1. Is it trully benificial ?
Yes it can be; if we cover the entire spectrum of the process of design: Right from concept formation till the final stages, including construction and even beyond: facilities managemement, maintenance, etc.
2. Does it reduce the no. of people required to do a job as claim by vendors ?
Yes. Intelligent BIM based software does reduce people. The key issue here is the "claim" which these vendors make. I believe the current theoretical basis for many such software are ill developed so I cannot always blame that the BIM vendors are only making claims. Sometimes, they are simply misguided and some of their intentions turn out empty quite innocently
3. What happens when your sub-consultants do not use BIM and are still on traditional 2D CAD systems. And you have to integrate their data into your system ?
This is definitely an issue when the BIM software is not connected with the rest of the parts of the design and construction process. However, I believe there is a definite possiblity where such a software can lead TO firm connections with conventional 2D/3D CAD software. However connections FROM 2D/3D software into a BIM software is quite unlikely. For e.g. In Revit, you would need to re-input information from Autocad.
4. How easy is it to incorporate changes that happen while work has started on site and you have converted your drawings into plain 2D ?
Changes can be incorporated easily. Though I think we are taking the presence of 2D drawings as a given. It need not be that way. Ideally, 2D drawings should be avoided completely. And it can be avoided:
It is now possible to put a small computer on the site and give inputs from the BIM software directly onto it via the Internet, etc. into a 3D software such as Model Press Reader, etc. which can not only view it in 3D but you can cut the model at any plane and get the dimensions. And moreover it is free. Adobe's Acrobat Reader (Version 7) now has some excellent 3D display capabilities -- though I am not too sure that is the way to go. The examples are to indicate that many companies are gravitating towards such a solution, there are many other solutions too
5. How easy or difficult is it to work in the Indian Context when there is practically no form of standardization ?
I am of the firm opinion there is nothing "special" about the "Indian Context" which casts aspersions on the possiblities of doing all these. Much of these software are written by Indians, albeit working for foreign companies. But we all know that anyway. Using software appropriately is often a mindset issue and nothing really much more. If we believe that there exists some firm standarization outside India then I would really like to see that. Let us not even remotely suspect our credentials to form standards in India. Its not happened so far because there is a maelstrom in the knowledge base out there. And that is all over the world, not just in India. AEC-XML is way below what all issues one need to tackle in architecture and to me looks as if it is completely invaded by vested commercial interests
6. Is it a quantum jump from working in 2D, like it was from Paper to CAD ?
Paper to CAD was a quantum jump? hmmmm... I would not think so. I think CAD (Any CAD ... I am not referring to CAD by any known brand) by itself was a very ill thought of piece of work in the context of a designer. Why so? It would require much more detailed explanation, which may not be appropriate on this forum. CAD should have always been using an information model
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