Allplan as the basis for integrated workflow and BIM
The challenges faced by the AEC sector now and in the future are many and varied: projects are becoming increasingly complex, while budgets and time windows grow smaller. More and more project participants must be taken into account and included in the workflow process. New regulations and additional requirements make work that is already challenging even more difficult. Lifecycle management of buildings is also becoming increasingly important, and many clients place greater value on sustainability.
The consequences of these developments are clear: Reduced quality in construction, falling wages and fees, lower returns on capital, greater legal risks and increased subsequent costs.
Allplan and BIM: The Solution
The solution to this increasingly difficult situation can be described with three letters: BIM. Building Information Modeling is currently a hot topic in the AEC sector.
But what is BIM, and how does it work in combination with Allplan? Building Information Modeling generally describes a seamless process of optimized design, implementation and management of buildings and real estate. All planning partners benefit from up-to-date, high-quality and freely accessible information about the respective design, implementation or current status. The objective of this method is to make the design, construction and management process more accurate and cost-efficient.
The BIM model can be understood as a digital building prototype that designers can use to check design drafts, operating properties, the consequences of different alterations and how they change over a given period. This requires digital geometric models that represent the building project down to a given level of detail, as well as digital information models that are linked with the geometry models in order to add all values required to define operating properties, behavior and effects. As well as being available in digital format, it must also be possible to interconnect both models and perform analyses. The digital geometry model and the digital information model (of the digital prototype) can now be used to optimize the design process. For all participants, they enable better understanding of the draft design and can be used to perform energy usage simulations, lighting analyses, structural optimizations or cost projections over the entire duration of the construction project.
How does Allplan support the user with BIM?
The Allplan intelligent platform provides the perfect basis for a BIM-oriented workflow. Allplan provides a strong 3D building model and has a long tradition of component-oriented working methods. The system has all the components required for architecture and engineering that can be represented in the 3D model. During the design process, a building-oriented model is created that reflects the building structure. Components and library elements that can be assigned with attributes support the designer with his/her BIM-based workflow.
Allplan offers both architects and engineers a digital model enriched with relevant information and attributes, together with the possibility of combining these without complication. Over 50 file formats are provided for communication and data transfer with other software. This includes the IFC (Industry Foundation Class) transfer format for 3D models.
The information that flows into the Allplan building model forms the basis for important BIM workflows, such as cost estimates, structural analyses, and energy analyses. The linking of components and attributes forms the basis for cost analyses. Data can also be forwarded to defined workflows. For example, Allplan enables round-trip engineering from the building model to structural analysis with Scia and back. And the energy indicator makes it possible to perform energy analyses from within the intelligent Allplan model.
The direct connection with the Allplan Allfa facility management software and therefore the interaction between CAD and CAFM enable building lifecycle management.
The benefits of the BIM working method with Allplan at a glance
- Reduction of legal risk
- Minimization of subsequent costs
- Improvement of construction quality
- Increase in design efficiency
- Improvement of competitiveness
Succeed in the market with BIM
As an architect you need freedom for your creative ideas.
Instead of spending valuable time on repetitive, error-prone tasks, Allplan and BIM working methods allow architects to concentrate on the creative design process, to explore the different design options and to successfully manage ambitious and complex projects.
As an engineer you are required to provide accurate general arrangement and reinforcement drawings. For engineers, everyday productivity plays a decisive role. BIM allows them to invest more time on optimizing their designs, instead of setting up a building model with a high risk of error. Views and information are simply extracted from the digital Allplan model.
Allplan makes interdisciplinary work easier for example it enables round-trip engineering of the building model for structural calculations with other engineering programs such as Scia and back again into Allplan.
