From initial planning and construction to ongoing maintenance and ultimate decommissioning, structural engineers are essential members of the infrastructure team at every stage of the project’s life cycle. Engineers depend on precise information at every level of operations to guide informed, cross-disciplinary decision-making. The use of BIM in the structural sector has been transformative, allowing engineers to complete all phases of a project more easily from inception through handover and beyond. BIM’s basic idea is that information should be generated and organized in such a manner that it may be utilized by others, whether that be via cooperation with the other disciplines to finish a job, or by supportive activities that make it accessible for utilization by others in the stages of the asset’s lifecycle.
How BIM helps in Structural Engineering?
Smart 3D modeling provides structural engineers with all the information they need to plan, design, detail, record, and fabricate a building’s skeleton. Through the use of the 3D model, they are better able to convey their ideas to the project’s many parties, identify potential conflicts between different fields of study, create precise shop drawings, and make well-informed judgments throughout the building process. Some of the advantages of Building Information Modeling for structural engineering services are discussed below.
- Accuracy in Shop Drawings
Several pieces of structural steel are manufactured in the climate-controlled facility, then sent to the construction site for final assembly and installation. Steel Construction Drawings Services are essential for precise prefabrication and setup. Manufacturers, fabricators, and site workers need access to shop drawings, which could include schedules, diagrams, or other structural papers that detail the required parameters, like location, dimensions, materials, orientation, and more. For big assemblies, shop drawings can aid in keeping track of the individual steel parts. Shop drawings extracted from a building information model provide several advantages, including improved accuracy, easier customization, and faster turnaround time.
- 4D Scheduling
The use of 4D BIM solutions is among the primary advantages of structural building information modeling. 4D BIM integrates temporal data with 3D models, giving project managers more oversight over project durations. They’ll be able to spot any conflicts in the process and make sure the project stays on track. Mistakes like these may have a cascading effect on the entire project’s process and timing, making detection difficult. This is especially true if, for instance, the delivery of the produced components is planned beyond the installation date.
- Quantity
Estimating the number of materials and the total cost is crucial to the success of any building project. With the use of 5D BIM, an exact cost estimate may be extracted from the outset of a project. Moreover, the price is proportional to the number of materials used, therefore adjusting the quantity will also affect the price. With BIM modeling services, mistakes are less likely to be made by hand, and the actual price will likely be close to the estimated one.
- Detection of Clash
There could be a confrontation between the structural and MEP parts of a building. for instance, A steel beam may share space with a heating and cooling pipe. Clashes between MEP BIM and the Structural components may cause delays and extra expenses if they are not discovered before construction begins. Clash detection may help find these conflicts before manufacturing or construction begins so that the design could be adjusted accordingly. It not only saves time and money but also lessens the likelihood of onsite mistakes and rework.
The Future of BIM and Structural Engineering
The outlook for building information modeling is optimistic. To strengthen the connection between BIM and 3D data-collecting technology, advancements are being made. One example is light detection and ranging, the 3D remote sensing technique that captures and records things from the distance using point clouds. Also, virtual reality (VR) has been included in the BIM world via the use of certain software programs. These programs provide the user with a complete mental image of the project and the capability to manipulate the virtual world and its constituents.
As a result of using BIM, it is possible to bring all parties involved into a single model. Construction workers, designers, and architects. Time and money may be significantly reduced in the building process via effective coordination and cooperation.
BIM is a robust system that can process data and transform it into useful information, but it is not familiar with or knowledgeable about engineering fundamentals. We don’t expect it to replace structural engineers anytime shortly, but it’s a nice addition to what we do.
Conclusion
In recent years, BIM has rapidly become standard practice in the construction sector. Building Information Modeling (BIM) makes use of cutting-edge software and file-sharing systems to implement and effectively model the numerous complex components of a building while adhering to the generally accepted norms, regulations, and standards of the said business.
The use of BIM provides a chance to integrate all stakeholders into a single model like Experts in construction, architecture, and engineering. In construction, the potential for saving time and money via effective coordination and cooperation is substantial. While BIM is a strong system that can process information into usable data, it is not familiar with or knowledgeable about engineering’s fundamentals. Even if it won’t ever fully replace structural engineers, it makes our jobs easier in the meantime.
