Building Information Modeling for less than 1000 Bucks (Part 1)

Currently, I am helping my colleague Stephan set up his architectural design workflow to create helpful Building Information Models with SketchUp quickly. We focus on the conceptual phase and architectural competitions, but the setup allows with some adaptations:

• Working in later stages.
• Modeling as a quantity surveyor for quantity takeoff.
• Modeling as a simulation engineer for thermal simulations.

When you finish this article, you can:

• Model useful Building Information Models in terms of geometry and information quickly.
• Create different plans like the one below.
• Understand and apply the IFC data schema to manage your project data better.
• Automatically do a quantity takeoff for further use in your cost calculation (although you only model spaces, windows, and doors).

With an intelligent workflow, Sketchup can be a reasonable, low cost and easy-to-use BIM tool. Therefore, lowering the entry barrier to BIM - making the whole industry better. Let's do this by sharing our knowledge!

Would you please share this article with interested colleagues and share your ideas and impressions in the comments. Thank you!?

The background story - Why a client rep starts to model

Stephan is an architect by training but has worked as a client rep and quantity surveyor for many years. Stephan is annoyed. When consulting his clients - building owners - on working with BIM, he often hears from architects:

BIM is complicated and costs more than conventional planning. Really?

So he decided to participate in an architectural competition where the BIM journey starts and learn to do proper and valuable models. I like this hands-on approach. Therefore, I agreed to support him.

He started out designing the project "freestyle" in Sketchup and set up the project breakdown structure mostly with "tags" (Sketchup equivalent to layers). After some time, it got very cumbersome to use. Moreover, producing the required plans was failure-prone. After contacting me, we started out defining the goals:

• Set up the toolchain for quick and convenient design work with a low fixed cost.
• While still using high-quality Building Information Models for continuous cost calculation (design to cost), area verification, and client requirement management.
• To capture all the client requirements once and for the whole project life cycle in one place. (Often, the design brief specifies many topics already, but they get lost in the process, ultimately making the client unhappy).
• Show that it's possible to fulfill all the competition requirements with low-cost tools. (Especially now, we often see clients asking for BIM and 2D documentation without specifying the use-case of BIM. And BIM comes in many nuances -the use ultimately decides the level of detail).

Sharpen the ax before cutting trees

As Stephan hit the limit of his knowledge, we talked and decided to set up the workflow with the following tools:

• Sketchup as primary modeling tool (~300€/year). Using Blender and the BIM Plugin would have been even cheaper, but the learning curve would be much steeper as well. Another good but more expensive option could be Vectorworks. The tool has to model spaces without any walls. Then it's compatible with this approach.
• IFC Manager plugin for a proper IFC import and export in SketchUp (free).
• SimpleBIM to enrich the model with additional information, visualize the information in the model, and run quality checks (~600€/year).
• Google Sheets (Excel) as a database for cost calculations, requirement management, and bringing the know-how of other planers into the model (free).
• AbstractBIM to create normalized models for quantity takeoff and energy simulation of different design solutions (approx. 0.8 €/room). But talk to me for an enterprise or project-specific prizing.
• Trimble Connect for data exchange and to visualize data. (included in the Sketchup license)

The overall goal was to keep the fixed costs as low as possible, as these can kill an architectural office.

The total fixed cost per year is approx. 900€ and only the Sketchup license cost scale linear with the employees - One SimpleBIM license can serve many employees. Flexible costs depend on the project size and the number of abstractions (We use the term to describe abstract's automated BIM modeling service. Imagine it as a hired modeler who is living in the Azure cloud). The number of abstractions is a trade-off between manually modeling the different versions consistently with walls, slabs, and roofs versus the cost of generating the abstractBIM.

The wrong project breakdown structure can break your project.

I don't like training on dummy projects - transferring the learned skills often is difficult. Therefore we used Stephan's model as a starting point. Unfortunately, I can't show you the actual project the competition is still running. I set up a template based on the learnings and will use this to demonstrate.

First, we cleaned up the project breakdown structure. We used the "Outliner" to set up the project structure following the IFC data schema instead of using tags. Data schema sounds very fancy, but basically, it's a way to structure information like having a folder with prepared chapters for your project management. The difference to the folder you have in the office is that many people use the same folder structure.

As every project has a site, buildings, and stories, we set up this structure in the template.?The shape can change, the system stays the same.

