Transition to BIM with Vectorworks in small practice

[micheleprendini]

Dear all,

I am one of the architects of a small practice in London. We have been looking into a way to implement BIM in our projects for a while now.

We are currently using Vectorworks 2022, with the use of components but working mostly in 2D.  

 

We thought about various options:

-the whole team uses the get for some video lessons with a professional to help us set up the first project (one afternoon each week, for a number of months).

-only one member of the team goes through the tutorials and lessons and then helps the others do the transition once he is proficient. 

-we hire a BIM coordinator for a couple of months (this might not be an option due to its cost)

 

Do you have any recommendations, suggestions, or thoughts?  

[zoomer]

Difficult Question !

 

So far I would tend or prefer the second Option.

 

 

2 hours ago, micheleprendini said:

(one afternoon each week, for a number of months)

 

V1 may be too much stretched, so I would easily forget what was said 2 weeks ago.

 

 

2 hours ago, micheleprendini said:

-we hire a BIM coordinator for a couple of months (this might not be an option due to its cost)

 

I would mainly think that a BIM experienced VW Tutor/CAD Manager is better suited

than a general BIM coordinator.

 

 

2 hours ago, micheleprendini said:

with the use of components but working mostly in 2D. 

 

I think the main problem for you is to find a general 3D Workflow in VW,

to draw in 3D, while getting reasonable generated 2D plan output.

 

I think the "BIM" itself is a neglect-able problem.

PIO Components are already "BIMmed" and IFC tagged. Adding more custom

information or tagging custom geometry isn't that complicated.

 

 

You could go with the least risk but larger investment,

take a small older finished project and try to set it up to BIM and see if and

how it could work for you.

Or you could take a reasonable coming new project that will allow moving

the deadlines and try in 3D and BIM.

 

 

Generally you will get into problems in the future as BIM gets more and more just

mandatory. So investing into switching to BIM is a very sustainable and good idea.

And I am convinced that, once used to it, overall BIM and 3D with generated Plans

is more effective in the end too.

But I will not say that there is no frustration when going a new way.

 

And so it also depends on the enthusiasm inside your team to adapt to new technology.

If you have someone which is really interested in 3D, let him/her learn and educate, coach

and (CAD) administrate the team ....

Edited December 29, 2021 by zoomer

[Jeff Prince]

I agree with what @zoomersays.

 

In a working office with more than one person, consistent standards are important.

 

I think the most successful path forward is 3 steps, education, case study, and then implementation.

 

Education- make it a priority every week.  Use Vectorworks university to get up to speed, follow the learning track.  Have everyone on the team do this weekly and sharing your experiences weekly will bring the team along to the same level of competency and keep anyone from being left behind or going rogue.  Once You have run through the training and have a basic understanding, use Jonathan Pickup’s website membership to hone the teams skills on specifics he offers which are relevant to your work.

 

Case Study - Take an old project and develop it into a BIM job using all the tools.  This will prevent you from taking deadline inspired shortcuts or reverting to old ways when under the hammer to get something out.  Select a project that has all of the things encountered in your typical project, a renovation with an existing building to partly demo and expand is a great option.  Multistory is also a good thing to learn early.  Once this old project is done in BIM, you will have essentially developed your office template and methodologies.  You will have worked out the why and how to get your graphics you desire and have a strong command of executing a project. This will take a while to execute, anywhere from 3 to 6 months, depending on your dedication, skill, and complexity of the project.

 

Implementation- Choose to deploy the new BIM method on a project where the deadlines won’t crush you.  Success should come easy if there is time budgeted provided to work out the bugs.  Make it a point to have weekly team meetings to discuss the BIM methods used.  This will keep everyone aware of what’s happening in the project.

 

it is tempting to just dive right into a real billable project after a little training or do the ol “learn as you go” method, and this sometimes works.  More typically, I see people fail using due to time constraints and frustration.  If you do the “learn as you go” method, choose one thing to do well on a project and focus on that instead of making the perfect fully 3D BIM approach.  For architects, just using windows and doors to generate schedules can be a big win in a mostly 2d project.  More features can be added on subsequent projects as each workflow is mastered.

 

I did the self paced learning method.  When I started, I modeled my office, then my home.  When I got to using VWX on real jobs, I started with one design problem, grading the earth covering some military bunkers and related roadways.  I then exported this to CAD to implement the solution in our 2D AutoCAD workflow.  With each job, I added a tool or process to the mix and eventually everything was in 3D BIM.  This worked because I was systematic in my approach and tried not to bite off more than I could chew.  Back then, the Vectorworks University did not exist in its current form and education was difficult to find.  Things are easier to access these days.