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CHAPTER 1 Beyond Basic documentation
the proper downstream use. In both cases (firm-wide or project-based), the processes will need
to change in order to meet the goals you’ve established. Modeling techniques and workflows will
need to be established. Analysis-based BIM requires different constraints and requirements than
a model used for clash detection. If you’re taking the model into facilities management, you’ll
need to add a lot of metadata about equipment but might need the level of detail significantly
lower than if you are looking to perform daylighting. Having to apply a new level of model
integrity after the fact (like halfway through documentation) can be a frustrating and time-
consuming endeavor. Regardless of the goal, setting and understanding those goals early on in
the project process is almost mandatory for success.
Setting Firm Goals for BIM
Combining visualization, analysis, and strategy will help you define your adoption curve and
help you locate your future direction. It’s important to note that no matter where you fall or how
these elements are combined, there is no wrong answer. Identifying a direction is the critical
piece so you can better plan for the success of your projects. BIM ultimately is a communication
tool. It can aid in analysis and documentation, but the primary goal is to communicate design
ideas and concepts to the team in all the various states of the project’s life cycle.
The adoption curve isn’t really much of a curve. We’ll discuss the process of moving beyond
basic documentation with the use of three concentric circles. Each circle represents one of the
primary elements we discussed in the previous sections. Figure 1.9 shows two of the iterations
possible with the curve. The combination on the left shows a late adopter and one where each of
the elements—visualization (V), strategy (S), and analysis (A)—are fairly separate of each other.
The other iteration shows almost a complete integration of these tools.
Although the graphic shows a fairly balanced use of each of these tools, any of them can be
used in any combination depending on your goals and uses for BIM. To better understand where
you fall into any of the possible iterations, we’ll discuss three examples and what those possible
workflows will look like to your projects: late adopters (the image on the left), intermediate adopt-
ers, and early adopters.
la t e ad o p t e r s
Late adopters, shown with the configuration in Figure 1.10, see each of these tools as very distinc-
tive efforts. There is little overlap between each of the systems, and any of them can be taken and
removed from a process without negatively impacting any of the others. Late adopters typically
come to new technologies as a strong second. This means you’re not picking up the latest and
newest tools or workflows that come to the industry, but instead you’re waiting for others to test
Figure 1.9
Two extremes of
adoption
VAS
S
V
A
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