefront window can't bear on only the substrate and exterior finishes.
2.) No generic modeling. Or at least don't share the models until they have material and intelligence otherwise the models are distributing maybes and kind ofs which don't help any body and in reality can really confuse the team.
3.) Model as constructed. Walls are not 150 ft tall. Floors are not 1700 ft long without joints. Pre-cast panels are just that, panels. Also when concrete floors and deck pans are modeled they need to be modeled to their exact dimensions. Also ceilings have wire supports, which can easily be worked around pipes for the most part, however pipe hangers, duct hangers and other supporting appurtenances need to be modeled. Use best judgement.
4.) Don't use design options. A lot of tools will not recognize the difference between design option 1 or 2 when exported and lump everything together. Separate files work here and in reality work better at an early stage.
5.) Align and orient all structure to grid lines and exact locked and constrained dimensions. This saves on time (moving a grid line as opposed to 100 columns) and makes the modeling inherently more accurate.
6.) If a floor replicates exactly a number of times use groups and copy. You can always ungroup if the program becomes more complex.
7.) Don't model the structure if you have a structural engineer on the team who is doing BIM. The engineer's model is what should be built and tested, not the architects. Link it in, save time and if you need additional structure create a separate workset that you can send to the engineer to update his model.
8.) Limit 2D info. BIM is nice in the fact you can click on a component and it will tell the user what it is and that you can model as needed.
9.) Control your levels and families. Family creation needs to be created as accurately as possible and with flexible sizing options. This is the only time I encourage an architect to use a generic block and then go back later and change it to a worthwhile family object. Also learn how to model families correctly, these are often the biggest propagator for "blank" clashes. Levels need to be limited. When there are too many different objects hosted to too many differing levels it will get very confusing during the analysis phase unless there is some system put in place that makes sense to the team.
10.) Don't send junk. if the model isn't finished, if it's not usable and if it's not coherent it won't be to anyone else.
Thanks to Jeff Woodward from Midwest CAD who came up with this idea and I hope this helps begin a dialog.
Feel free to add on if you can think of anymore, these were just the "biggies" off the top of my head.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Great to hear from so many people!
Thanks for all of the notes, emails, suggestions and atta boys about the book. Please keep the input coming so I can build on this and make the next one even better.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Composite Model Strategy p.2
So here's the second part of the post, the how to. I know most have you have heard of WAN and LAN networks, however, what I'd really like to start talking about is how this works within the framework of a BIM collaboration. For those of you who haven't checked it out, I strongly recommend looking at Riverbed Technologies, who essentially has developed a system of network WAN optimizers that allow for multiple users across multiple networks to access and update a single file minimizing the drag on your local (LAN) machines. Although there is quite a large investment involved in the Riverbed and Steelhead systems it does allow users to collaborate using a single Revit model file across the internet. Also it makes it super convenient to enable its use with mobile devices in the field and encrypts the data to meet pretty tough security protocols.
Another new technology to come to the forefront of late is the BIM server. You can apply to test drive this new plugin here. What's great about this technology is that it allows users to upload and download the latest iterations of BIM files in IFC format from a centralized location. Although this technology is relatively new, it holds the most promise in that it is being developed as a free resource for the industry to plug into and the fact that it has been developed to IFC standards as a baseline makes it a very promising technology.
Image copyright and from www.bimserver.org
Another new technology to come to the forefront of late is the BIM server. You can apply to test drive this new plugin here. What's great about this technology is that it allows users to upload and download the latest iterations of BIM files in IFC format from a centralized location. Although this technology is relatively new, it holds the most promise in that it is being developed as a free resource for the industry to plug into and the fact that it has been developed to IFC standards as a baseline makes it a very promising technology.
Image copyright and from www.bimserver.org
Book Comes Out in One Week!
Hey everyone! It's been a second since my last post, but as many of you know this was due in large part to writing my book. This book will be released on Amazon may 7th and should hit bookstores on May 9th.
Please feel free to hit me back with responses, questions, dialog and suggestions as this is the first iteration of the book, I would really like for the future editions to address what the issues are that you and your teams face and continue to develop upon this first edition.
Best!
Brad
Please feel free to hit me back with responses, questions, dialog and suggestions as this is the first iteration of the book, I would really like for the future editions to address what the issues are that you and your teams face and continue to develop upon this first edition.
