Summary
• BIM’s 3D modelling aids construction project efficiency.
• BIM gives easy software access to all construction trades.
• ITW Industry’s BIM platform is Instinct.
• Ochil and CCG have used Instinct.

Imagine being able to sort out most construction glitches before work even starts on site.

Pie in the sky? For contractors, construction product manufacturers and designers this is starting to become reality, thanks to Building Information Modelling (BIM).

In a nutshell, BIM is 3D digital modelling of a build project using a common data file, so everyone involved in the process – architects, contractors, timber frame manufacturers, floor and roof truss manufacturers, construction product suppliers and sub-contractors can add in critical data during the design stage. Effectively, it is digitally building the project before starting on site.

The purpose is to make the construction process more efficient and eliminate as many uncertainties as possible before starting construction.

Government chief construction adviser Paul Morrell has called for BIM adoption on UK government construction projects of £5m and over, warning construction professionals to use BIM or be “Betamaxed out”.

The government has since published its BIM Working Party Strategy, stating its intention to require collaborative 3D BIM (with all project and asset information, documentation and data being electronic) on its projects by 2016.

ITW Industry, which makes timber construction design and production software as well as architectural design software, sees a big future for BIM and will further push its solution – ITW Instinct – this year, particularly with timber frame manufacturers.

Using Instinct

Instinct is a BIM model integrating multiple software platform including VisionRez (architectural design software), hsbCAD (timber frame), Alpine VIEW floor and truss software, hsbEstimator, as well as being compatible with the James Jones Timber Systems and C4Ci (iPro) I-joist design software systems.

“A building is typically redrawn five to seven times in the design stage,” said ITW Industry marketing manager Tim Widdershoven. “If all the software is linked together we are eliminating the redraws, eliminating costs and increasing productivity. If your costs are going up, you can see what that does to the margins. If your client requires extra details on a building, you can see what that’s doing to cost. There is clearer visibility.”

By linking software platforms using a single fully exchangeable file format – ModelMap (.dxx files) – BIM can be a reality without additional software. This is arguably comparable to the compatibility we take for granted with Microsoft programs.

For builders and designers, BIM decreases requests for information, and reduces time involvement. For timber frame fabricators it’s an opportunity to strengthen relationships though collaboration with builders, architects, structural engineers, trades and suppliers and manufacturers, with the benefit of helping to deliver the correct product and lowering supply chain costs.

ITW believes BIM encourages professional building trades to feed in to the building model at an early stage and all parties can keep up-to-date with latest revisions.

The first UK companies to take advantage of Instinct are roof truss and open-web joist manufacturer Ochil Timber Products and timber frame supplier CCG OSM. CCG OSM designs its house types as BIMs in hsbCad, then transfers the file to Ochil which designs and engineers the roof trusses and open web floors in Alpine VIEW, before passing the file then back to CCG OSM.

ITW has been improving the connectivity between all its individual software elements over recent years.

“It had got to the point where we needed to launch it as a platform,” said Mr Widdershoven. “Our customers can now approach the housebuilder and talk about collaboration with software as a sales

pitch, by allowing them to control costs and improving profitability for both parties.”

Further BIM benefits include more offsite fabrication or assembly, safer working and minimisation of waste, while even future maintenance is made easier by viewing the entire structure and services in BIM.