Open BIM is an approach that encourages smooth collaboration within the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector and highlights the use of open standards and data formats. This allows various stakeholders to collaborate effectively across different software platforms.
A simple openBIM definition is that it’s a way for multidisciplinary teams that are not running the same software to exchange information. Through a set of shared standards and working procedures, openBIM improves data flow and enables interoperability among teams, tools, and processes through every phase of construction. OpenBIM is not a product; it’s a way to work.
OpenBIM offers greater flexibility for AEC firms, letting various software programs work together by importing and exporting data as Industry Foundation Class (IFC) files a global open-data standard overseen by buildingSMART, so workflows are smoother and collaboration is easier.
The open in openBIM means that everyone has access to the same definitions of data and data formats. This means data can be written and read from different sources, all parties can collaborate on the data, and data access is retained throughout the life of a project and beyond. Essentially, it allows everyone to take control of their digital destiny without being forced into using a specific software tool or workflow.
The demand for improved construction industry collaboration in the 1990s sparked the development of OpenBIM. Model View Definitions and the Information Delivery Manual were two examples of tools developed in the 2010s. Faster data interchange was made possible, which paved the way for developing digital twins for real-time building monitoring. With the development of AI and other technologies, OpenBIM keeps improving industry sustainability and Efficiency.
buildingSMART International is known as the International Home of openBIM. buildingSMART is the worldwide organization driving the transformation of the built asset industry through the creation & adoption of open, international standards. buildingSMART develops and maintains industry standards such as IFC, bSDD, and BCF. IFC is standardized by the International Standards Organization (ISO). These rules establishing a common standard allows the AECO community to benefit from a common language to export and import data. buildingSMART has been promoting the benefits of BIM for end-users as a better way of collaborating and exchanging data.
OpenBIM extends the benefits of BIM (Building Information Modeling) by improving the accessibility, usability, management and sustainability of digital data in the built asset industry. At its core, openBIM is a collaborative process that is vendor-neutral. openBIM processes can be defined as sharable project information that supports seamless collaboration for all project participants. openBIM facilitates interoperability to benefit projects and assets throughout their lifecycle.
OpenBIM ensures that:
The very basic definition of both open BIM and closed BIM comes from the nature of the BIM data in question – open BIM implies that the data is stored in commonly shared formats and can be used in different software variations, while closed BIM uses proprietary formats that can only be opened in the same software (or the software from the same software provider).
Open BIM can be defined as a universal approach to project realization with a big focus on open standards and commonly acceptable data formats. Closed BIM, on the other hand, performs BIM tasks and operations using a proprietary data format, creating a necessity to use a BIM solution from a specific developer or software provider
These are two different approaches to the concept of Building Information Modeling (BIM) which is used in the construction sector. OpenBIM models do not restrict the use of other formats as other formats allow communication and data exchange between various applications and systems. This means that teams can cooperate without problems, regardless of the software tools in use. Closed BIM, on the other hand, makes use of proprietary tools and this means that data is usually locked to a particular application or a vendor's system. This may lead to isolation for teams that are using different types of software since they will be unable to access data, hence collaborative work and flexibility is discouraged. Open BIM is more about the openness and flexibility of the workflows while Closed BIM could lead to over-dependence on a particular tool which may affect cost and adaptability negatively.
The built environment – buildings and infrastructure assets that sustain societies and industry – affects nearly all aspects of our lives, for better and worse. It defines much of our physical world but consumes vast natural and financial resources and is becoming ever more complex. The sector, therefore, faces a fundamental challenge: how to produce and maintain more and better buildings and infrastructure with less financial and environmental impact, in other words: how to improve productivity and sustainability on a global scale. One answer is openBIM.
openBIM enhances the value of Building Information Modelling (BIM) by ensuring it conforms to a publicly available standardized communication language, which makes its information exchangeable and compatible with that of all stakeholders, even when in different locations, created by different organizations, and using different software tools.
