BIM-integrated specification process

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Author Message Phil Kabza Senior Member Username: phil_kabza Post Number: 738 Registered: 12-2002 Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2022 - 03:28 pm:    How many specifiers here are currently working with architect clients utilizing BIM-integrated software and specification development process? We are not experiencing demand or even conversation concerning this software development from our clients. Phil Kabza FCSI CCS AIA SpecGuy Specifications Consultants www.SpecGuy.com phil@specguy.com Lisa Goodwin Robbins, RA, CCS, LEED ap Senior Member Username: lgoodrob Post Number: 413 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2022 - 03:30 pm:    I wish. Brian Payne Senior Member Username: brian_payne Post Number: 285 Registered: 01-2014 Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2022 - 03:36 pm:    Had a recent conversation with Seamus from Chalkline, but in general I don't see any conversations on this topic. I've presented on the topic at CSI and Revit Conferences about 10 years ago, specifically Spec/BIM Integration using e-Specs, but not since. I'm a Speclink user for 8 years now and havn't integrated despite being the BIM manager as well. I would love to further the conversation though. Loretta Sheridan Senior Member Username: leshrdn Post Number: 66 Registered: 11-2021 Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2022 - 06:07 pm:    I used to. I liked it, once I got over the idea that EVERY family in the model needed to be linked to a section. To me, it was really a QA/QC tool to: Verify I caught everything in the model; Point of inquiry for some things within the model. I found it easier to navigate the model than PDFs of the Drawings. This assumes that the model is modeled correctly -- that just ANY family isn't cribbed to fill the space since when it prints, it "looks" like what is intended. For example, (and this is the easiest one), iF the BIM jockey just uses any ol' toilet compartment family, and it happens to be a metal toilet compartment, but what is REALLY wanted is a phenolic toilet compartment. Anyhow, with the BIM integration, it was just another way to check on what I may have overlooked. Nathan Woods, RA, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 906 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2022 - 08:18 pm:    Out: BIM Jockey In: Reviteers Loretta Sheridan Senior Member Username: leshrdn Post Number: 67 Registered: 11-2021 Posted on Friday, December 09, 2022 - 08:37 am:    Reviteers. Noted! Phil Kabza Senior Member Username: phil_kabza Post Number: 739 Registered: 12-2002 Posted on Friday, December 09, 2022 - 10:23 am:    We have worked with a couple dozen architectural firms over the past two years and have yet to receive a request to collaborate using BIM-linked specifications. One or two staff members in these firms have expressed an interest in the process but it hasn't gotten close to being adopted. The closest we have gotten to integration so far is editing architect's Revit keynote text files to align with our specifications. Phil Kabza FCSI CCS AIA SpecGuy Specifications Consultants www.SpecGuy.com phil@specguy.com Jeffrey Potter Senior Member Username: jpotter Post Number: 39 Registered: 02-2017 Posted on Friday, December 09, 2022 - 10:47 am:    I integrated Revit and the Specs at my old firm. It was a great tool for teams that wanted to use it. However, I only utilized it to create the DD project manual. After that, it was back to typical workflow. It took quite a bit of work to get everything set up, mainly the Revit Families and did take teaching the modelers what they should look out for and what to do. I was able to populate the project with about 75-90% of the specifications and I went down in quite a bit of detail to where depending on parameters set in the Revit Family, the linked content (say fire-rated on HM doors) was kept in. Going this approach saved me about on average 50% time on my DD project manual creation, which then allowed me to actually meet more in depth with the project team. We did this integration for about a year and then took a pause because our BIM team wanted to revamp families and details. I left before we kicked things back up again. I was using e-specs. If anyone wants to have a discussion on how to set it up or just has questions on my process, implementation, etc. I am available. I would take my deltek hat off and put back on my specifier hat, meaning I wouldn't sell you on anything, just have a (hopefully) insightful conversation on this topic. jeffreypotter@deltek.com Edward R Heinen CSI CDT CCS LEED-AP Senior Member Username: edwardheinen Post Number: 13 Registered: 04-2022 Posted on Friday, December 09, 2022 - 11:39 am:    So glad to see this discussion and get some insights from other practitioners. I've been tracking this topic for a while. As I understand the descriptive case: For the most part owners are getting graphic models from architecture firms, but not much in the data/information/content category. More data is happening downstream during construction and operations, which is a normal refinement to an extent, but not what should be happening. About a decade or so back, I had heard a couple of different things about what BIM would mean for specifying - 1) that specifiers would become "keepers of the 'I' in BIM" and/or 2) that specifiers would be eliminated because the BIM model would produce a spec automatically based on the design. Of course, without the inputs, you get no output. Without correct appropriate inputs, you get bad output, etc. We will all have flying cars by the year 2000. Seems to me specifying has been left out of the BIM picture by way of bad practice and hearsay. Yet there remains a tremendous opportunity for the specifying discipline to not only manage non-graphical data, but pursue BIM beyond architects and Revit. Might even attract new, young talent to the discipline, which no small issue. When CSI advanced MasterFormat from the 5-digit/16-division format to the 6-digit/49+ division format, part of the intended benefit in thinking of facilities in the built environment in terms of life-cycles including sites and infrastructure, was to help A/E firms get beyond the "one-project/one-contract-at-a-time" linear approach toward longer term service relationships. The same opportunity should exist for specifiers, who promoted the idea, but remain largely dependent on requests to collaborate, and at an applied tools level within a much larger and complex industry. Meanwhile, I'm seeing strides in BIM development for example by NIBS' National BIM Standard, AIA digital practice standards, and perhaps Deltek/MasterSpec knowing that in the BIM world, no one owns information.