Products
buildingSMART UKI Develop and contribute to international standards for openBIM:
Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) data model
The buildingSMART data model
At buildingSMART, we have developed a common data schema that makes it possible to hold and exchange data between different proprietary software applications. The data schema comprises information covering the many disciplines that contribute to a building throughout its lifecycle: from conception, through design, construction and operation to refurbishment or demolition.
Industry Foundation Classes, IFC, are the main buildingSMART data model standard. The IFC format is registered by ISO as ISO/PAS 16739 and is in the process of becoming an official International Standard ISO/IS 16739.
‘Open’ is the key to the real value of our buildingSMART standard. IFC can be used to exchange and share BIM data between applications developed by different software vendors without the software having to support numerous native formats. As an open format, IFC does not belong to a single software vendor; it is neutral and independent of a particular vendor’s plans for software development.
For this reason, we say that our organisation – buildingSMART – is ‘the home of open BIM’.
Every implementation of an IFC exchange should follow what is known as an ‘exchange requirement’. This requirement specifies the information that needs to be present in an exchange or sharing of data at a certain stage in a project. It is important to be specific about the information needed. The exchange requirement prevents woolliness and uncertainty.
How can designers and other software users be sure that the software in use is compliant with the open IFC standard and truly interoperable? At buildingSMART we run a certification scheme that tests software products to check that they meet the IFC standard and clarifies the scope of their interoperability. The scheme was revamped in 2010 to make it more stringent and indicates precisely what parts of the product work interoperably.
Visit http://buildingsmart-tech.org for more information.
BuildingSMART Data Dictionary (bSDD)
As they design and construct buildings, professionals need to work interoperably with each other. But how does a software application talk to a product database? How can a designer be sure that the engineers understand the attributes attached to his design? How can design standards from overseas be incorporated?
The buildingSMART Data Dictionary is the mechanism that enables this to happen. It creates a catalogue of what objects are called (the ‘vocabulary’) and brings together disparate sets of data into a common view of the construction project or asset, whether information from a product manufacturer, typical room requirements, cost data or environmental data. It can also cope with different languages.
The Data Dictionary is based on a concept developed by the standards organisation ISO, notably in ISO 12006-3: 2007 (Building construction: Organization of information about construction works, Part 3: Framework for object-oriented information). Thanks to the Dictionary, an open BIM model can be linked to data from many sources, improving interoperability and paving the way for analysis and design checks at an early stage of the project.
Visit http://www.ifd-library.org for more information.
Process - Information Delivery Manual (IDM)
The buildingSMART standard for processes (formerly known as the Information Delivery Manual or IDM) specifies when certain types of information are required during the construction of a project or the operation of a built asset. It also provides detailed specification of the information that a particular user (architect, building services engineer etc) needs to provide at a point in time and groups together information that is needed in associated activities: cost estimating, volume of materials and job scheduling are natural partners.
Thus the buildingSMART standard for processes offers a common understanding for all the parties: when to exchange information and exactly what is needed. The linked Model View Definition or MVD turns the prerequisites and outcomes of the processes for information exchange into a formal statement. Software developers can take the standard and specific Model View Definitions that derive from it and incorporate them into their applications.
The detailed information for this is described in the ISO standard:
For more information about IDM/MVD go to this page.
More information can be found under http://iug.buildingsmart.com/idms
