BIM101: Ten points to get you started

Editors note: Chris is a Architectural designer at the UK based Architectural practice of Ellis Belk Associates ltd. and has over seen the BIM process of many large projects over his years as a professional in the AEC industry. He takes personal interest in the direction of BIM and is passionate about education and training in BIM to equip the future of our industry with valuable and desirable skills. You can connect with him on twitter (@cvedesigns) where he often shares his thoughts on BIM as well as those around him.



Hello world! As I design by day I always find crossing my path huge amounts of daunting data about BIM and BIM authoring software.



So here is a small helpful guide to break down some of the barriers to get any newbies started.



1) Research terminology.This is key, if you do not understand the global terminology you can find yourself confused. Relate to your industry and the terms that fly about. Understand how modeling is different from management and how data is used in every aspect building information.



2) Understand that BIM is 80% mindset & attitude with the other 20% being technological enhancement. If enthusiasm does not exist then your going to have a hard time bringing BIM to your circle.



3) Pick your authoring software wisely. There are some massive competitors out there and each have flaws and bonus's, there is no perfect software.Your design is only as good as the person designing. Some worth mentioning are Autodesk Revit, Archicad, Vectorworks. Research must be detailed at this stage. It's not only training but the cost to the practice / yourself that can be affected. Time is your most valuable asset use it sparingly.



4) Understand legislation, in the UK the current legislation for BIM collaboration is PAS 1192-2:2012. If you are ahead of the game and learn the standards early, you will find that companies / clients will value your services more.



5) Don't be afraid to spend extra time out of hours to learn. This is paramount. The more effort you put in the more benefits you get out. For example learning Autodesk Revit can have a steep learning curve. But once you reach a competent level everything will click and instinct will take over.



6) Become interested in blogs. There are so many blogs which are updated daily with tips, news, opinions and helpful workflow processes. Every time I go to someone's blogs I learn something new, I remember something I forgot and I also stay abreast of the global BIM news.



7) Twitter - it's brilliant for updates,news and talking to professionals who can help with BIM



8) Accept change. Change is constant in life and the same is within architecture and construction. BIM tools and mindset not only help visualise the building you are designing, they also allow you to cost, program and avoid errors before construction starts.



9) Communicate - lecturers, professionals, government officials, geeks all can help you understand BIM. It's changing the world. If anybody has questions that I may be able to answer please ask.



10) IT equipment - If you plan on designing with BIM make sure your IT equipment is top notch and is futureproof. I would suggest Solid State Hard Drives, Multi Core processors, above 12 gig of memory, dual screen setup and a high quality graphics card.



I work exclusively with Autodesk Revit and have been doing so for the past 7 years. Here are some great links for resources on Revit & BIM (There are many more great blogs, content sites and these are just some I use daily):



BIM Terminolgoy



http://www.bimexcellence.net/dictionary/



BIM Self testing



http://www.bimexcellence.net/



Revit & BIM content



Revit city



National BIM Library



BIMstop



bim store



Blogs



Specified (BIMstop blog)



What Revit wants



David Light (Revit)



Revit oped



UK BIM Knowledge



Social Group