In its most basic format, an IFC is a file extension that can be read by multiple software platforms. But, looking more in depth, the IFC movement represents nearly 20 years of work towards interoperable information sharing in the facility industry. Building on work of the International Standards Organization, the International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI) created IFCs to represent entities through an information-attributed, object-oriented approach. For more specific information, read this article by Paul Seletsky of SOM: http://www.aecbytes.com/feature/2004/IFCmodel.html
Published in Chapter:
The US National Building Information Modeling Standard
Patrick C. Suermann (University of Florida, USA) and Raja R.A. Issa (University of Florida, USA)
Copyright: © 2010
|Pages: 17
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60566-928-1.ch006
Abstract
The publication of the National BIM Standard (NBIMS) at the end of 2007 after two years of work by the most highly diverse team ever assembled by the National Institute of Building Sciences brought a symbolic shift in the architecture, engineering, construction, and facility ownership (AECO) community. However, what impact did it have on the industry? This chapter looks at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and impact of the NBIMS into 2009 and beyond. Specifically, this chapter will delve into some of the strengths of the NBIMS, such as promulgating a standardized approach for documenting information exchanges between stakeholders, and applying the NBIMS Interactive Capability Maturity Model (I-CMM) to evaluate a project or portfolio for BIM maturity. Opportunities exist in the areas of sustainability, modularity, and fabrication, as demonstrated in several industry projects to date. Weaknesses of the NBIMS are that it is not directly applicable yet at the technical level such as the National CAD Standard (NCS). Along with the NCS, the NBIMS and their umbrella parent organization, the Facility Information Council of the National Institute of Building Sciences are gradually being absorbed into the buildingSMART™ Alliance. Lastly, the primary impact of the NBIMS will be felt in terms of current and future projects promoting interoperable information exchange for specific stakeholders. These include multiple applications of interoperable-IFC-based approaches.