Group C - Week 4 - BIM makes the Engineer's Work Easier vs It makes the Engineer's work Harder

Group C

BIM makes the Engineer's work easier:

• With experience, BIM can save a lot of time.
• Easy visual communication with clients and contractors.
• Easier to visualize during design and construction.
• Allows for integrated design.
• More flexibility in design.
• Continuous use of the same document throughout a buildings life cycle.
• Aid in building operations and maintenance.
• Easier to detect or plan for construction errors in advance.

BIM makes the Engineer's work harder:

• BIM programs require significant computing power to operate smoothly and to maximize the number of functions they're capable of performing.  This increases costs for engineers.
• The file sizes are often very large and can be difficult to share with others due to size restrictions and upload times for email and cloud based services.  Organizations that use BIM programs often have to purchase a lot of extra hard drive space.
• The learning curve for existing BIM programs is large.  Simple projects (like the ones we complete in class) are easy to complete but realistic, full length projects require years of experience using the program to be successful.  Fighting through the learning curve can be frustrating.
• The programs themselves are expensive.  This increases costs for engineers.
• Models are often delicate.  If someone tries to make changes to a complex model and they are inexperienced or incorrect they can severely alter the model and its outputs.