The object-oriented paradigm is a different way of viewing applications. With the object-oriented approach, you divide an application into many small parts (or objects), that are fairly independent of one other. An object is a concrete manifestation of an abstraction; an entity with a well-defined boundary and identity that encapsulates state and behaviour - an instance of a class. A class is description of a set of objects that share the same attributes, operations, relationships, and semantics.
Published in Chapter:
Modelling Concepts for BIM
Sander van Nederveen (Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands), Reza Beheshti (Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands), and Wim Gielingh (Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands)
Copyright: © 2010
|Pages: 18
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60566-928-1.ch001
Abstract
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is potentially a great technology for the expression of knowledge, supporting interoperability and communication throughout the life-cycle of a building. In fact, Building Information Modelling is not a simple technology. It requires a sound understanding of a number of abstract modelling concepts. Next to being a technology, BIM can also be regarded as a method for making a low or non-redundant (i.e. with every fact represented only once) model of an artefact that is sufficient to realize it as well as simulating it before it actually becomes physical reality. This chapter discusses the modelling concepts of BIM: what is Building Information Modelling, what is a Building Information Model and what are its rationale and objectives? A clear distinction will be made between (a) that what is being modelled, such as requirements, function, boundary conditions, building configuration, connectivity, shape, processes lifecycle aspects and discipline views, and (b) how it can be modelled, such as through parametric models, part libraries, nD models, various representations and presentations, including visualizations. Finally, there is a brief discussion of relevant methods and languages for information modelling, such as ISO 10303 (STEP, EXPRESS), BuildingSMART (IFC, IFD and IDM), process modelling and recent ontology-based approaches.