Two Approaches to BIM: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The ultimate goal of the BIM concept is to create a complete digital model of the building to insure the generation of an accurate bill of material and cost estimate along with coordinated drawings and details. This goal might need the contribution of various disciplines to provide the needed level of information. The development of capable specialized systems to model specific building elements will definitely challenge the all-purpose architectural CAD. The specificity of these systems will enable fulfilling the needs than a general purpose architectural BIM system. This will lead the industry into creating either a powerful fully integrated BIM system that can handle all required information, or a referential BIM system that depends on passing the information to other programs (and other people) that are capable of handling specific tasks more efficiently.