NEW: Smart Properties

Changing the model validation landscape

Structure BIM data to your needs

Working with multiple BIM models from different authors can be a challenge. Combining models with different terminology can dramatically limit the flow of information and hinder model validation. With BIMcollab ZOOM‘s Smart Properties this can be solved easily. Classify and restructure BIM data without the need of asking authors to change their models.

Smart Properties also improve and speed up your workflow. Because Smart Properties structure BIM data centrally, they can be used everywhere. For example, to drive Smart views, Clash rules and Lists. Therefore, the data only needs to be structured once and not for every model check again.

What problems can be solved with Smart Properties?

Simplify your BIM protocol

It’s impossible to include every detail in your BIM protocol to prevent modelers from unknowingly making mistakes. When adding data to a BIM model, different languages, abbreviations and typos are inevitable. In order to smooth out these differences, you can define Smart Properties, to get a predictable outcome for consistent model validation.

Another problem is that values can be found in different attributes for different elements. For example, for one element volume is defined in base quantities, and for another element it’s located under dimensions. With Smart Properties you can create a common value for each element, which will be easier when extracting data with Lists.


Create your own classification system

In cases where object properties describe a subset of your model, you can use Smart Properties to create a classification system. For example, you can set criteria as: walls that are both load bearing and internal, get a new value in your Smart Property of ’22.2x core structure’.

Enrich received BIM data

In some cases, it’s convenient to sort or collect components based on a set of values. With Smart Properties you can do this by creating a ‘collection’ based on certain conditions. For example, beams shorter than 5 meters are put in a collection called ‘short’ and beams longer than 5 meters in a collection called ‘long’. This allows you to enrich received BIM data according to your needs.

Note that Smart Properties are highly dynamic: when a value changes and no longer meets the conditions, the Smart Property changes as well.

“Smart Properties really fill the gap when you receive a model which is not perfect, but you must go on. Great advance for OpenBIM!”– Daniel García, BIM Manager GCA Architects