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bimtower · 2 years ago

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EVOLUTION OF BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING

Lately, building information modelling (BIM) has been making waves in the construction industry. For the last two years, everyone’s gushing about BIM in building and construction expos. It has been the buzzword and may seem new to many but in actuality, the ideas and technologies behind BIM have been evolving for more than fifty years.

The concept of BIM is not attributed to one person but is a rich history of innovation from the United States, Central and Northern Europe and all the way to Japan.

1957- PRONTO

Pronto, the first commercial software computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) was developed by Dr. Patrick J. Hanratty. It was a numerical control machining technology that later grew into computer-aided manufacturing. A short time after that, he dabbled in computer-generated graphics and in 1961 developed DAC (Design Automated by Computer) which became the first CAM/CAD system that used interactive graphics and was used for General Motors’ complex die molds.

1963- Sketchpad

The first computer-aided design (CAD) with a graphical user interface, using a light pen on a CRT display, “Sketchpad”, was developed at the MIT Lincoln Labs by Ivan Sutherland. Overall, it pioneered the way for human-computer interaction and was a breakthrough in the development of computer graphics. In terms of construction tech, Sketchpad gave way to solid modelling programs — computational representation of geometry was further developed which allowed the ability to display and record shape information.

1975- Building Description System (BDS)

1977- GLIDE (Graphical Language for Interactive Design)

Charles Eastman published a paper describing a prototype called Building Description System (BDS). It discussed ideas of parametric design, high quality computable 3D representations, with a “single integrated database for visual and quantitative analyses”. Eastman’s paper basically described BIM as we know it now. Eastman designed a program that gave the user access to a sortable database — information can be retrieved categorically by attributes (including material and supplier); it also used a graphical user interface, orthographic and perspective views. The BDS was one of the first projects in BIM history to successfully create this building database; it described individual library elements which can be retrieved and added to a model.

In 1977, Charles Eastman created GLIDE (Graphical Language for Interactive Design) in the CMU Lab, and it exhibited most of the characteristics of the modern BIM platform. It included building elements, monitoring data, cost estimating and evaluation of structure.

1982- Autodesk AutoCAD

John Walker founded the company Autodesk, which released AutoCAD. AutoCAD was the first CAD software made for PCs instead of mainframe computers. In 1985, AutoCAD 3D was developed, to offer 3D modeling systems.

1984- RADAR CH

1987- ArchiCAD

Radar CH was released in 1984 for Apple Lisa OS. This was an early implementation of the idea of virtual building, considered as ArchiCAD 1.0. It was written in Geometric Description Language, a programming language based on BASIC. This allowed users to build their own 2D and 3D geometric objects. This was the first BIM software available for personal computers.

This was later relaunched in 1987 as ArchiCAD, making ArchiCAD the first BIM software available on a personal computer.

1985- Vectorworks

Richard Diehl founded the company Graphsoft, and the company’s first software version was named MiniCAD. It was the best-selling CAD software for Mac computers. MiniCAD Plus was released in 1989 and allowed architects to model custom details like hand-drawn work. The software was subsequently rebranded as Vectorworks in the late 1990s. It was one of the first 3D modelling software programs, and the first cross-platform CAD application. Vectorworks was one of the first to introduce BIM capabilities.

1986- Really Universal Computer-Aided Production System (RUCAPS)

RUCAPS (Really Universal Computer-Aided Production System) was used to assist the renovation of Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 3. It was the first CAD program in the history of BIM to be used in prefab construction. It is regarded as a forerunner to today’s BIM software. RUCAPS was a significant milestone in the development of building modelers, selling many hundreds of copies during the early 1980s when CAD was rare and expensive, and introducing thousands of architects to computer aided design. RUCAPS was described as a 2½ dimensional interactive system, closer to the philosophy of 2D interactive systems such as ARK/2 or DAISY and concentrating on the rapid production of 2D drawings (plans, elevations and sections). During the early 1980s, Ingram worked on a supplementary 3D file structure for RUCAPS, where, by running a separate program and with manual intervention, a flat 3D file could be generated, allowing the production of perspectives and images. RUCAPS did carry the 'weathervane' concept from UK-based Applied Research's Building Design System, BDS, now found in most modern BIM systems, but did not have interactive 3D windows or rule-based language - core characteristics of today's BIM applications.

1988- Pro/ENGINEER

2000- Revit

Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) was founded in 1985 and they released Pro/ENGINEER in 1988, considered to be the first-ever marketed parametric modelling design software in BIM history. Splitting from PTC, Irwin Jungreis and Leonid Raiz went to form their own software company, Charles River Software. This was the first mainstream CAD program that brought the ideas of Sketchpad (interactive, easy to use, fast) to life. Based on solid models, history-based features, and the use of constraints, it transformed the CAD industry. It was written in UNIX’s X-Windows, making it faster and more user-friendly.

The duo wanted to develop an architectural version of Pro/ENGINEER that could handle more complex projects than ArchiCAD. By 2000, they had a program called Revit, a made-up word that’s supposed to connote revision and speed (one article comment said it was a portmanteau of “Revise it!”). Revit revolutionized BIM by using a parametric change engine made possible through object-oriented programming, and by creating a platform that allowed time attributes to be added. By finding conflicts between BIM objects in models and making necessary adjustments, Revit transformed BIM. Revit is one of the most popular BIM systems used today. As Autodesk raced to be on top of the BIM game, it acquired Revit in 2002. When Revit released its update, Revit 6, in 2004, this set the stage for larger teams of architects and engineers to collaborate in one integrated model software.

