Realizing the benefits of bim

Autodesk® Building Information Modeling

Realizing the Benefits of BIM
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is an intelligent model–based design process that adds value across the entire lifecycle of building and infrastructure projects. This white paper summarizes the benefits of BIM and provides an overview of the steps your firm can take to help reap the full benefits of a BIM implementation.

An Executive Overview of BIM
The reliance on digital design models has been a common practice in the manufacturing industry for decades. Project teams at companies such as Boeing and Toyota have placed digital models at the core of their collaborative, concurrent engineering processes for years, using them to support the entire project lifecycle—from design and documentation to manufacturing and field support. BIM helps architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) service providers apply the same approach to building and infrastructure projects. Unlike CAD, which uses software tools to generate digital 2D and/or 3D drawings, BIM facilitates a new way of working: creating designs with intelligent objects. Regardless of how many times the design changes—or who changes it—the data remains consistent, coordinated, and more accurate across all stakeholders. Cross-functional project teams in the building and infrastructure industries use these model-based designs as the basis for new, more efficient collaborative workflows that give all stakeholders a clearer vision of the project and increase their ability to make more informed decisions faster. Models created using software for BIM are ―intelligent‖ because of the relationships and information that are automatically built into the model. Components within the model know how to act and interact with one another. A room, for example, is more than an abstract concept. It is a unique space contained by other building components (such as walls, floors, and ceilings) that define the room’s boundary. With BIM, the model is