Feature Electrical Design Software BIM opportunity knocks
As Gary Ross, director of BIM Solutions with Amtech explains, when managed properly building information modelling (BIM) has an important role to play for electrical engineers
IM has received a lot of atten- tion in the press recently. However, not all of that cover- age has been clear on the impli- cations of BIM for the electrical engineer designing systems for build- ing services or process systems. Indeed, it would be easy to get the impression that BIM is just a fancy tool for architects to play with and nothing at all to do with the services that enable buildings and processes to function. This is not the case however, and when it comes to system design, their ongoing operation and mainte- nance, BIM has a key role to play. So, how do you make sure that all of the benefits of BIM are realised. Firstly, it’s important to cut through all the ‘BIMwash’ and understand what it really is.
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Fundamentally BIM takes whatever you are trying to describe, by whatever means, and makes it clear what it is, what it’s used for and how you can look after it. To do this, it requires two key components - collaborative working and interoperable software. Instead of each discipline working within adversarial and very contractual ‘silos’, BIM seeks to bring everyone together - clients, archi- tects, engineers and contractors - and have them work collaboratively to pro- vide efficient design through effective communication, at all levels.
So, BIM isn’t just about a 3D model. A true BIM model is made up of a geo- metric model plus a data model, both of which are intrinsically linked to each other. Each discipline of a project will have its own models and these are all combined at the project milestones to give an overall view to the client. In order to collaborate you need interop- erable software tools that allow infor- mation to be shared between software from different vendors.
Good BIM is all about data and information exchanges, and that data will then be taken and relevance will be added to produce meaningful information. To take it to the next level, the BIM will take that informa- tion, add experience or proof over the lifecycle of the project and create knowledge that can serve to better inform future projects.
14 JULY/AUGUST 2013 Electrical Engineering
Below: BIM seeks to bring everyone together - clients, architects, engineers and contractors - and have them work collaboratively to provide efficient design through effective
communication, at all levels
Interacting with BIMs
For the electrical engineer therefore, the important thing is to be able to access the information contained within a BIM, work with it, potentially modify it, and then update the model with any modifications. This is where the soft- ware developer comes in, as they enable that transfer of information to and from the BIM while providing the specialist tools required by the electrical engineer. Many models are now being devel- oped using Revit MEP - a very good design tool but one that doesn’t incor- porate the functionality required by the electrical engineer to meet BS 7671. For instance, a circuit in Revit uses standard defaults that are not compliant with BS 7671 and does not contain all of the necessary data. For that reason Amtech’s experi- ence has shown that, typically, elec- trical engineers feel disconnected
the functionality of both programs. However, despite recent improve- ments in the UK electrical template for Revit, it will still not fully support all of the data required from a BS 7671 distribution board schedule. Using the collaborative process described above allows the relevant data from the cal- culation tool to be used within Revit itself and so makes documents and drawings a more automated process. So there are significant time savings at the design stage but the fact that the model is updated with the correct electrical information means there will be many other benefits in the future. For example, the data from the model can be transferred to a tablet PC so that maintenance engineers can carry all of the information they need. Similarly, if upgrades or remedial work are required in the future all of the infor- mation is readily available.
‘In order to take full advantage of the benefits of BIM it’s important to cut through the ‘BIMwash’ and understand what it really is.’
from the BIM process. Engineers are having to spend a lot of time manu- ally transferring data and results between software tools and the inher- ent risk of doing that is there for all to see. How many times have you seen drawings and distribution board schedules that do not match? Therefore it’s useful to be able to export the circuit from Revit to spe- cialist electrical design software that will create a schematic and enable you to view and change the cable proper- ties as appropriate. The revised circuit can then be exported back to Revit so that the model is updated with the necessary information.
This process is particularly improved when the design software acts as a ‘plug-in’ to Revit to exploit
It’s for reasons such as this that I would suggest that electrical engineers shouldn’t be ignoring BIM in the hope that it will go away. They should be recognising the opportunities it brings and grabbing it with both hands. So take the time to learn about BIM and what it means. Look at how you currently work and how this may evolve to accommodate the new world of BIM. Then plan to embrace it, one step at a time. Talk to your software provider and make sure you will have the software tools to enable you to do that. Then you are ready to seize the BIM opportunity.
Amtech
www.amtech.co.uk T: 0800 028 2828
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