To tackle the fundamental challenges of productivity and sustainability, we need to do two things: improve the efficiency of our design, construction and asset management processes; and make smart decisions that optimize how we construct and maintain our built environment. In other words, we need to allow both machines and humans to look across the full scope of a project (across different organizations, work packages and software tools) to automate processes and improve decision-making. openBIM is vital to both of these.
openBIM helps us to optimize our decisions at the highest level because it allows us to combine information from multiple sources to create the best possible picture of different project options and their consequences. For example, we can improve decision support through automated simulations to minimize carbon and environmental impacts, project timescales and/or costs. It improves process efficiency by providing design, construction and maintenance information from multiple sources in standardized, machine-interpretable forms. That allows software tools to ingest, analyze, make recommendations and even take direct actions based on valuable information that is built up from different applications and can now be retained throughout the life of a project. This improves quality, reduces risk and rework, and saves time through automation – all of which boosts productivity. Furthermore, openBIM promotes continuous innovation by allowing emerging new software tools to be easily adopted.
There are several additional advantages of Open BIM, such as:
Easily exchanging data among people, platforms, and workflows helps eliminate siloed information and creates efficiencies
-One connected ecosystem
Solutions such as Autodesk Construction Cloud, Resolve, Datum 360, hh2, and Newforma have developed cloud APIs for interoperability, allowing BIM data to be exchanged.
IFC digitally preserves project information from digital models to project accounting to materials used for use in the entire lifecycle of the structure. While BIM creates the fuel for digital twins, openBIM standards ensure that the data going into the BIM process is interoperable, allowing for the continuous optimization and monitoring of a structure long after the ribbon is cut.
When design teams coordinate information and workflows, it results in a more efficient, connected process. Working from common information allows teams to focus more on the important outcomes of the project, like its carbon impact. etc.
Real-time access to all project data can help projects come in on budget and on schedule. A common set of information in each authoring tool enables designers and construction professionals to spot errors digitally before construction begins and avoid problems during construction.
In the future, open BIM will have the advantage of many technical advancements like cloud computing, AI, IoT, and digital twin which will enhance its functions and applications. Moreover, enhanced focus on sustainable development, digital twin and multifunctional buildings will promote the adoption of Open BIM for better management of resources and effectiveness of buildings.
While BIM is improving AEC workflows and openBIM is fueling the interoperability of data files, digital transformation is evolving to support the growing complexity of built assets. There is an increasing reliance on capturing and leveraging data to foster collaboration. Here’s what to expect next.
Creating a more sustainable, efficient, and productive building process is good for more than just the construction industry. The shift to openBIM reinforces societal benefits, such as a built environment that is able to last longer to support an increasing global population.
The future of openBIM is migrating to the modern technology stack for interoperability. It is using granular information powered by APIs to connect industry services. The future looks more targeted, more automated, and more capable than anything taking a traditional approach today.
The future is a connected AEC industry cloud. This is the convergence of the entire tech stack needed for any given project in the cloud. These pieces will connect via APIs to create an interdependent network of products. Companies will start working together to provide a greater overall capability to deliver what the industry needs.
Open BIM as an initiative can be incredibly helpful in many cases, especially when communicating projects between stakeholders and departments. However, an open standard such as IFC or BCF is at its most efficient when the user is aware of the limitations of such a format. Only then can it reap the biggest benefits from adopting open BIM software and using IFC in BIM-related tasks.
Various tools support OpenBIM workflows across different stages of a project Like Revit, ArchiCAD, Tekla Structures, BIM 360, Solibri, Navisworks, Vectorworks, Bentley Systems etc.
To move from ClsoedBIM to OpenBIM, start by adopting open standards like IFC, IDM, Digital Twins, etc. which will allow us for smooth data sharing across different software platforms. Choose BIM solutions that abide by these standards and incorporate a Common Data environment to centralize communication.
BCF (BIM Collaboration Format) plays a vital role in Open BIM because it allows for effective communication and issue management among project stakeholders. It enables users to discuss feedback, comments, and coordination difficulties without having to share the complete BIM model.
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