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BIM vs. CAD


fabiobit
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Ok. Let's start it like this: I am still an architecture student, but my father owns a company here in Rio de Janeiro. We deal with residential buildings and our clients are very prestigious, wealthy companies (Agenco, Opportunity, Gafisa, Multiservice, the list goes on - unless you live in Brazil, I doubt you ever heard of them anyway). Our number one concern (and I think it's everyone's concern) is not to lose our clients.

 

Speed, without losing quality, is what we are aiming for. Now, every single architecture company I can think of in Brazil is still using CAD as their main design technology. It seems to me that in the USA the firms are slowly changing over to BIM - and I am truly impressed with it. So is my father. We are searching the Net for testimonials and in-depth articles about it but so far we haven't heard much from other architects who decided to give it a try.

 

If you -know- the program or at least had some experience with BIM and can point out the difference, etc, please take a minute to give us your opinion. We want to hear the pros and cons of it, specially the difference between the packages and what we can expect of it. Would you recommend changing to BIM? My father is a bit afraid of the change, since everyone is still using AutoCAD and it might take a long time before everyone in the office learns how to operate the program properly, etc.. but he is also very impressed with the speed and general feel of the program (we downloaded the Revit trial, it is amazing).

 

Thank you in advance,

Fabio.

Bittar Arquitetos Associados Ltda.

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I think the best advice I could give is to just download trial version of each BIM software that interest you.

There are currently many, but the TOP FOUR are :

 

ArchiCAD

Autodesk Revit

Autodesk Architectural Desktop

Bently Microstation Triforma

 

And I would suggest to try out each one and see which suits your better. Each tool has it's own strength and weaknesses, and only the user itself can determine that.

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Hello, I currently trying to change to revit, but I 'd like to be explained what is the diference between CAD & Bim.

 

What means BIM and what is the diference with CAD.

 

thanks!!

Alvaro

 

BIM means Building Informatoin Modeling, (or Management)

It differs from " traditional CAD " (eg AutoCAD) in the parametric nature of it. eg. if say you draw plans, elevations, and sections in AutoCAD, If there are any design changes, you have to goto each sheet and change MANUALLY. This could get very complicated and confusing, and errors are introduced this way.

BIM software tries to solve this problem by making user to draw OBJECTS (instead of just symbolic 2D lines) eg. walls. By doing so, the building is 'virtually constructed', (in 3D with material information and sometimes even cost of material built in) The software do all the relevent revision for you. So if say, you change the positoin of the window in a wall, all the plans, section, elevations, are changed accordingly and automatically by the software. That's in the simplest level. In a more complicated scenerio, a user could group a set of design, and change one single design and have the BIM software do all the relevent changes in every level according to the "rules" setup by the user. It is the power of that parametricness that makes BIM so powerful. Some ppl may point out this is old technology, or it's nothing more than a very elaborate "x-ref" that works in 3D with attached meta-data/information to object, and they maybe right, but when it works, it's really wonderful. (and when it doesn't work... well......that's the topic for another day :)

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Hi Fabio

Well, My first option would be Revit and the second one ArchiCAD, ADT is not using BMI technology, Revit and ArchiCAD can export files to AutoCAD, so your consultants wont have any problem....another factor is the learning curve, Revit is very smooth and intuitive and of course it comes from the same family (Autodesk) than Autocad and VIZ or Max...where I work, we want to switch to Revit, the main concert is working in team, the Partners are a little afraid to take this movement, so we have just 2 stations for now and 15 with ADT2005….the idea is spray it out during 2005.

 

good luck!!!

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