The outliner is vital to use SketchUp as an Open BIM tool and to export proper IFC-Files. This structure is precisely the same structure used in the IFC, and the export function uses it.

The IFC schema formalizes where to store information, and it's pretty easy for every stakeholder to find the data again. E.g., When you are a planner and want to know the address of the building. Where do you find it? In a recap? The contract? Some database? Some document? Or you just give a call to X? In the IFC Schema, you have a defined place to put it - not only in one but in all of your projects. Not only for the address but for many more attributes.

Check out the free?IFC Schema Navigator?from DDS Cad if you want to know which attributes are available. Moreover, if it's not enough, you can create your attributes. The following picture shows the interface, and I will use it for a quick introduction of the data schema (First, it looks frightening, but it's pretty easy, so bear with me):

In the IFC, you have defined entities like walls, spaces, windows, ... So when you want to know which entities already exist, start typing at (1) in the picture above, and you will find them. In this example, I show the space element (IfcSpace). Think about the nouns; almost every element that can be built has its own defined entity.

In SketchUp, you can assign these entities in the standard panel (lower arrow), the classifier tool (upper arrow), or when creating a component.?

Every entity has defined attributes. You can imagine the attributes as attached labels or as adjectives that describe the property of a noun. Into these properties, you can write values. Imagine it as a table:

The most important attributes you can find at the number (2) in the following picture. Mostly I use only these few attributes in the BIM authoring tool:

• Name ... used as a unique human-readable identifier like a room number, a door number, a wall number. Every IFC entity has a "Name." If you only want to manage one attribute in Sketchup, this is your choice!
• LongName ... used as a text field, e.g., to put the room name.
• ObjectType ... used for some classification, e.g., an area code, a cost classification.
• InteriorOrExteriorSpace ... the name speaks for itself.

Different entities can have different attributes. In (3), you can find the "Property Sets" or pSets. Imagine them as a bucket or collection of attributes. They just make it easier to sort the attributes by topic.

I see the computer as the only employee who does not care if I say please and is happy to do the same work repeatedly.

In SketchUp, you can assign some but not all of these available attributes. The name attribute is the definition name of the component. For the other attributes, right-click on a component (1) and choose component options. The window (3) will open. There you can click on the small plus next to the attribute name and type the value. Don't forget to hit the apply button at the end to save your input.

Managing data with so many clicks on and without an overview can be cumbersome and difficult. It is not only valid in SketchUp but all BIM tools. Therefore, I recommend a workflow where you link the data to the modeled objects. Using Sketchup for modeling and providing at least the name attribute as link and Excel (Google Sheets) as a database for information management. The idea is:

• Spreadsheets are powerful in managing data. But long spreadsheets quickly get overwhelming, and you can get lost in the details. E.g., Assigning the floor material only in the spreadsheet can easily lead to a wild mix of different materials without any concept.
• The model is helpful to visualize the data. You can ask the computer, (please) show me where we have which kind of floor material. This visual overview prevents you from getting, as mentioned earlier, lost in detail.

To link the data between the model and the spreadsheet, you just need one "key." Usually, I use the Name attribute - the unique number for this room. We have the unique number in the model - we have the unique number in the database- voila! To enrich the model, we use SimpleBIM. To visualize the data, we use either SimpleBIM or Trimble connect. This whole workflow I will show in one of the following articles.

In SketchUp, the "Definition" field fills into the IFC "Name" attribute. And this is what we use for linking the data from a table.

Maybe IFC is not the best standard - but at least it is one.

buildingSMART defines the IFC Standard. Many intelligent people put their know-how into it. I think the standard is not perfect - but everybody has the chance to improve it, and it is one of the few international standards. Standards enable the software industry to develop new affordable solutions to make your work more efficient. It is essential for the software industry. The more universal valid the better - implementing many different national standards in the tools is often too expensive. Therefore having this standard really enables innovation for our industry.

Standards are drivers for innovation.

Standards as drivers for innovation sounds like a contradiction. But think about it. Till around 1850, every village had its time standard - set by the clocktower. That was fine in an age of horse-powered coaches. With the broader train network and the faster traveling time, it became essential to have a schedule. For this, the time measurement had to be standardized. First in Britain, then worldwide. Standardizing first the railway time, later in 1880, the Greenwich Mean Time is the foundation of many innovations we don't want to miss anymore. I remember. When I traveled in Ethiopia, I had to wait for two days for a train that never came.

