1. Image courtesy of:
Ryder Architecture Limited
ARCH 653
Building Information Modeling
Slides are made based on Autodesk BIM Curriculum, Greenwold, S., and D. Driver. (2007). Building Information
Modeling with Revit Architecture: Lecture Notes, with some additional content created by Wei Yan, Texas A&M
University.

2. Building Information Modeling (BIM)
A BIM is a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a
facility. As such it serves as a shared knowledge resource for information about
a facility forming a reliable basis for decisions during its lifecycle from inception
onward.
- National Institute of Building Sciences, National Building Information
Modeling Standard™(NBIMS), 2008
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a new approach to design, construction,
and facility management in which a digital representation of the building process
is used to facilitate the exchange and interoperability of information in digital
format. BIM is beginning to change the way buildings look, the way they
function, and the ways in which they are designed and built.
-Eastman, C. et al. BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information
Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers and
Contractors, Wiley, 2008

3. 3© 2007 Autodesk
Building Information Modeling
BIM is an integrated workflow built on coordinated, reliable
information about a project from design through construction and
into operations.
BUILDING
INFORMATION
MODELING ARCHITECTS
STRUCTURAL
ENGINEERS
MEP SYSTEMS
ENGINEERS
BUILDERS
OWNERS
CIVIL
ENGINEERS

4. 4© 2007 Autodesk
 Explore real world design scenarios with different disciplines
interfacing with the data differently (from different data views).
 Architects leverage building information modeling for the
building design.
 Structural engineers work with the same data presented
graphically in the form of framing, bracing diagrams and
structural design and analysis.
 MEP Engineers can use the same data to layout, design and
perform analysis on the HVAC systems.
Building Information Modeling
Integrated Project Delivery

5. 5© 2007 Autodesk
Building Information Modeling
Managing Change
 BIM solutions manage iterative changes in a building model
throughout the design process all the way through to the
design, construction, and operational phases.
 A change to any part of the database is replicated in all other
associated parts.
 Advantages of using a database for a real design project:
 Improves drawing coordination
 Reduces drawing errors
 Saves time spent manually checking and coordinating
documents
 Reduced costs

6. 6© 2007 Autodesk
Building Information Modeling
Bidirectional Associativity
Definition: Changes to any part of the design are immediately reflected
in all associated parts. Bidirectional associativity is applied automatically
to every component, view, and annotation
Example: A change in the dimensions of a wall is reflected in all
elements such as windows, doors, ceilings, and electrical outlets.

7. 7© 2007 Autodesk
Building Information Modeling
Parametric Relationships
 Relationships among the elements in a building model.
 Enable the software to coordinate and manage the changes
made to the building model.
 Created automatically by software, or created by the user.
Parametric
Change
Engine
Components
Views
Annotations

8. 8© 2007 Autodesk
Building Information Modeling
Examples
Examples of bidirectional associativity:
 Flip a section line and all views update.
 Draw a wall in plan and it appears in all other views including material
takeoffs.
Examples of parametric relationships:
 A floor is attached to the enclosing walls. When a wall moves, the
floor updates to remain connected to the walls.
 A series of equidistant windows have been placed along a wall.
When the length of the wall changes, the windows redistribute to
remain equidistant across the length of the wall.

9. BIM: Features and Benefits
 Modeling not Drawing or Drafting
• Increasing accuracy and efficiency in the design, construction, and operation
processes
 Object-based Modeling
 Database of semantically-rich building objects and properties
 Computability: cost estimation, energy consumption, etc.
 3D Modeling
 Design visualization
 Generating 2D construction documents
 Parametric modeling engines
 Design intent
 Design change and options: quick, interactive, early and late design phases

10. 10© 2007 Autodesk
Building Information Modeling
Revit Architecture and BIM
 Revit is purpose-built [with domain knowledge] software for
building information modeling.
 Traditional drafting and CAD software: illustrations are
independent of one another, e.g. plans, elevations, and sections.
 In BIM software such as Revit, a design is a series of intelligent
objects and elements with parametric attributes.
 You extract different (3D model) views from the single
database, e.g. a 2D elevation or 3D rendering.

11. BIM (Revit) Data Structure and
Organization
- Categories, Families, Types,
and Instances

12. 12© 2007 Autodesk
Working with Revit Elements and Families
Building Elements
 Building elements are the building blocks of a project.
 When you place an element in a model, the individual element is
called an instance of that element type.
 Instances can be classified as Model, Annotation, and View.
Model Elements such as walls, windows, doors, and
roofs that help in the 3D representation of the
building design.
Annotation Elements such as dimensions, tags, and
elevation symbols that establish context or add
supplementary information to document a
building design.
View Elements such as plans, elevations, sections,
3D views, and schedules that dynamically
represent the parts of a building model.

13. 13© 2007 Autodesk
Working with Revit Elements and Families
Building Element Types
There are five categories of building elements.

14. 14© 2007 Autodesk
Working with Revit Elements and Families
Building Element Types
There are five categories of building elements.

15. 15© 2007 Autodesk
Categories: All objects in the building model are assigned a category.
All doors in a project belong to the category Doors. This broad
category is further broken down into families.
Families: Families are groupings of like geometry. Continuing with
the door example, a single flush door belongs to a different family than
a double door with glass in it because the geometry of the two types of
doors is different.
Types: All design objects have a type. (A type is the same as a class.)
The type defines what properties (values) an object has, how it
interacts with other objects, and how it draws itself into each different
kind of representation. (with a family, different types have the same
set of parameters but different values).
Instances: An instance is simply a single object of a type in the
building model.
Categories, Families, Types, and Instances

16. Wall:

17. Wall:

18. 18© 2007 Autodesk
Working with Revit Elements and Families
Families
 Families are groups of similar elements.
 A family integrates elements that have the same parameters,
identical use, and similar graphical representation.
 Every family can contain multiple types.
1. Double glass door
2. Overhead-sectional
glass door
3. Single-flush vision
door
4. Single-flush door

19. Working with Revit Elements and Families
Families
 Families are groups of similar elements.
 A family integrates elements that have the same parameters,
identical use, and similar graphical representation.
 Every family can contain multiple types.
1. Double glass door
2. Overhead-sectional
glass door
3. Single-flush vision
door
4. Single-flush door
A door can easily be swapped for a different kind of door because they
are in the same category. You cannot make a wall and then change it
into a window because they are in different categories.

20. 20© 2007 Autodesk