Blog Post 2

From Chapter 2 of the BIM handbook, one of the things I found most interesting was the issue that early solid modeling programs faced. Some programs used Boundary Representation to make their models while some instead used Constructive Solid Geometry. The idea behind boundary representation was to represent “shapes as a closed, oriented set of bounded surfaces”. [1] Functions were created that allowed these shapes to be created. Constructive solid geometry instead “represented a shape as a set of functions that define the primitive polyhedral.” [1]. Those functions could be manipulated algebraically and with textual commands to create and modify the shapes. Early on, the programs considered only one method over the other and it was a competition as to what approach would win out in the end. The result, however, was that the industry realized that it need not be a competition and instead programs should use facets of both approaches.

This kind of reconciliation is very interesting to me as I feel that that drives innovation. I read about another example of this in an article on Dr. Mitchell’s Evernote last week. The article talked about databases and whether or not the future of databases lie in SQL (Structured Query Language) or in No SQL databases. SQL is a database language that leads to very structured, relational databases. Databases built were “designed around the tenets of ACID: Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability.” [2] This meant that those databases were accurate at all times from all devices that looked at it, and changes made from two different computers did not conflict with each other. No SQL databases that have gained popularity in the use of “big data” and high speed performance. The question that arose was similar to the solid modeling question of which approach is better? A similar answer was derived for databases. Databases need not have one or the other, but rather employ both. This allows for a lot more flexibility in databases as you get the structured consistency of SQL and the performance of No SQL.

This kind of compromise is very important for the advancement of technology and efficiency. I believe that in the near future there will be another of question of “Should we use BIM or should we use X?” The answer that will benefit us the most is that we should combine the best of both approaches to create the most efficient new solution.

References

[1] Eastman, Charles M. BIM Handbook : A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers and Contractors. Vol. 2nd ed, Wiley, 2011. EBSCOhost, ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=364239&site=ehost-live.

[2] Vaas, Lisa. Ars Technica. To SQL or NoSQL? That’s the database question. <https://arstechnica.com/

information-technology/2016/03/to-sql-or-nosql-thats-the-database-question/>

To Kunlun Ren

Your point about BIM tools is very interesting. I believe that this kind of functionality is crucial and moving forward will be irreplaceable. The ability to use BIM more in depth is so useful. The BIM environment you mentioned facilitates the building community so much. I think in the future we will see more powerful tools being developed.

To Tyler Madden

Your point regarding the learning curve for BIM softwares is a very important one. The first time I downloaded Revit onto my laptop so I could do some self-learning, I made no progress as I did not know where to start and the learning curve was so steep. I learned all of my Revit knowledge working at my co-op under the guide of more experienced users. I think that your conclusion that BIM for contractors being a hopeful dream is fairly accurate for the near future. Hopefully as BIM becomes more streamlined it will become easier to learn and use.

To Jenny Fretta

I agree that building owners should definitely use BIM for their buildings. All of the benefits you described about building owners using BIM would be so useful. I feel that buildings need to be more efficient across the board and if the owners used BIM as you described it would do wonders for starting that push.