One of the problems with IFC is that it allows for many different interpretations, and SketchUp has a "very special" one.

Therefore I like to use the free SketchUp - IFC Manager Plugin from Jan Brouwer and Stijn van Schaijk. The following picture on the left side shows the standard IFC export from Sketchup. On the right side, the export with the IFC-Manager Plugin. Having this additional hierarchy level does not look like a big deal at the first glimpse, but when you want to use the IFC in another program, it's better when the export follows the standard.

Clients focus on the space that connects humans, not the walls that separate them.

When drawing on paper, we draw lines at the border between space and walls - this helps us define the space. We don't need to spend energy to think about it - using the pen comes naturally.

When working with most BIM tools, we model walls, slabs, roofs, stairs ... the space is just the emptiness in between. Unfortunately, to model, all the building elements require a lot of clicks and interaction with menus. For most people, this does not come naturally. Thinking about the design and the spatial quality easily gets lost. We have to set up the tool to eliminate distractions as much as possible and make it easy to focus on the creative process of designing!

Thirty spokes are joined together in a wheel,

but it is the center hole

that allows the wheel to function.

We mold clay into a pot,

but it is the emptiness inside

that makes the vessel useful.

We fashion wood for a house,

but it is the emptiness inside

that makes it livable.

We work with the substantial,

but the emptiness is what we use.

Laozi Tao Te Ching 11

We use the flexibility of SketchUp and directly model the spaces - the emptiness. The walls are just what's left in between - our goal is to make modeling as direct as possible and avoid unnecessary clicks, as these are a distraction from thinking and use up time - especially when you have to change something.

Like most people in the construction industry, you might think models are excellent, but a plan can provide a better overview. So the 2D helps to understand the function and the user flow better. 3D is great for coordination, quantity takeoff, and understanding spatial quality. So when you can use the strength of both worlds, it's perfect.

The above approach of placing only the spaces on a black canvas makes it easy to create layouts with fewer clicks than modeling the individual bordering walls. Significantly when changing the room layout, and let's be honest, it will change a lot in the early design process.

When I was younger and still worked as an architect, I prepared the room program on paper, arranged it, tested different organizations and shapes of buildings. That's precisely the same, with a few slight differences:

1. Less sensitive to a sudden breeze
2. Easier to test different versions
3. Easier to check if you forgot a room/if the size of the rooms is right.

Architects think visually, and "tags" support this.

I like to use "Tags" and the function "Color by Tag" to color the spaces according to their type, use, or classification. Every class of space has its own "Tag" with an assigned color.

I hope somebody from the Sketchup development team reads this, so I place a feature request here.?

1. Please improve the IFC import and export. (attribute values get lost and the additional hierarchy level of the data type).
2. Instead of "coloring by tag," allow a coloring by attribute and the option to add IFC standard attributes - maybe directly link them to a spreadsheet?
3. Make programming dynamic components more visual - think simplified Solid Works with dimension lines you can lock change values and create formulas just by clicking on them.

Proper preparation prevents piss poor performance.?

Modeling quickly like this is only possible with good preparation. Stephan and I did think a lot about what we wanted to achieve and set up the work environment. Defining your work style is something you have to do at least once - no matter if you work with pen and paper or any other BIM tool. No tool on the market can fit your style! Having a style is even part of the company culture.

Part of this preparation is to set up the right components. For the early design stage, we recommend at least the following components:

• The whole project organization with Site, Building, Storeys, and the Slabs.
• An interior- and exterior space.
• A facade element.
• A window.
• A door.

As the design progresses, more components might become necessary. E.g., A corner window, some different doors, stairs, toilets.

I like to set up the design system with some essential elements common in most projects. It is worth spending some time developing them and some project-specific quickly and dirty modeled components. The goal should be to build up a collection of solutions - not only in your mind but saved in one central location on your hard drive.

Sketchup supports this. You can save the components in the Sketchup file - only locally in the project - or in a standard folder accessible by everybody in your team.

Let's create a Dynamic Component.

I just show you the basics so that you understand the concept behind it. Many great Youtube videos are going into detail. The idea behind the dynamic components is simple - you model the pattern and the behavior instead of the element with fixed dimensions. E.g., you could model a window component with the length and height?of 1m x 2m and a second one with 1.5m x 2.5m, or you could model one component where you can dynamically change the length and the height. The second approach is much more flexible, and it's easier to manage the library of the components.

