BIMKEEPER INTRODUCTION AND MANUAL. Using Building Information Modeling to successfully manage real-estate

Transcription

1 BIMKEEPER INTRODUCTION AND MANUAL Using Building Information Modeling to successfully manage real-estate

2 INTRODUCTION TO BIM Contents Introduction to BIM 2 BIM and IFC 3 Managing complexes 4 Navigating to a complex 4 Creating a new complex 5 Complex detail page 6 Units 7 Uploading IFCs 8 Setting a BIM Project as default 10 Conversion 10 Using the Viewer 11 Multiple selection and element export 17 Adding 3D-Related data 18 Account management 21 Role Types 21 Creating a new user 21 Management 23 Page 1

3 INTRODUCTION TO BIM Introduction to BIM This document provides a brief description of the visualization and building information module of BIMkeeper. BIMkeeper is a larger software suit containing a fully web-based system for managing real-estate. BIMkeeper offers full integration with Building Information Models (BIM), 3D digital information models representing real estate or other physical infrastructure. Using Building Information Modeling offers many business benefits, including but not limited to: improved collaboration, a more rapid and productive drafting process, error and conflict reduction during development, and of course numerous visualization capabilities. BIMkeeper emphasizes and adds to these benefits, providing powerful tools for visualizing data, connecting, and sharing data relevant to the Building Information Model. For example, linking condition reports, preparation and set-up of long term maintenance plans, visualization of sensor readings, and linking and storage of relevant documents. BIMkeeper is a fully web-based platform, no client software is required, just a WebGLcompatible browser and device. The platform provides easy search functions, integration with maps or street view, and the ability to share data (with e.g. just a hyperlink). This very much eases accessibility of the BIM models and the ability to share information about them. Screenshot of BIMkeeper Page 2

4 BIM AND IFC BIM and IFC Building Information Models contain 3D geometry, measurements, physical properties, materials, connections, and many other relevant building data. These models are often created by professionals, like architects and specialized offices such as FIMBLE. This is achieved with advanced computer-aided design (CAD) software such as Autodesk Revit or Graphisoft ARCHICAD. The internal BIM file formats of these software applications are often proprietary, but most offer the possibility to export the models into the IFC format. IFC stands for Industry Foundation Classes, an open (ISO 16739) exchange format for Building Information Models. BIMkeeper works with IFC files, so it does not matter in which application the modeling is conducted. Naturally, the level of information, detail, performance and quality of the model provided in BIMkeeper entirely depends on the modeling process and/or IFC export options in the used modeling software. For use with long term maintenance plants, providing proper measurements (dimensions, areas) and classifications of elements is absolutely required. BIMkeeper has implemented many optimizations to be able quickly load and render large models (including large complexes and IFCs of several hundred MBs). It is one of the fastest web-based viewers available. Still, for smooth performance in WebGL and not to exceed browser memory limits, care must be taken not to export too much detailed geometry. The terms IFC models and BIM models are used interchangeably in this document. Page 3

5 MANAGING COMPLEXES Managing complexes To use Building Information Models in BIMkeeper, it is first necessary to navigate to, or create a complex. Although we use the word complex, building, asset or project also fits the description. NAVIGATING TO A COMPLEX When you log in to BIMkeeper, the first thing you will see is an overview of complexes, and a search box. You can search for complexes by their name, address, city, or the name of an IFC model (if available). The result page will show you some basic information about the complex (thumbnail, name, address, whether it s a HOA, if there is a BIM model available). By clicking on a row, you can navigate to the complex. There are two other ways to browse complexes in BIMkeeper: - The My Complexes tabs shows an overview of complexes (tiles) that are specifically linked to your BIMkeeper account. This can be used to easily access complexes you often work with. - Search on the map offers an advanced search and filter functionality. It presents all assets on the map matching specific criteria (energy labels, construction years, square meters, any many more) visually on the map. Searching for complexes Page 4

6 MANAGING COMPLEXES CREATING A NEW COMPLEX To create a complex, click on the Create complex/building button on the first search screen: Next, you will need to enter the required information about the complex (name and address): Click on Save to finalize the creation of a complex. Page 5

