We do a great job and are proud of it! Below are a few recent testimonials we have received:
"Time is money, so easy access to manufacturer details saves time. It also adds detail which client's, builder's, and building inspectors appreciate. The more the product is seen the more likely it is to be used."
Andrew Reaks - AFR Design
"A comptehensive object representing the product variations will ensure proper measurements and ease the specification of the product. Still, a conformity with industry standards fir the object properties is also important, to ease deployment."
Pekka Tuominen - Arxheus Oy
"Most of our work is fully 3D modeled. Our motto is "As good as it gets!" So, obviously there is no other way than working on the highest level - and that always includes manufacturer specific items."
Norbert Borowsky - Creative Architecture Nelson
"The obvious advantages of BIM models (cost-checking, schedueling, dimensioning, parametricism, etc) are usually enough to sway experienced architects and technicians from their old AutoCad ways, but where manufacturer-specific BIM object can come into play : they enable even the more senior of designers to work with the products they know already and have used countless times without the need to phone up countless suppliers and reps for info and specifications. Furthermore, using manufacturer-specific BIM objects enables designers to see end-results much quicker and feel a lot more in control. Together, these two reasons make a very compelling argument towards BIM and against its often assumed steep learning curve."
Radu Gidei - Lee Evans Partnership LLP, UK
"Specific products with BIM content makes it easier to specify since there is no guess work on how the product looks and if it'll fit in the parameters of the design or if the design needs to be tweaked to fit a particular product. Clients like to se the full picture of the design and not individual cut sheets of a product."
Minh Nguyen - GSR-Andrade Architects
"As a contractor often working for public commissions, we are required to submit a plan for basically anything we do. Recently I worked on a submittal involving a carbon feed system for a waste water treatment facility. We modeled the system in Revit MEP in order to show how everything in the system would actually fit. Certain manufacturers did have their fittings modeled, which made the process much easier and extremely accurate. In other cases I did spend a lot of time modeling specific valves, strainers, gauges etc. to their exact dimensions to make sure what we were doing would fit.
When you are able to show owners exactly what is going in to the system, with the exact layout, and don't have to spend time modeling each piece yourself, it makes it much easier for us to come up with a plan that will be understood and approved quickly. If multiple options come up and a specific accessory needs to be swapped that is already modeled for you, it's a quick and easy process. You save time in modeling, you save time with the approval process and you are much more confident that everything can fit properly when you get out there and have to build it."
Nick Ambrosino, BIM Engineer, - Daniel O'Connell's Sons - Holyoke, MA
"It is a difficult task sometimes to communicate a project's concept to a Client - to go beyond the functional planning and budget constraints - and get to the feeling of a space, its ideas and how it challenges the user's preconceived notions of what a building can be, and how it gives back to the context around it. Likewise, it is difficult sometimes to suggest fixtures and fitments, materials and finishes that tie in with these concepts - important parts of a creative whole. So how can I convince a Client of this necessity when the beautiful object, for argument's sake, a bath looks nothing like the one in my model. How can I speak of its sculptural form, the weight of the stone, its smooth polished finish and how it feels against one's skin, the way it relates to the room around it, elevating a place for washing into a ritual space for bathing when the object in my 3D model looks like a rudimentary project tub. If the content looks like the real object, and not a symbol for what could be, then it is easier to convince the Client of its integrity to the project and necessity in the budget, otherwise it is just empty words in an increasingly demanding visual culture. And if this can be done, then the Client will understand its importance and feel that it is worth the investment of their time and money. And if this happens then I, the Architect, can specify it."
Gregory Phillips - Scott Weston Architecture Design PL
"I have been using the BIM Revit for the past 2 1/2 years, at two different firms. BIM content that is readily available makes is much faster to build models and much more accurate. I will use the Herman Miller Aeron chair as an example. Once a client has seen that in the 3D presentation drawings, they fully understand what the chair will look like and expect to see that chair in the final finished project. Communication of all elements during the schematic design and design development phases is much easier and shortens the approval process because the clients really "see" what they are getting. This allows us also to spend more time developing even better designs. BIM content that is accurate also helps us create better construction documents, that allow the general contractor to do a better job. BIM content like accurate light fixtures allow energy calculations to be done more quickly and efficiently. Overall, the more and more we work with BIM, the more likely I am to turn to manufacturers that provide Revit models because it just make life easier. Once BIM content has been placed in the BIM model and has a high likelihood of being used in the project."
Tracy Lee - Lambert Architecture and Interiors, Winston-Salem NC
"When we are designing a building, we have very specific ideas about the look we are going for. BIM software has made it possible for us to now see on our screens exactly what the end result is going to look like. When looking for products and/or materials to use in that building, BIM content from manufacturers receives preferential treatment. While we can create generic content ourselves, it doesn't guarantee that a product is out there that will perform the way we are intending. When a manufacturer provides that content, it's almost a given that their product will be included in the specifications because we can see firsthand that their product will work and that the look fits into our design intent."
Todd Lewis - Alpha Associates, Inc
"Manufacturer's BIM content absolutely makes proprietary specifications more likely because dimensional and aesthetic compatibility has been verified in our model. We also get to know their products better whenever we use a manufacturer's BIM components."
Marcia Hart - Roomtag LLC
"Also clients relate emotionally to what they see (& want) on a plan or a rendered image. If the finished plan has your product, there is a good chance they will source your product."
Joakim Ho - Natural Matters Design
"At RIIS we are drawing about 15 shops every single week, projects are international and we have alot of communication. With BIM we are able to standardize our most used solutions and save considerable amounts of time, thus giving our designers time to focus on making great projects.
We are constantly developing our GDL libraries, expanding them with objects that solve our design needs. We both use our own custom coded objects plus objects from manufactures and there is no doubt that having the GDL model available directly from the manufacturer is a of great importance for our workflow. Enabling true-to-life sketching, precise scheduling and drawing material out of the box boost our productivity second to none."
Bram A. Andersen - RIIS Retail
"When building the BIM or "electronic model" of my project, I am far more likely to use a ready made library part to insert than to build my own from scratch - it takes a lot of time to build one's own library parts. If BIMstop has a suitable library part available I will use it. Naturally I will then have the manufacturer's name and details brought to my attention and I will consider using their product.
Many others involved in the project will by the same token become aware of the particular product."
William Berry - William Berry Architects
"I am a student of Civil and Environmental Engineering and in the framework of one of our courses I was tasked with creating a BIM model of a living quarters. I could have used Revit Structure's library of generic appliances but it seemed much more effective to populate the living space with BIM representations of actual market products. That way, I could ensure that the dimensions, energy requirements, and water/drainage hookups were appropriate to the overall design. This is a practice that I intend to continue in the workplace. Once I have fit an appliance in a BIM model, I would naturally choose the BIM product over alternatives because I could make the purchase sure that there will be no need for last-minute replacements and/or schedule-killing mixups."
Ari Teger - Technician Israel Institute of Technology
"Manufacturer specific BIM content sells products to clients. Many times just looking at a brochure does not convince a client to use a specific product, but showing them renderings with the product can get them to see what it really looks like in their space and sell the product."
Amy Markle - Waldon Studio Architects
Is BIM (building information modeling) and quality BIM content from BIMstop improving your workflow? We'd love to hear how and why, contact us today.