The Building Information Modeling (BIM) Object Library

What Is a BIM Object?

BIM models are created using a collection of pre-built parametric objects, or families, which model the various parts or components that make up a building, such as walls, doors, windows, and roofs. A BIM object is a three-dimensional model of a component used in a building or civil engineering project which, depending on the specific characteristics and nature of each component, may allow certain of its defining parameters to be modified and adjusted. For example, an object used to model a building wall might allow adjustment of parameters such as the wall’s length, width, and height, its various layers, and the material of some of those layers. When a BIM object is used in modeling, what is actually created in the model is a specific instance of that BIM object. This particular object will have its own set of adjustable parameters. On the other hand, since each BIM object models a specific part or component of a building, it also has a nature and characteristics that are identical across all of its instances.

For example, a uPVC window object has one part serving as the frame, made of uPVC, and another part serving as the glazing, made of glass. The parameters relating to the frame material and the glass material are shared across all instances of this BIM object. In effect, each BIM object constitutes a BIM family that models a specific type of building component. These components share commonalities among the various parts that make up each object, along with adjustable characteristics in the form of parameters that vary across the object’s different instances.

How Do We Create BIM Objects?

BIM objects must be created in a way that allows BIM modelers to use their content with confidence, and so that the object exhibits, within the BIM environment, the characteristics expected of that part or component. In some cases, the object created may have the general, or generic, characteristics of the intended components without referring to any particular trade name, brand, or model of the part or component in question. In such cases, it is very important that the object creators work in direct collaboration with engineers and specialists familiar with the characteristics of those components, so that the intended parameters and characteristics can be properly incorporated into the object creation process. In other cases, a BIM object may be used to model a specific trade name, brand, or model of parts and components used in a building or civil engineering project — for example, an object used to model a window produced by Company A, plumbing fixtures produced by Company B, or a combi boiler produced by Company C. In such cases, it is very important that the object be created in direct collaboration with the technical department of the company that manufactures and produces that product. Here, it must be ensured that the created objects are displayed accurately in the virtual environment and correctly convey the characteristics of the product in question. Therefore, when creating BIM objects, attention is paid simultaneously to the geometric aspects of the product and to its associated performance data.

BIM objects must also possess the characteristics specified for BIM objects in the IFC standard, so that the created objects carry a consistent, harmonized set of data that ensures compatibility in the development of BIM models. The advantage of such objects for designers is that they can compare BIM objects accurately and efficiently.

How BIM Objects Are Used

BIM objects may be:

• included by default in the object library of the BIM modeling software;
• designed and created specifically for the project at hand;
• created by manufacturers of building parts and products and obtained directly from them;
• or obtained from BIM object libraries that provide access to various components modeled by different contributors.

To use objects that reside outside your software, you can add them to your modeling software through a plug-in or an object-loading option. The data of BIM library objects is structured and includes the set of parameters and properties that matter most in modeling.

The BIM Object Library

In BIM object libraries you will typically find thousands of BIM objects that have been authored and verified by experts in accordance with current standards. A BIM object library collection combines generic objects that you can use in overall design with a wide range of specific objects produced under various trade names and brands for use in later stages of a project. An effective object library provides you with an integrated, complementary set of BIM objects that supports you throughout the BIM modeling process, enabling you to make sound decisions and deliver your outstanding projects in an informed, collaborative, and efficient way. The unique ecosystem of object libraries brings ease and simplicity to using them in your building projects. A key part of this ecosystem is the plug-ins that allow you to use BIM objects directly within your BIM modeling software. Within these plug-ins, each BIM object comes with the guidance you need to help you use it efficiently in your model, saving you time during review.

The Object Library as a Platform for Interaction Between Manufacturers and Designers

Architects and engineers must select products for use in their projects, but according to surveys of building project designers, more than half of them say this task is far harder than it should be. For manufacturers, the goal is to make their products stand out, but the routes to market and the channels for reaching decision-makers are confusing, and much marketing budget is wasted on untargeted activities. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of new products are produced by manufacturers in the construction industry every year. Many clients of building and civil engineering projects are keen to use new products in the construction of their projects and ask their project designers and engineers to incorporate these products into the design and construction of their projects. An object library provides an integrated, easily accessible digital platform on which manufacturers can conveniently upload their products with the appropriate information and make them available to the designers of building and civil engineering projects. Engineers and designers of building projects, in turn, can access these libraries and, by loading these objects into their modeling software, use them in their design and modeling processes. Moreover, by offering a complete set of high-quality, extensive product data structured according to industry standards, performance criteria, and relevant certifications, object libraries can serve as an ideal digital platform for building product information. Unlike other CAD-based platforms, product data in an object library flows directly into modeling tools. This means all the required information about manufactured products can be found within the model while designers are working on their projects, rather than designers having to hunt for the specifications and information they need through websites or printed catalogs prepared by manufacturers. This platform allows designers to find products and manufacturers using visual search, to identify and compare products using structured properties, values, and technical information across different products, and to integrate them directly into the actual project, the 3D model, or both.

How Do Object Libraries Help Businesses in the Building Sector?

Manufacturers of products used in the construction industry can, by uploading BIM objects of their products to an object library, market those products more effectively, more digitally, and more precisely. As a result, they can grow their businesses and, through greater exposure, win more orders. For example, more than 3,500 large and small companies active in manufacturing products for the construction industry use the NBS (the UK’s National BIM Library) to showcase their products. On this platform, manufacturers can be in direct contact with project designers and, consequently, with the clients of building and civil engineering projects. Manufacturers can be invited directly by designers to collaborate on products or on specific requirements within products. This helps manufacturers produce products for which there is a defined market need and ensures that the right products are being made. They can also build a trusted name in the industry over many years and thereby gain substantial credibility. Manufacturers can therefore place the BIM objects of their products in an object library and, in a sense, become partners of the BIM object library. This also gives manufacturers an endorsement as a trusted name in the industry, along with exclusive access to the expertise of the national object library’s specialists.