In SketchUp, you can model quite complex components and even components inside of components. I once modeled the whole pattern of a building with a wood-concrete composite ceiling. By entering the building's height, width, and length, the building system changed and adapted automatically.

I don't recommend starting with complex ones like this, but you could do it with enough time and the need.

You need to know about components that it can be unique or have many instances. When it is unique, and you change something - only this component changes. When it has several instances, and you change one - for example, Push-Pull one surface - all instances change. The automatic update applies to changes "inside the component (when you double-click on it and change something). Changes to the outside of the component only influence the single instance. E.g., when you scale or rotate it.

Working with instances is very powerful and very risky. You can easily mess up the whole design when you forget about it. Therefore, I recommend building up a habit to make components unique by default. When you want to have the linked behavior, it should be a conscious choice.

Let's look at the steps for a simple door component:

1. Start drawing a rectangle 100x210.
2. Double click on it to activate the edges and the surface.
3. Right-click and choose "create component."
4. Give it a Definition name "Door," followed by a # and 1. In SketchUp, # means number, and when placing another unique instance, SketchUp automatically counts up (this I use extensively).
5. Choose the Type (IfcEntity) IfcDoor.
6. Check "Replace selection with component"; otherwise, you have to drag and drop the newly created component from the component window into the work area.

(Hint: to automatically cut through a face, choose glue to any and tick "Cut opening")

So far, this is a "stupid" component. Right-click on the element and choose "Component Attributes" (1) to add some dynamic behavior. The magic happens, and you add the "intelligence."

First, we want to be able to choose the size of the door.

1. Click on the small plus next to Add attribute.
2. Choose size (add all).
3. Enter another value, and the component will scale. It is essential, especially when doing components in components or replacing them with higher detailed ones. It's scaling and not a changing of the value! Therefore, when you exchange a component with a new one, the scaling factor stays the same. If the two components have a different size, the scaling factor will be applied, and the whole dimensions will be wrong! To solve this, model the components in one standard size, e.g., I model a wall component 100x100x30cm. When I replace the first wall component with a second one with the same original size, the modeled wall will stay the same size.
4. Click on the small arrow symbol on the right side of the Attribute value.
5. Choose "Display Rule and "User can edit as a textbox." You see a new editable field in the "Component Options" window.

?Dynamic components are flexible. You can:

• Link attributes.
• Create your attributes.
• Create dropdown lists.
• Make components inside of components and chain them together.
• Work with Excel-like formulas (LenX = LenY to force a square) or logical formulas (if - then).
• Change visibility of elements.
• Export attributes to IFC.
• Define in which directions you can scale (very useful!).

Just keep in mind. With great power comes great responsibility - always think about the person who has to use it and design the components as simple as possible. e.g., when placing the doors on the black slab, adding the component is challenging when the entry point is at the bottom - usually, we look from the top. Therefore you can change the insert point from the bottom to the top and add an attribute to control the vertical position in the wall. Then maybe you want to provide three different types:

• One with a single door leaf when the width is smaller than 121cm.
• One with a single door leaf of 100cm and a fixed part.
• One with two-door leaves when the door width is >135cm.

Either you make different components to place or work with logical rules (if doorwith<121 then make it visible otherwise hide... The more logical rules you put into your component, the more possibilities for mistakes emerge.

Styles and visual thinking

Architects think visually. Therefore it's essential that the modeling environment already looks great. I prefer a work environment as close as possible to the output style.

I favor a minimalistic black and white and some colors to highlight specific information. To achieve this, I work with three different styles:

• To work in 3D, primarily black and white, but the color of the lines is the color of the axis. It helps to model more precisely and discover slight inconsistencies quicker.
• A plan graphic in black and white.
• A plan graphic to color the spaces by use or category. The same style as the 3D work style without the colored axes and the color by tag selected. (For later stages, the same principle works to differentiate between new and renovation elements).

Scenes help you to forget about styles and tags.

So that I don't have to think about the styles and the tags, I prepare different scenes upfront in my template.

• A 3D work environment with everything visible.
• A 3D work environment by level.
• 2D Black and white floor plans
• 2D floor plans colored by use/room category.
• One section and on elevation.
• 3d IFC export.

The ax is sharp. Let's start working!

To bring this all together, I quickly designed an office building. The steps are:

• Using pen and paper for concepts, quick testing, and communicating in the team!
• Geolocating the site. With Augmented Reality (AR), you can quickly look at the design - perfect for clients to understand the building better. The position quality is enough for this - for later design stages, you need to be more precise. Otherwise, construction companies can't use the model on-site.

