Revit, Archicad, Allplan, Vectorworks… and Simplebim: complementary solutions to make the most of BIM data

Each BIM software responds above all to the needs of its trade

The construction sector now relies on a wide range of design and digital modelling software. Among the most widely used solutions are Autodesk Revit, Graphisoft Archicad, Allplan, Vectorworks, Tekla Structures, as well as many other specialised environments.

These programs were developed to meet the specific requirements of the professionals who use them: architects, structural engineers, technical design offices, construction cost consultants, general contractors and prefabrication specialists.

Their primary purpose is to enable professionals to design, model, document and coordinate their projects, integrating the information required for their own working processes.

Each vendor thus offers functionalities adapted to the practices and constraints of its users:

• Revit supports the design and coordination of architectural, structural and technical disciplines.
• Archicad favours architectural design processes, documentation production and BIM collaboration.
• Allplan particularly addresses the needs of architectural design, engineering and construction.
• Vectorworks offers design environments adapted to architecture, landscape and other disciplines.
• Tekla Structures provides advanced functionalities for modelling and managing structural works.

These solutions are the production tools indispensable to their users.

But designing a digital model and industrially exploiting the data it contains are two different activities, which do not necessarily meet the same objectives.

IFC: a common language that opens up new possibilities

The IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) format, standardised under ISO 16739-1, allows structured information to be exchanged between the various stakeholders of a construction project, regardless of the software used to produce the digital models.

It is thus a fundamental element of BIM interoperability.

However, exporting a model in IFC format does not automatically guarantee that the information obtained is immediately suited to all intended uses.

Depending on the software, modelling methods, export settings and contributors' practices, IFC files may present:

• Data organisations that differ from one contributor to another.
• Heterogeneous properties or classifications.
• Information that is missing, redundant or insufficiently standardised.
• Levels of detail unsuited to the recipients' needs.
• Data structures requiring transformation before they can be used.

These situations do not necessarily reflect a weakness in the design software. They result above all from the diversity of trades, practices and objectives associated with producing the models.

An IFC perfectly suited to the needs of an architect is not necessarily suited to a cost consultant, a BIM Manager, a construction company or an asset manager.

It is precisely within this digital continuity that Simplebim comes into its own.

Simplebim: transforming IFC data to make it directly usable

Unlike design software, Simplebim is not intended to create or modify the geometry of structures.

Its specialism lies in working on the data of the IFC files produced by these environments, in order to organise, enrich, check and transform them according to users' needs and the project's objectives.

Simplebim thus forms a complementary layer for processing BIM information, independent of the design software used upstream.

In particular, it makes it possible to:

1. Harmonise information from different design solutions

When several contributors work with Revit, Archicad, Allplan, Vectorworks or other software, the exported information may be structured differently.

Simplebim allows common rules to be applied to standardise properties, classifications and data organisation, without requiring every contributor to use the same design software.

2. Restructure IFCs according to recipients' needs

An IFC file often contains more information than is required for a particular use.

Simplebim makes it possible to select the useful data, reorganise its structure and produce IFC files tailored to specific objectives: cost studies, coordination, quality control, site preparation, operation or maintenance.

3. Enrich and make BIM information more reliable

Thanks to its property-processing mechanisms and transformation rules, Simplebim makes it possible to complete, recalculate or reorganise certain information.

This makes it possible to prepare consistent, controlled datasets in line with the information requirements defined for a project.

4. Automate repetitive processing

This is one of Simplebim's major contributions.

Cleaning, filtering, classification, property modification and restructuring operations can be organised as repeatable processes.

These automations reduce manual intervention and promote greater consistency in deliverables.

5. Industrialise the processing of large volumes of IFC files

In organisations that regularly receive numerous models, repeating these processes represents a significant workload.

Depending on the workflows and functionalities deployed, Simplebim makes it possible to automate operations across series of IFC files, thereby facilitating the shift from craft-based processing to a more industrialised organisation of BIM data.

High-performing design software, complemented by a tool specialised in data

The complementarity between design software and Simplebim can be summarised simply:

This complementarity is essential: Simplebim does not replace design tools, but extends their usefulness well beyond the mere production of digital models.