Best!
Brad
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Composite Model Strategy p.1
I recently was asked how to use architects models if they're "trash". While it seems like a good question and easy to ask if you aren't an architect, I have been asked the same from engineers and fabricators by contractors and heard from the architects, what kind of model is the contractor looking for?? Basically everybody is asking why they can't use each other's models. Here's the deal (generally speaking).
- Engineers (mechanical) are using general architecture models to run CFD and daylighting analysis. Here's what's important to have right in the architecture model. First, floors align with the exterior walls, no gaps and if the floor bears on the exterior wall verify it aligns with the internal structure of the wall and doesn't penetrate or overlap the exterior wall finish, otherwise...no go. Next the roof needs to align with the parapet wall, same rules on the exterior finish.
- Contractors are using models for just about everything depending on who you're working with. This means more things than I can probably include in a blog but here is my best shot.
1) Model it right. If the interior walls are 9'-6" high and then diagonally braced to structure above. Model the walls at 9'-6" not to structure. It helps on estimates, clash detection and just about everything else. Accuracy is the first step to a good model.
2) There is no generic modeling. And architects and engineers everywhere say "but what if?" and "won't the contractor lock me into my material selection?"
There are a couple of answers to this and why I say there isn't any generic modeling. First the relationship between the architect and the contractor needs to change. Desgn-build and IPD are great starts to a reformed process, I think that we are probably going to see even more integrated forms of delivery soon. This of course means that a brick wall, can turn into a rainscreen, which can turn into metal panel. This is the very nature of design and construction... things change. So model as the design is being envisioned. The estimating contractor will be making assumptions on construction type and materials anyways, might as well better inform the assuptions being made. If you're wondering why contractors are calling models "worthless" this would be one of those reasons.
3) Design models don't work. BIM isn't CAD. If you're building a BIM to provide a construction tool that helps better coordinate the project than build the model to a level of constructable detail that a GC can use and build from start the dialog with the contractor to find out what they need as well. Construction is a team sport. Otherwise use CAD or use BIM to just generate your CD's, but don't sell it as "doing BIM."
4.) More detailed models replace less detailed models. For example, structural models supercede intial architect structural models. Detailed structural models/fab models supercede structural models.
Well this is a start.... I'll continue this when my daughter isn't needing to go to bed..turns out she's not as into ESPN as daddy...what's up with that?!
- Engineers (mechanical) are using general architecture models to run CFD and daylighting analysis. Here's what's important to have right in the architecture model. First, floors align with the exterior walls, no gaps and if the floor bears on the exterior wall verify it aligns with the internal structure of the wall and doesn't penetrate or overlap the exterior wall finish, otherwise...no go. Next the roof needs to align with the parapet wall, same rules on the exterior finish.
- Contractors are using models for just about everything depending on who you're working with. This means more things than I can probably include in a blog but here is my best shot.
1) Model it right. If the interior walls are 9'-6" high and then diagonally braced to structure above. Model the walls at 9'-6" not to structure. It helps on estimates, clash detection and just about everything else. Accuracy is the first step to a good model.
2) There is no generic modeling. And architects and engineers everywhere say "but what if?" and "won't the contractor lock me into my material selection?"
There are a couple of answers to this and why I say there isn't any generic modeling. First the relationship between the architect and the contractor needs to change. Desgn-build and IPD are great starts to a reformed process, I think that we are probably going to see even more integrated forms of delivery soon. This of course means that a brick wall, can turn into a rainscreen, which can turn into metal panel. This is the very nature of design and construction... things change. So model as the design is being envisioned. The estimating contractor will be making assumptions on construction type and materials anyways, might as well better inform the assuptions being made. If you're wondering why contractors are calling models "worthless" this would be one of those reasons.
3) Design models don't work. BIM isn't CAD. If you're building a BIM to provide a construction tool that helps better coordinate the project than build the model to a level of constructable detail that a GC can use and build from start the dialog with the contractor to find out what they need as well. Construction is a team sport. Otherwise use CAD or use BIM to just generate your CD's, but don't sell it as "doing BIM."
4.) More detailed models replace less detailed models. For example, structural models supercede intial architect structural models. Detailed structural models/fab models supercede structural models.
Well this is a start.... I'll continue this when my daughter isn't needing to go to bed..turns out she's not as into ESPN as daddy...what's up with that?!
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