• Defining the site and building placement with a rough shape. For this, I model the building volume per floor, and once the volumetric positioning gets stable, I move the building volumes into the IfcStoreys and add the slabs. There is no point in modeling precisely right away - it just slows you down. Protip: You can change the axis to fit your design direction and add dimensions that automatically update.

• Organizing the room program. Often you receive a room program from the client. In one of the following articles, I show you how you document this in a spreadsheet for further use. It's an office building, so having a grid makes sense. I chose a grid of 145cm and created a grid component. To be quicker, first, I place the spaces on the correct tag and then copy-paste them. I recommend always making the space component unique - so the counter goes up, and we already have a unique room number for linking the data.

• Adding windows and doors. Best to add the windows with a cutting component directly on the surfaces of the volume we used to define the building shape. Never cut into the room geometry - missing surfaces can lead to problems in the upstream process.

• Printing plans and exporting an IFC. We use the predefined scenes to send the model to SketchUp Layout. Just sending the scene to the layout is very quick. The moment you start to do proper dimensions, text, and additional plan graphics, you need time. My recommendation is to have a no plans policy. Only when it is essential, but let people beg for them!

• Creating an alternative scenario with another floor. I recommend making another file and not working with additional tags or copying the whole structure. You can do that, but it's easy to mess up and get some unexpected/unplanned behavior from the components.

• Creating an alternative scenario with another floor. I recommend making another file and not working with additional tags or copying the whole structure for scenarios. You can do it, but it's easy to mess up and get some unexpected/unplanned behavior from the components.

I modeled the second version in 5 Minutes.

• Push-Pull the fa?ade surface. Because the windows are a part of this surface, they move automatically.
• Scaling the rooms in every story.
• Deleting the windows.
• Scaling one window.

Automatic modeling the abstractBIM, another 5 minutes.

Importing in SimpleBIM, Google Tables, and IDA ICE another 5 minutes.

In the creative process, the model will get messy!

No matter how good your modeling system is, the model will get bloated in the creative process. Your priority while modeling should be to deliver a great building - not to do a good BIM. More people will make it even worse.

This is a conflict of interest. On the one hand side, you want to follow as few rules as possible while modeling. On the other side, a consistent model is the success factor for an automated cost calculation with BIM. In my experience, one of the first questions every client asks when looking at a design is:

How much will it cost? Is it in my budget? Can you answer this question from day one of your design with confidence?

Usually, you can give a rough estimation: sqm times an overall unit price for this building type. But honestly, this is great to determine the budget and the overall feasibility. The moment you start designing, clients expect more! Especially when working with different design solutions - clients expect an estimation for all of them.

To solve this conflict of interest, you have to find the minimally acceptable modeling standard - enforce this one and be flexible with the rest. An excellent minimal?modeling standard is:

• Every room, window and door has to be modeled with the right Dimensions and with the IFC Entity IfcSpace, IfcWindow and IfcDoor.
• Every room should have a unique number (Definition Name with #1).
• Every room should have a type name (Tag).

This little information is enough for a pretty detailed cost calculation using the quantities generated by the abstractBIM. The data in this spreadsheet will be consistent. Meaning:

• The same data will be in the same column.
• You can trust that an exterior wall is always called "Wall Exterior."
• That no double elements exist
• That the quantities are always calculated the same.

Therefore you can build one excel calculation for all your projects. The input is stable - no matter who models - you can reuse the same excel calculation for the next project. You just have to replace the quantities - the rest of the calculation will update automatically.

I'll show you how you use this to set up different automated simulation workflows in one of the following articles.

The main learnings sofar

Sketchup best practice / Tipps and tricks to work quicker:

