A BIM MODEL MODIFICATION MECHANISM FOR DESIGN COLLABORATION IN A HETEROGENEOUS ENVIRONMENT
Huan-Ting Chen1 and Shang-Hsien Hsieh2
1) BIM Engineer, Arup International Consultants Co., Ltd; Formerly Research Assistant, Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
2) Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Abstract: Building Information Modeling (BIM) models consist of multidisciplinary model elements. A model element includes numerous parametric attributes, such as quantitative geometric information and qualitative non-geometric information. Hence, information management is a significant issue for BIM technologies, processes, and applications. A BIM model often needs to be modified or updated because of the unavoidable design changes and error corrections during the lifecycle of a building project. In other words, the parametric attributes within the model elements need to be modified or updated. Each modification or update is based on the correct data provided by project stakeholders from different domains and the process can be referred to as a collaborative design process. Taking the need for collaboration in BIM model modification as a starting point, this research conducted a scenario analysis and proposed a design collaboration mechanism in a heterogeneous computing environment. Based on this mechanism, a prototype system, using a database approach and web services to exchange information, was developed for a model manager and project stakeholders to improve the efficiency of the collaborative design process. A BIM model can also be automatically modified or updated at the object-level of its model elements through the prototype system. In addition, this research developed a web application for supporting cross-platform and asynchronous collaboration with an in-house design of schema-free data structures.
Keywords: Building Information Modeling (BIM), model modification, cross-platform, and asynchronous design collaboration
Bibliographical Reference:
Huan-Ting Chen and Shang-Hsien Hsieh. “A BIM MODEL MODIFICATION MECHANISM FOR DESIGN COLLABORATION IN A HETEROGENEOUS ENVIRONMENT.” In Proceedings of International Conference on Civil and Building Engineering Informatics (ICCBEI 2015), 43. Tokyo, Japan, 2015.