7 MANAGING COMPLEXES COMPLEX DETAIL PAGE The detail page of the complex provides, at a glance, a visual overview of its location, appearance and relevant information. - On the top left, the location and outline of the complex is shown on a map (OpenStreetMap). In this example, we use information from the Dutch cadaster (BAG) to draw the building outlines. But we can also link with other sources. - On the top right, you can use an interactive Google Street View pane. - On the left side, you can view and/or upload a photo for the complex. - Below the photo, there is a button to directly open the IFC model. It will be shown if there is a single IFC model in the complex, or in case of multiple, the one specifically set as the default. The Complex detail page Page 6

8 MANAGING COMPLEXES - Tabs provide different functions and information about the complex: o The BIM tab allows you to view and manage the IFCs for the complex o The 3D-related tab shows information linked to specific building elements o The files tab lets you download and manage all files/documents relevant to the complex o The Units tab is shown if there are units in the complex. You can manage them here and view their location on street view and the map. UNITS A complex may contain zero, one, or multiple units. Units can be thought of apartments, houses or rentable spaces. Or if the complex is not subdivisible (for example, a church), you can define a single unit for the complex itself. In BIMkeeper, lots of information can be connected to a unit, including: - The type of unit (apartment, house, garage) - The address - Information about the occupant (including renting contracts or HOA membership info) - Many relating properties such as energy label, construction year, value, number of rooms, etc. It is not necessary to define units to upload an IFC model. However, they are very essential objects in BIMkeeper in order to connect building information to. This information, can among other things, be used to show information in the viewer. Like whether a space is rented or not, and if yes, by whom. It also allows you to filter assets on a map based on select criteria. For example, to visually present all assets with a low (D-) energy label built after Page 7

9 UPLOADING IFCS Uploading IFCs To upload an IFC, a BIM project has to be created first. A BIM project can consist of multiple BIM models (IFCs). It is possible to combine multiple IFC files in the view. To start, first go to the BIM tab. Next, click on Add new BIM project : If there already is a BIM project, click on the Edit icon: Next, you will see the create/edit page for the BIM project: Page 8

10 UPLOADING IFCS First, enter the name of the BIM project if not already present. Below, you can drop one or additional IFC files. After adding the IFC file, click on OK to assign it as a new model. It is also possible to assign an IFC file as a new version of an existing one. We strongly recommend uploading the accompanying Revit file (if available) alongside the IFC model. You can do this by dropping the file as well, add adding it as a source file. When done, click on the OK button below. The model will automatically start conversion. Page 9

11 UPLOADING IFCS SETTING A BIM PROJECT AS DEFAULT If you uploaded more than one project, it is a good idea to set one as default. To do this, click on the Edit (pencil) icon next to the project. Then, click on the Set as default project checkbox, and press OK : CONVERSION Before the IFC model is accessible in the viewer, it will have to be converted to a format suitable for WebGL. This process can take a while. Models that have not yet been converted will be shown with an hourglass icon, and will show the progress. Models of which the conversion is finished will have a check mark and a 3D button to access the viewer. Page 10

12 USING THE VIEWER Using the Viewer After loading a model in the viewer, you will be presented with a 3D view of the model (1), and a left (2) and right (3) pane. - You can navigate and zoom in the 3D view (1) with a mouse or touch controls. o To center the camera on an object, click on it with the mouse o To rotate the view, hold and move the left mouse button o To pan the view, hold and move the right mouse button o To zoom in, you can use the scroll wheel, or hold and move the middle mouse button - The left pane (2) represents the selection of visible elements in the building. Here you can select and navigate to elements, or turn them on or off. You can do this in four different ways: Page 11