• When working with SketchUp, forget what you know about modeling in 2.5D tools. You will almost always work in 3D. The 2D scenes are for documentation.
• Always work with components. Use the IFC classification system.
• Make components unique (right-click, make unique).
• Always add #1 to the component definition. Sketchup will automatically count up, and that provides a perfect database key.
• To quickly change a dimension from a component, you can either use the "Scale-" or the "Push-Pull Tool." Scaling affects the selected component—push-Pull all instances. Therefore, use both but choose wisely and make components unique!
• When creating a component, block different scaling directions. Often I just select the three main ones.
• Cutting components need to be placed directly on a face - not a component.
• Sometimes it's easier to change a component, not in the original place. Copy it, move it to a suitable space and change it. As long as you don't make it unique, both instances will change.
• Change your axes wisely and change them (Tools, Axes).
• While moving or copying block the axis: arrow up = blue, arrow left = green, arrow right = red (I remember this by right = red and up (ub) = blue).
• By default, model "untagged" and then move the element consciously to another tag.
• Use tags as a logical order system and to control visibility. E.g., I like to see inside of my Rooms; therefore I have tag "ceiling" with a transparent material.
• Use the outliner as a spatial order system. Follow the IFC structure of Site, Building(s), Storeys.
• Work extensively with the outliner. Often it is easier to select a component in the outliner than in 3D.
• Use drag and drop to move components in the outliner.
• For better orientation, use the color by tag (e.g., to paint the rooms according to their room category).
• Minimize the "I" from BIM in the Sketchup model. Manage information in a spreadsheet/database and link it to the model. For this, you need a key, and the component definition with the automatic count is perfect for it.
• Save time by modeling as few elements as possible. E.g., add the walls late in the design process; the best is to add them only when the concept stabilizes.
• Update your scenes when you change some visibility settings.
• When moving/copying the spaces, think about the most likely construction and choose the distances accordingly. Drywall 12.5cm, Concrete 20cm for "normal" structural walls. 30cm or more for the main structural walls, e.g., the walls of the core. 30 cm. Modeling the emptiness is one of the biggest advantages of this work style - no switching tools selecting different types of walls, no getting lost in submenus. Let's be honest the wall thickness will change the moment the project advances.
• Stairs and toilets often are critical elements in terms of area. Prepare some standard layouts for reuse and quick adaption.
• Learn the shortcuts. You can double your modeling speed! You can download a quick reference here.
• When you miss a functionality, google for it. There are thousands of useful extensions, and a lot of them are free. Quite useful is the IFC Manager Plugin, the make all unique plugin ...

Organizational best practice:

• Avoid the "now I work with BIM, so I have to model everything very detailed trap." Always aim for the lowest possible geometric detail level and focus on the I in BIM. Especially in the early stages, don't fake a level of detail that is not thought through yet.
• Plan your modeling steps. I use just a piece of paper for it. First placing the building, then adding the rooms on the ground floor, starting with the core, moving up...
• Learn the basics of the tools beforehand. Spending money on training pays back very quickly. Stephan started on his own, set up the whole project to the best of his knowledge. But he missed a few key concepts that made his life much harder and drove him to ask for support.
• It's vital to set up the standards before starting to work. For those who remember drawing by hand, you developed a style and system for drawing, which helped you be quick and produce beautiful results. The same is valid for working with CAD and for BIM, even more so.
• The program is less important than a good setup and a thought-through workflow. It is possible to use OpenBIM Workflows in early design and Sketchup - the simplicity has enormous advantages to serve the client better and minimize the busy work of the designer.

Outlook

So far, you saw that you could very quickly design different scenarios and document them. In the following article(s) of this series, I'll show you how this model with this level of detail is already enough to:

• Capture and visualize the client requirements in a simple database/spreadsheet and set up automated quality checks in SimpleBIM. So that requirements never again get lost or have to be entered again.
• Do a fully automated quantity takeoff and cost calculation of different scenarios (cost simulations) using abstractBIM and Google Sheets (Excel). So that you can quickly fulfill the client's need for accurate cost estimations - Not only at the end of the design process but in parallel to your design process.
• Collaborate and coordinate with other planners and stakeholders using Trimble Connect so that the input of other specialists is integrated early on in the design process.
• Optimize the design in terms of sustainability with the use of thermal simulations e.g. IDA ICE, DesignBuilder, Lesosai. So that simulation becomes an integral part of the design process instead of just showing the feasibility for the building permit.

I hope you got inspired! All this is possible with low-cost tools. Sketchup costs less than 300 €/Year. Very likely, your CAD/BIM Software costs more than ten times. I hope it is more than ten times better. Please don't get me wrong! Revit, Archicad, Vectorworks are great tools - when you use them correctly for the right task. But...

By lowering the entry barrier to BIM we make the whole industry better. Let's do this by sharing our knowledge! Therefore, would you please share this article with interested colleagues and share your ideas and impressions in the comments??

I'm looking forward to our discussion!

Simon Dilhas

This article first appeared on the abstract blog at www.abstractBIM.com