Because of digitization, the use of 3D models is increasing enormously; after all, they are the information carriers of projects. In his contribution "Quality assurance starts with model checking!" Bart Bol of Solibri talks about the importance of model checking and the role of software in this.
'Often work planners and BIM coordinators perform multiple model checks during the engineering phase of a project to make sure everything fits and the right components are ordered,' says Bart Bol, Customer Success Manager at Solibri. 'But architects and suppliers also use our software.'
Bol advises and supports customers in the Benelux in applying Solibri products in their business processes, and helps them use the software to monitor the quality of their project information themselves.
Model checking
Digitization in construction and infra is very broad and consists of different aspects. Solibri focuses on working with BIM models and performing model checking. 'The construction world is somewhat behind if you compare it to aviation or automotive,' says Bol. 'There, 3D models have been used for decades. In construction, it is relatively recent that the proverbial box of drawings, calculations and all kinds of other information from all the parties involved, etc., has been merged into one digital file. In 3D models, different parts are still worked out by different parties, but software ensures that all input is collected, combined, and controlled. The latter - model checking - is crucial. A 3D model is a huge data source. Attached to every part is information: about material, sizes, properties, etc. The more you want to make use of the information in a model, the more important it is to be sure that that information is correct.'
Rulesets
Anyone who wants to check a model can do so automatically using checking rules. Solibri's library includes a large amount of rules. Based on it, the company defined seventy rule sets, for the seventy most frequently performed checks. 'The scope is broad: you can have distances between components determined, but also calculate escape routes, check a building for wheelchair accessibility, and you name it. Sometimes they are quite specialized checks to verify whether certain components meet a client's wishes. More general, for example, is whether the model complies with the Building Code. So a lot is already possible with those seventy rule sets. If a client wants something different, that is also possible. You can compare a ruleset with a template; the settings can be adjusted as desired.'
Open standards
Working with 3D models is quite complex because there are many different software packages on the market. All those packages have their own file format to store the data. 'But of course it is important that you can work together, even if all the chain partners work with different software,' says Bol. 'Within the industry, therefore, open standards have been developed that make collaboration possible. IFC is an open standard to exchange models and IDS is an open standard to communicate model requirements. Anyone who is going to use a building model wants to be sure that the model contains certain data, for example about the properties of the components in the model. A construction project works with "shopping lists" that a 3D model must meet so that it can be used for a particular application. The more things you want to use, the longer that list will be. Using the IDS file format, you can digitally define what information must be in a model. If you then open an IDS file, for example, in our software, a control set is automatically created that can check whether data being requested is indeed present in the model.'
Monitor project information
Solibri has been around for 25 years and is always moving with the times. 'There are all kinds of developments going on, for example in the field of user-friendliness and of Cloud solutions,' says Bol. 'But we are also investigating what possibilities AI offers for model checking. Maybe in the future we can simply ask such a model (à la Siri), "How many pieces of concrete walls does this project contain and how many cubic meters of concrete is needed to make them?"
Bol thinks his presentation at DigiBouw will appeal mainly to people who are starting out with BIM and looking for a tool to monitor project information. "I'm going to show them the main features of Solibri Office and how to proceed step by step when you receive a model and want to check it," he concludes.
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