13 USING THE VIEWER o The first tab ( Structure ) lists all floors of a building and allows you to turn them on or off. For example, when you only want to view a specific floor of a building. o The second tab ( Elements ) shows a list of elements categorized by their element type. There can be multiple levels of element types, and you can turn them on or off by level. To hide all elements except a specific category, right click and select Hide others. You can do this for a main category ( Glass ), or a subcategory (all glass with a specific brand or dimension). o The third tab ( Classification ) is similar to the previous tab, but instead categorizes elements by their classification. For example, the NL/SfB standard. o The third tab ( Zones ) shows elements grouped by Zones and Groups, if this data is defined in the IFC. These represent collections of elements and/or spaces. For example, all spaces belonging to a specific apartment can be grouped to a zone. Building with only two floors enabled Building with only elements of type doors and glass enabled - The right pane (3) shows information specific to the currently selected element(s). This consists of the name, its type/ifc class, classification and measurements. The number of elements with the same type, IFC class, or classification is visible on the right. By clicking Show more, you can even view additional information, such as the unique id and all properties defined in the Page 12

14 USING THE VIEWER IFC. When having multiple elements selected, only information common to the selection is shown. - At the bottom of the right pane (4) is the documentation panel. This shows additional information (text, hyperlinks, files) connected to the specific element. For example, an operating manual for a boiler. This additional information comes from the BIMkeeper database, not the IFC. You can add documentation using the Add button. We will explain this feature in the next section. - The toolbar (5) contains some useful tools and advanced functionality: The Separate floors slider pulls floors apart, so that it becomes easy to look into the building. This is similar to getting a view into the floors by turning them on or off. The Spaces icon toggles spaces on or off. This allows you to view, select and link information to spaces. Page 13

15 USING THE VIEWER The eye icon is used for showing and hiding elements, and making them transparent. This menu can also be accessed by right clicking an element (in the viewer or left sidebar.) Show all resets the visibility of all elements. Hide just hides this element. Hide others hides all elements except this element. Next, it is possible to show or hide only elements with the same IFC class, main type, or sub type as the selected element. Similar to hiding elements, it is also possible to make an element (or other elements) transparent. The Look at element buttons center and zoom the camera to the specific element. The crosshair icon switches to first person camera mode. This allows you to linearly move (fly) through a building. You can look by moving the mouse, and move by pressing the WASD or arrow keys. You can exit first person mode by pressing Esc. Page 14

16 USING THE VIEWER The viewpoint menu is used to switch to and manage viewpoints. A viewpoint stores your current view (position, rotation) and element selection. Create hyperlink creates a sharable link with your current viewpoint. This can be for example given to an installer or contractor, so he can see what element needs to be repaired, with all relevant information at hand. Save viewpoint opens a dialog to save the viewpoint in the database, together with a screenshot. It is possible to mark a viewpoint as default, so it will be opened when the model is loaded. Next, a list of viewpoints for the current model is shown. Switch to the viewpoint by clicking it. You can also edit or remove them using the two icons on the right. The sectioning tool can make a cross section of a building, to view the insides at a specific position and angle. To use the tool, first select a side of an element to start sectioning (for example, a side of a wall or a side of a roof). This decide the initial position and axis of the sectioning plane. Page 15

17 USING THE VIEWER You can move the sectioning plane by dragging the on-screen arrows (red, green, blue). By clicking Rotation, you can rotate the sectioning plane to another angle. Click on Translate to be able to move the sectioning plane again. You can lock the sectioning inplace by clicking the sectioning lock icon. To stop sectioning, press the sectioning button again. The view settings menu allows you to tweak some display options in the viewer, such as lighting, background color and wireframes. Page 16

18 USING THE VIEWER The Add objects button allows to dynamically add additional objects (furniture) to the current model. To use it, first select a surface to add an object to. These objects can then be moved, resized and rotated. It is intended to allow you to furnish your own home. For this function to work, the objects (in fact, IFCs) must be uploaded to BIMkeeper, and marked as dynamically placeable. This functionality is currently experimental, furnishing configurations cannot be saved yet. MULTIPLE SELECTION AND ELEMENT EXPORT It is possible to select multiple objects in the viewer, and to export the information of the selection to a CSV spreadsheet. To select multiple elements, hold the Ctrl key while selecting elements with the left mouse button in the 3D view. Keep holding the Ctrl key to add to the selection. It is also possible to select multiple elements by clicking a floor, element type, classification or zone in the left panel. In that case, all elements with the same floor, type, classification or zone will be selected. To export the selection, click Export selection (x elements) to CSV in the right sidebar. Page 17

