Project name: National BIM Initiative Working Group 3: Object Libraries

Completion/expected completion date: June 2014.

Main participating organisations: AEC consultant organisations, AEC professional representative organisations, building product manufacturers, NATSPEC, product information providers, technical information providers, software vendors.

Project goals and objectives:

• Review the NBS National BIM Library from the UK and assess its potential to be used in Australasia. Examine local industry Object Content Guidelines prepared by ANZRS including a review by Graphisoft & Bentley to assess its more general application across all BIM vendors.
• Explain the need for classification systems for built environment stakeholders in the context of object libraries.
• Recommend the most appropriate classification systems for Australia and New Zealand. Two systems – Omniclass and Uniclass2 – will be examined in detail.
• In the context of the buildingSMART Data Dictionary (bSDD), contribute to the international bSDD team’s pilot project, examining the definition of properties for two common building objects - a ceiling tile system, and a VAV box for building services. Examples of the bSDD’s application include local work at QUT and some European tools such as bimSync - which allows a BIM authoring tool to query the types of external walling or available products in a model, or an Austrian tool which provides a means for building product information brokers to develop a National dictionary. The WG will also engage with product manufacturers.

Context: Following a series of MESH conferences in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne in early 2011, six priority areas were identified as requiring attention to accelerate the adoption of BIM in the Australian built environment sector. As a result, National BIM Initiative (NBI) Working Groups were formed in order to address these areas as part of the NBI Implementation Plan. The findings of these Working Groups were documented in a report to the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education in mid 2012. With the failure of the Federal Government to support the report’s recommendations with funding, buildingSMART formed Working groups in August 2013 to progress three of the six recommendations: BIM Guidelines, IPD and Object Libraries.

Proposed deliverables: A report outlining a framework and relevant standards for product information and model objects to be included in the National Object Library. The report is to be tabled at a conference being held in Sydney over 11-12th June 2014.

Planned 2014 activity: Development of report content through shared on-line resources, web conferences and face-to-face meetings.

Expected audience: Consultants, contractors, building product manufacturers, product information providers, technical information providers, model content creators.

Approach, methodology: Research, sharing experience and expertise.

Project contact:
Name: John Mitchell
Position: WG3 Project Leader
Tel: 02 9922 3785

Name: Neil Greenstreet
Position: Classification sub-group chair
Tel: 02 9321 7200

Name: Ben Fox
Position: BIM Libraries sub-group chair
Tel: 03 9826 1786

Name: Alex Shaw
Position: bsDD sub-group chair
Tel: +64 (9) 631 7044