A concrete example: making use of IFCs from several design offices

Consider a construction project bringing together an architect working in Archicad, a structural engineering firm using Revit, and a technical design office producing its models with Allplan.

Each carries out its work with software suited to its needs and exports its information in IFC format.

The BIM Manager must then prepare the data to enable the general contractor to produce certain quantity schedules, carry out checks and feed its reporting tools.

Without a structured processing workflow, it may be necessary to manually search for properties, reconcile different classification systems, filter objects and reconstruct the expected information.

With Simplebim, the BIM Manager can define processing rules that make it possible, in particular, to:

• Standardise property names and organisation.
• Check for the presence of the expected information.
• Perform calculations or data transformations.
• Filter objects according to their classification or use.
• Generate IFC files suited to the company's processes.
• Reuse these rules on new versions of the models.

The result is information that is better structured, more easily reusable and less dependent on repetitive manual operations.

Design teams continue to work with their usual tools, while recipients have data prepared for their own needs.

Freeing up time for high-value-added activities

One of the major challenges of the digital transformation of the construction sector is no longer simply producing BIM models.

It now consists of reducing the time spent handling information in order to increase the time devoted to its analysis and use.

Professionals possess valuable technical skills. However, a portion of their time remains tied up in repetitive operations: searching for properties, correcting classification systems, cleaning up exports, reconstructing schedules or preparing files for other software.

By automating some of these tasks, Simplebim helps redirect resources towards higher-value-added activities:

• Technical analysis of projects.
• Control of costs and quantities.
• Anticipation of construction difficulties.
• Control of information quality.
• Decision support.
• Improvement of collaboration methods.

Productivity gains naturally depend on the volumes processed, the quality of the initial data and the processes put in place. But the logic remains the same: a processing operation that has been properly defined and automated no longer needs to be fully reproduced manually with each new IFC delivery.

A complementarity useful to large companies as well as small outfits

Large construction groups, BIM design offices and organisations that handle numerous IFC files on a daily basis find in Simplebim a means of standardising and industrialising their processes.

The repeatability of these processes then becomes an important lever for controlling production costs and ensuring the consistency of deliverables.

But this approach does not concern large organisations alone.

An independent architect, a small practice, a design office with a handful of staff, or a BIM Manager working alone can also benefit from Simplebim.

For these outfits, the benefit is just as tangible: reducing manual operations, securing deliverables and responding more effectively to clients' requirements.

The value of Simplebim therefore does not depend solely on the size of the company, but on the time it devotes to processing IFC data and its interest in automating these operations.

Simplebim: the link between producing models and using data

BIM design software will naturally continue to evolve to meet the needs of its users. It forms the foundation of the digital production of projects.

Simplebim operates in another dimension: that of preparing, transforming and making use of the information exchanged.

This distinction is fundamental.

The value of a BIM model is not limited to its geometric representation. It also rests on stakeholders' ability to use the data it contains, in very different professional contexts.

By making it possible to reprocess IFCs independently of the software that produced them, Simplebim fosters a more open, flexible and effective approach to BIM interoperability.

Revit, Archicad, Allplan, Vectorworks and other design solutions make it possible to produce projects. Simplebim makes it possible to prepare their IFC data for the processes that follow.

Two distinct areas of expertise, yet deeply complementary, serving a single ambition: making BIM information genuinely useful, accessible and usable throughout the life cycle of structures.

Discover how Simplebim can add value to your IFC data

Do you use Revit, Archicad, Allplan, Vectorworks or another BIM design solution?

Would you like to automate the processing of your IFC files, make your deliverables more reliable or improve your teams' productivity?

Discover Simplebim and benefit from the support of BIM specialists to identify the processes you can simplify and automate.

Our team supports you in analysing your needs, getting to grips with the software and implementing processing methods tailored to your organisation.

Technology makes transformation possible. Human expertise makes it operational, sustainable and value-creating.

Contact our experts at simplebim.fr to arrange a presentation and discuss your IFC use cases.