Thomas E. Tate, president of Tate Builders on Martha’s Vineyard, uses a computer application called Building Information Modeling to help design the custom structures his company builds. Building Information Modeling (BIM) allows Thomas Tate and other design/build professionals to approach architectural engineering and construction well-informed about the structures they are planning to put up.
Essentially, BIM is a virtual way of creating both a three-dimensional and numerical model of a structure. Once a building has been created with BIM software, its different components can be viewed on-screen from pretty much any angle or combination, and the user can access a wide variety of data. BIM software goes beyond the traditional two-dimensional drafting of buildings in how it combines numerical elements of a structure with visual representations, and in the many ways it can be manipulated.
Virtual structures created by BIM can be subjected to the various stresses that they might encounter if actually built to see how they will react. For instance, BIM software allows an architect to create a stadium on a computer and then see how the structure responds to tornado-force winds.
BIM software has been around for over 20 years, but with the advent of smartphones and digital tablets, it has become much easier to view the virtual structures created. As a result, the software is now a much-discussed topic in design and construction circles. One popular feature of BIM is that it also allows current and potential clients to view exactly what will be built.
Essentially, BIM is a virtual way of creating both a three-dimensional and numerical model of a structure. Once a building has been created with BIM software, its different components can be viewed on-screen from pretty much any angle or combination, and the user can access a wide variety of data. BIM software goes beyond the traditional two-dimensional drafting of buildings in how it combines numerical elements of a structure with visual representations, and in the many ways it can be manipulated.
Virtual structures created by BIM can be subjected to the various stresses that they might encounter if actually built to see how they will react. For instance, BIM software allows an architect to create a stadium on a computer and then see how the structure responds to tornado-force winds.
BIM software has been around for over 20 years, but with the advent of smartphones and digital tablets, it has become much easier to view the virtual structures created. As a result, the software is now a much-discussed topic in design and construction circles. One popular feature of BIM is that it also allows current and potential clients to view exactly what will be built.
