Significance of bim in predicting project outcomes

Significance of BIM in predicting project outcomes For centuries design and construction professionals used to rely completely on manual drawings for constructing all kinds of simple and complex construction projects. There was a time in history when architects and engineers did not have the availability of any kind of high end tools for accomplishing construction projects and hence they had to do everything manually. All kinds of technical drawings related to architecture, structure and MEP had to be created manually by architects and engineers which used to force them to work continuously on building projects.

Paper, pencil and eraser used to be their only tools for developing highly complex technical drawings. And for sorting out all the complications related to construction they used to refer them. During that time, when technology was far from picture, architects, structural engineers and MEP engineers used to confront tremendous amount of change orders during onsite construction. And this ultimately used to increase the cost of the construction project to a large extent.

But when Building Information Modeling and CAD technology appeared in Architecture Engineering and Construction industry it changed the entire scenario. Design and construction professionals started to develop digital drawings for architecture, structure and MEP disciplines, which helped in increasing their productivity and ultimately the efficiency of building projects.

Drawings developed with AutoCAD are easy to use and can be effectively distributed to clients within the click of a mouse. Another important thing is that these digital drawings can be effectively manipulated and modified by design and construction professionals whenever a requirement is felt for that.

Once the drawings are developed through CAD technology, for the better understanding of the design 3D models are also developed by AEC professionals. Building Information Modeling software Revit is optimized worldwide by design and construction professionals for developing highly accurate and information rich models. It is necessary to develop individual BIM models for architecture, structure and MEP which allow AEC professionals to successfully understand the physical and functional attributes or characteristics of the building.

The potential of BIM models in terms of revealing project information can be enhanced by adding extra dimensions to them such as 4D, 5D and 6D. Prediction of project outcomes become very easy when these dimensions are added to 3D BIM, as they reveal information on design, construction, scheduling, material takeoffs, time needed to construct the building and total cost of the project.