The digital workflows that coordinate buildings from concept through construction and operations.
BIM (Building Information Modeling) and digital design engineering is the discipline of creating, coordinating, and managing intelligent digital models of buildings and infrastructure — replacing traditional 2D CAD drawings with data-rich 3D models that serve the entire project lifecycle.
Building Information Modeling is not just 3D drafting — it is a process and a data standard. A BIM model contains geometry, but also the attributes of every element: material specifications, fire ratings, manufacturer data, cost estimates, and maintenance schedules. That data-richness enables workflows that 2D CAD cannot: clash detection that catches a duct running through a beam before anyone picks up a wrench, quantity take-offs generated directly from the model, and facility management systems fed by the as-built BIM after construction.
The dominant BIM platform in AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) is Autodesk Revit, which organizes work around discipline-specific models — architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing — linked together for coordination. The ISO 19650 standard defines how BIM information is managed and delivered on a project, establishing the Common Data Environment (CDE), naming conventions, and the BIM Execution Plan (BEP) that governs how the team works. Level of Development (LOD) — from LOD 100 (conceptual massing) through LOD 500 (as-built, asset-tagged) — defines how much information each element must carry at each project phase, preventing over-modeling early and under-delivering at handover.
Authoring intelligent 3D models in Revit across disciplines — walls, floors, roofs, structural framing, ductwork, piping, conduit, and equipment — with properties and parameters that drive schedules and documentation.
Linking discipline models, running automated clash detection in Navisworks or Revit Coordination Review, managing clash resolution workflows, and producing coordination reports for construction teams.
Defining LOD requirements (100–500) per element and phase, writing and implementing BIM Execution Plans that govern how the team authors, shares, and delivers model data.
Configuring multi-user Revit workflows with worksets, shared coordinates (True North vs Project North, survey vs project base point), linked model structure, and naming conventions per ISO 19650.
Automating Revit tasks with Dynamo visual programming — parametric family creation, data-driven annotation, sheet generation, and Python scripting for batch operations.
Managing project data in a Common Data Environment (BIM 360/ACC), version control, issue tracking, and delivering the as-built BIM for facilities management and asset tracking.
CAD (Computer-Aided Design) produces 2D drawings or 3D geometry — digital representations of design intent. BIM (Building Information Modeling) adds data to that geometry: a BIM wall knows its fire rating, U-value, manufacturer, and cost. That data enables automated quantity take-offs, clash detection, energy analysis, and facility management handover that 2D CAD cannot support. The shift is from "drawing a building" to "modeling a building" with intelligent, data-rich elements.
LOD defines how much geometric and non-geometric information a BIM element must contain at each stage of a project. LOD 100 is conceptual massing with approximate size and location. LOD 200 adds approximate geometry. LOD 300 has accurate geometry suitable for coordination. LOD 350 adds interface detail for construction. LOD 400 is fabrication-ready. LOD 500 is as-built, field-verified, and ready for facilities management. LOD requirements are specified in the BIM Execution Plan so every discipline models to the same standard.
Clash detection is the automated process of overlaying discipline models — architectural, structural, and MEP — and identifying where elements physically conflict (a hard clash) or violate required clearances (a soft clash). Resolving clashes in the model before construction avoids expensive field rework: a duct routed through a beam or a pipe conflicting with a structural column can cost tens of thousands of dollars to fix in the field compared to a model revision in Navisworks or Revit.
A BIM Execution Plan is a project-level document that defines how the BIM process will be managed: which software and file formats will be used, the project coordinate system and shared origin, workset structure, LOD requirements by discipline and phase, file naming conventions, model review cadence, and how the final deliverable will be structured for handover. It is typically required by the owner or contractor and aligns with ISO 19650 Part 2.
Dynamo is a visual programming environment built into Revit that lets you automate repetitive tasks without deep programming knowledge. Common uses include: placing and tagging elements from a spreadsheet, generating sheets and views from a template list, applying parameters to families in bulk, creating parametric geometry not possible with standard Revit tools, and running Python scripts for advanced data manipulation. Power users extend Dynamo with Python nodes to interact with the Revit API directly.