19 USING THE VIEWER Element export ADDING 3D-RELATED DATA By clicking Add.. (4), you can add documentation related to a BIM model. Next, a dialog will be presented: First, enter a short title for the added information. For example, Technical manuals. Page 18

20 USING THE VIEWER Next, you will need to decide on which level the element connects to: The possible ways to connect an element are: - Only this specific element - To the specific main- or subtype indicated by the architect - The IFC class of the element - If available, the classification code. For example, NL-SfB (Dutch), but others are supported as well - The floor of the element - Or, the entire complex Next, you can either add free text (including an URL/link), or upload file(s). Finally, you can decide under which tab to put the added information, or create a new tab. This tab will be a subtab under 3D-related on the complex detail page. You can add as many as you want. Added information can be accessed in two ways. Firstly, clicking an element in the viewer will show the information that is connected to it, in the bottom right toolbar (4). Added installation manuals to an element Page 19

21 USING THE VIEWER It is also possible to view all added 3D-related information on the complex details page, under the 3D-related tab. Page 20

22 ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT Account management Please note that this chapter is only applicable for administrative users in BIMkeeper. ROLE TYPES There are three user-roles relevant to BIMkeeper: Standard user user with just the rights to read (viewing IFC models, information of complexes and relevant data/files) Manager user with rights to read, add, change or delete Complexes, IFC models, and relevant data Administrator user with all manager rights, plus the ability to create new users, managers, or administrators Additionally, for standard users it is possible to set whether they may view all files, or only files in folders marked as public. CREATING A NEW USER To create a new user, first log in with an administrator account. Next: - Go to the Admin menu item - Click on Users - Click on the Create new user button Here you can enter the necessary data. A username, password, name, and role are required. When finished, click Save. The user should then be able to log in with the provided credentials. Page 21

23 ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT Page for creating a new user Page 22

24 MANAGEMENT Management The management part of BIMkeeper possesses a huge amount of functions to manage buildings, houses and homeownership associations. This allows the whole administration-cycle to be managed. Imagine, all the documents about buildings, condition measurements, multi-year maintenance plans, quotation projects, work in progress, invoices, etcetera. Below, you will find an explanation about them in a nutshell. All stakeholders have a role in the system (chain-immigration). For example, renters, members of a homeowners association, administrators, notaries, contractors, debt collectors etc. Transparency, digitization and full process-control are core concepts of the system. To illustrate an example: According to the multi-year maintenance plan, it seems that in 2018, the roofing felt must be replaced. The roof will first be inspected, while the costs will be discussed in a later meeting. Maintenance activities will automatically be added to the agenda one year in advance (at a HOA, the general members meeting). If the owners decide to replace the roof felt, the concerning finances will be discussed with them. An administrator gets an assignment to request a quotation (digitally, from BIMkeeper), as a result of a decision in a meeting. Quotations will be digitally requested from the roofers. In consultation with the owner(s), the work will be awarded and the work-assignment provided. Page 23

25 MANAGEMENT The roofer will receive mail, declaring the contract and can immediately request an online invoice. Of course, there is a counter which limits the amount of invoices that can be declared. Communication between the executor and the client is provided throughout the process. There is no need for bookkeeping, because the proper ledger number is chosen when creating a work assignment. Warranty periods are also set, so that the reparation requests can be checked whether the warranty is still applicable or not. The controller who is responsible for the payment, gets insight into all previous events. That ranges from the meeting, decision-making, and the quotation until the conclusion. Also, for other stakeholders, such as owners, directors, audit-committee and administrators, the data is always accessible to them, and is always up to date. (Invoices that you shouldn t have gotten are a thing of the past, because a work assignment is mandatory, as well as the increasing backlogs, because the dashboards are always in real-time and provide insight into the processes.) These dashboards are adaptable and extendable. Dashboards are used for the following sections: Financial (debtor, creditor, exceedance, contracts, etc.); Technical (open reparation-requests, work in progress, assurancematters, etc.); Communication (upcoming meetings, state of preparation); Administrative (still to be filled information, transfers, etc.). Interested? Do not hesitate to contact IRP at contact@irp.nl Page 24