BuildingSMART International and several industry partners have launched a worldwide initiative to help promote open building information modeling (BIM) collaboration workflows throughout the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. BuildingSMART described open BIM as a "universal approach to the collaborative design, realization, and operation of buildings based on open standards and workflows." Partners in the new endeavor include Nemetschek Group, Tekla, and other software vendors.
The Open BIM approach, which uses the open buildingSMART Data Model, offers the following key benefits to the stakeholders of building projects, according to buildingSMART:
- Workflow integration results in greatly reduced coordination errors compared to sheer file exchange-based coordination of the different disciplines.
- Project members can work with the best-of-breed solutions in their respective fields without risking “incompatibility,” hence exclusion from certain BIM projects.
- Project members can maintain full control over software upgrades independently from their peers on the different AEC projects they participate in.
- Accessibility of BIM data is provided for the entire life cycle of buildings, including design, construction, and operation.
The Open BIM program’s stated aim is to “help coordinate efforts related to the promotion and implementation of Open BIM collaboration workflows by providing common definitions, requirements, and branding. AEC software vendors, AEC practices (designers, engineers, contractors) as well as AEC projects are all welcome to participate and use the OPEN BIM logo as a promise of successful and streamlined collaboration.”
Companies participating in the Open BIM program include buildingSMART International; Nemetschek companies GraphiSoft, Nemetschek Allplan, Nemetschek Vectorworks Inc., and Nemetschek Scia; Tekla, a Trimble company; and Data Design System.
A spokesperson for buildingSMART International did not immediately respond to Construction Project Controls and BIM Report’s request for additional information.
