USACE BIM REQUIREMENTS

[dgladfelter]

I can certainly concede to the notion it’s incredibly difficult to talk about BIM without also talking about software. Doing that would be like talking about the use of a hammer without mentioning its use in construction.

While software will ultimately serve a place in your BIM solution, your BIM solution/workflow should not be defined by software alone. My point here, just because you spent the time to model your latest project in 3D using Revit, doesn’t automatically mean you have created a BIM model.

So what separates 3D models from BIM models?

Ultimately it boils down to the way you choose to use the model itself. If the sole reason you create 3D models is to make it easier to produce elevations, cut cross sections, and create plan sheets, we’ll the BIM bus just left you in its dust.

BIM is the PROCESS of using your 3D model to better collaborate with other disciplines, rapidly explore multiple design alternatives, analyzing and reducing your projects environmental impact, etc. BIM is about using your model to ask what if, and being able to get the answer before it completely derails the project budget.

What if the civil engineers moved the parking lot 5’ away from the building? Would that reduce the radiant heat penetrating the building enough to reduce the overall HVAC load?

What if you adjusted the placement of your windows? Would that allow more natural light to enter the building such that fewer lights would be required?

What if you replaced that gypsum wall with a glass wall? Would that allow natural light to travel further into the building?

What if the mechanical engineer has to increase the size of the supply duct? Does it still fit in the space provided by the architect?

While I could certainly go on with the questions, I sense you’re starting to get the idea. To summarize, your BIM solution is YOU, and the way YOU choose to use the models you create, not the software itself.

[Coolmo]

We're a civil engineering company getting into public work also and have a lot of questions about their BIM requirements. I'll start simple though.

It seems like the Revit software and the majority of the BIM "stuff" is geared towards the architectural field. How does all of this fit in with Civil Engineering and what they would require from us? Surfaces? XML files of everything? Piipes? We currently use (and only use) AutoCAD Civil 3D for our designs. Is this adequate for sharing with the rest of the team (architects, etc.) what they need from us or does it get a lot deeper than that? We "model" our sites but not to the extent that we could hit a button and show some sort of rendered model. Thanks in advance for any info on this.

[Matthew Lohden]

To reiterate what DG so eloquently pointed out, BIM is about the process not just the tools and their applications. It stands for Building Information Modeling. It is not about the models but what we do with them. At least that seems to be the consensus among those in the know ("BIM Handbook" Eastman, Teicholtz, et al). Which is to say that it is about the work we all do making these things fit together to help us build better buildings faster.

Regarding the main topic, as I understand it the Corps is moving away from the Bentley requirement with the new COBIE standards. It remains for some projects for historical reasons and I'm sure Bentley will remain very strong in this field but the future of the USACE BIM standards will likely be open to all comers. It looks like IFC may be the glue that holds this all together but that remains to be seen. If you are bidding on those projects which still require Bentley you will need to get a clear spec on the deliverables and interoperability requirements. The easiest thing, if possible, is to use the Bentley products.

[Matthew Lohden]

We're a civil engineering company getting into public work also and have a lot of questions about their BIM requirements. I'll start simple though.

It seems like the Revit software and the majority of the BIM "stuff" is geared towards the architectural field. How does all of this fit in with Civil Engineering and what they would require from us? Surfaces? XML files of everything? Piipes? We currently use (and only use) AutoCAD Civil 3D for our designs. Is this adequate for sharing with the rest of the team (architects, etc.) what they need from us or does it get a lot deeper than that? We "model" our sites but not to the extent that we could hit a button and show some sort of rendered model. Thanks in advance for any info on this.

It is true that BIM has so far focused on Buildings and not much on site work. I wouldn't say this has been primarily architectural since most trades have BIM capable programs and the major activity lately is about the coordination of the models for construction. I would love to see more emphasis on the site, civil and landscape side of this. One of my clients is a parks department that has been using BIM for their architectural department since the mid nineties but the landscape side is still all 2D CAD.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say you model the site but not to the extent of rendering it. If it is an accurate surface or mass model of the terrain it can be used for rendering, but that has very little to do with BIM (most rendering is done in programs that are merely 3D modelers and not BIM). The real question about the suitability of your models for BIM is what purposes they need to serve. These could include:

1. Coordinating site utilities with construction logistics. Having accurate models of underground conditions can be quite handy.

2. Checking building design models in situ. Most architects I know make their own Q&D site models for this purpose - it seems it would be good to be able to easily check that against the engineer's model.

3. Developing landscape models (once the LA's are up to speed on their end). Besides the plant materials there is also irrigation, electrical and drainage to be coordinated.

4. Environmental assessments. Wouldn't it be nice to extend energy and sustainability studies outside the envelope?

For now I think this will be a bit of an ad hoc development. You should take a look at what you can do now and how that might be useful to your partners, clients, etc. BIM is as much about the coordination of relationships as the interoperability of software. For the public projects you need to get their specs and se what you need to do to meet them. I would recommend taking the opportunity to develop your own BIM roadmap rather than simply trying to meet minimum requirements. BIM is a work in progress and we all need to take the lead in our own way to make the best of it.

[pdavis]

The USACE BIM Requirements are geared toward the Bentley platform. Here is a link to one of there sites: https://cadbim.usace.army.mil/

I have worked on projects that USACE has required a Bentley deliverable. This is by far the most common requirement. I have also seen projects from the USACE thatrequire the be developed in Bentley and not a Revit conversion. I have also worked on a couple projects that have a Revit deliverable.

[Coolmo]

By 'modeling" our sites I meant we simply use the proposed ground surface and create a Civil 3D SURFACE from that but we don't assign materials to it or distinguish between curb and gutter or asphalt parking lots. In other words, you couldn't just hit RENDER and have it look like a real site because it would all be one color and one material. On our side and from our (limited) research so far, outside of having a specific job on hand with the military whereas we could ask specific questions, we can't seem to find anywhere what would be required for a BIM project. We assume they want to be able to click on an underground pipe from the model and be able to tell every feature (slope, material, length, depth) of that pipe and at what stage of the construction process it would be installed. I'd hate to go to a lot of trouble (and money) putting together something like this when all the need is a surface and possibly a LandXML file of the pipe systems.

Thanks again for your reply.

[xDaVeN]

So for those users who are using Bentley to provide Civil BIM models to the USACE, are you using PowerCivil, GeoPAK, InRoads, or something else? Even though these softwares are all "compatible" through the use of LandXML files, does anyone know which software the Corps prefers?