1992- First use of the term- ‘Building Information Modeling’

Robert Aish first documented the use of the term “Building Modelling” in a published paper in 1986. In this paper, he argued for what we now know as BIM and the technology to implement it. A few years after that, the first documented use of the term “Building Information Model” appeared in a paper by G.A. Van Nederveen and F. Tolman in the December 1992 Automation in Construction.

1993- Building Design Advisor

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab developed Building Design Adviser. It supports the integrated use of multiple analysis and visualization tools throughout the building design process, from the initial, conceptual and schematic phases to the detailed specification of building components and systems. Based on a comprehensive design theory, the BDA uses an object-oriented representation of the building and its context and acts as a data manager and process controller to allow building designers to benefit from the capabilities of multiple tools.

1994- miniCAD

In Australia, Mapsoft was formed in 1994 and was designing the affordable survey CAD software. This paved the way for miniCAD, the first survey CAD software to run on a handheld computer — the DOS-based HP100LX. It’s still in use today for Windows, Palms, and other old school pocket PCs.

1995- International Foundation Class (IFC) file format

The International Foundation Class (IFC) file format was developed to allow data to flow across platforms- basically making a file compatible with different BIM programs.

1997- ArchiCAD’s Teamwork

ArchiCAD released its first file exchange-based Teamwork solution. This revolutionized team collaborations and allowed more architects to work on a building model simultaneously. Updates on Teamwork later allowed remote access to the same project over the Internet and allowed project collaboration and coordination on a larger scale.

1999- Onuma

In Japan, Onuma allowed virtual teams to work on BIM through the Internet and created a database-driven BIM planning system that paved the way for future seamless cross-platform integration of BIM software and parametric technologies.

2000- SketchUp

SketchUp was developed by startup company @Last Software of Boulder, Colorado, co-founded in 1999 by Brad Schell and Joe Esch. SketchUp was created in August 2000 as a 3D content creation tool and was envisioned as a software program for design professionals. The program won a Community Choice Award at its first tradeshow in 2000. The first macOS release of SketchUp won a "Best of Show" at Macworld in 2002. Google acquired @Last Software on March 14, 2006, attracted by @Last Software's work developing a plugin for Google Earth. Trimble Navigation (now Trimble Inc.) acquired SketchUp from Google on June 1, 2012, for an undisclosed sum.

2001- NavisWorks

In 2001, NavisWorks developed (initially named JetStream), a 3D design review software that offered a set of tools to 3D CAD navigation, collaboration, and coordination. JetStream basically coordinated varying file format data and allowed construction simulation and problem detection. As Autodesk raced to be on top of the BIM game, it acquired NavisWorks in 2007, among other “smaller” BIM systems.

2006- Digital Project

In 2006, Gehry Technologies released Digital Project, a program like GC. Both Digital Project and GC spawned a revolution in architectural designs. These two platforms are revolutionary, in a sense, as they can produce especially complex and provocative architectural forms, paving the way for parametricism.

2008- Parametricist Manifesto

Patrick Schumacher coined “parametricism” and the movement of building parametric architectural structures in 2008. He pointed out in the Parametricist Manifesto the importance of mastering the modern BIM platforms (DP and GC) in competing in the modern architecture scene.

2012- A360 (Autodesk 360)

This system moved CAD to the cloud and allowed teams to work on the same design simultaneously. Others followed.

2012- Formit

In late 2012, Autodesk developed formit. Formit is an application that enables the conception of a BIM model on a mobile device.

2015- Mindesk

Created by Gabriele Sorrento, Mindesk lets users view projects through virtual reality.

2016- Microsoft HoloLens

HoloLens offers full-scale, holographic models.

2016- UK mandates BIM in all its projects.

2019- CAD-to-AR for Inventor app

Created by Autodesk, CAD-to-AR allows users to view Inventor models in augmented reality.

About Author: Mr. Nilanjan Deb, Managing Director of Canntech Services Pvt. Ltd. with offices in Delhi and Dubai.

Sources:

https://www.archdaily.com/302490/a-brief-history-of-bim

https://www.3dnatives.com/en/catia-cad-310720204/#

https://www.cadlinecommunity.co.uk/hc/en-us/articles/115000846485-STEP-Files-vs-IGES-Files

https://www.archdaily.com/302490/a-brief-history-of-bim

https://www.vectorworks.net/en-US/company#:~:text=Vectorworks%20was%20acquired%20in%202000,industry%20series%20products%20in%202001.

https://partsolutions.com/ecatalogsolutions/

https://www.scan2cad.com/cad/solidworks-history/

https://blogs.sw.siemens.com/solidedge/solid-edge-history-v1-to-v5/

https://www.designnews.com/automation-motion-control/catia-cutting-edge-internet-cad

https://blogs.autodesk.com/inventor/2017/01/20/look-history-inventor-eyes-jay-tedeschi/

https://www.ny-engineers.com/blog/how-do-autocad-and-revit-compare

https://mastersketchup.com/history-of-sketchup/

https://www.3dnatives.com/en/onshape-cad-software-280520204/

https://blogs.windows.com/devices/2016/02/29/announcing-microsoft-hololens-development-edition-open-for-pre-order-shipping-march-30/

https://www.3dfindit.com/?lang=en_US

https://www.autodesk.com/developer-network/certified-apps/cad-to-ar

#bim #architecture #architect #construction #building

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