TABLE OF CONTENTS A great building must begin with the unmeasurable, must go through measurable means when it is being designed and in the end must be unmeasurable.
LOUIS KAHN
Building information modeling (BIM) is an emerging approach to the design, analysis, and documentation of buildings. At its core, BIM is about the management of information throughout the entire lifecycle of a design process, from early conceptual design through construction administration, and even into facilities management. By information we mean all the inputs that go into a building design: the number of windows, the cost of materials, the size of heating and cooling equipment, the total energy footprint of the building, and so on. This information is captured in a digital model that can then be presented as coordinated documents, be shared across disciplines, and serve as a centralized design management tool. With a tool like Revit, you will reap the benefits of fully coordinated documents, but this represents just the tip of the BIM iceberg.
In this chapter, we'll present the basics of BIM and summarize how BIM differs from traditional 2D drafting based methodologies. We will explain the key characteristics of Revit and how Revit is truly designed to deliver the benefits of building information modeling.
Topics we'll cover include:
A brief history of architectural documentation
Advantages of a BIM approach
How BIM is different from CAD
Why Revit?
Revit concepts
Types of elements in Revit
Tips for getting started in Revit
The production of...
