Analysis of the interoperability from BIM to FEM
Beirnaert, Febe; Lippens, Alice (2018)
Beirnaert, Febe
Lippens, Alice
Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulu
2018
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201805239711
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201805239711
Tiivistelmä
The aim of this study is to investigate the efficiency of a conversion from BIM-software to FEM-software. With this information, the engineer can save time, because he or she knows which conversions can be properly executed and which data losses will occur during each conversion when a BIM-model is being transferred.
In the first part of the thesis, the different possibilities to exchange the models between BIM-software and FEM-software are theoretically investigated and explained. Next, a simple model was created to examine the conversion practically. We did this by modelling a simple steel and concrete beam where, if possible in the BIM-software, boundary conditions were assigned to the nodes, loads were applied and for the concrete beam, reinforcement was designed. The possible conversions were reviewed and the properties of the sections, materials, geometry, boundary conditions and loads were compared. To investigate the conversion of node connections, their positions and the transfer of the slabs, an advanced model was designed and transferred for links where good results were obtained in the simple model. The conversions are performed using an IFC data format, a direct link or another intermediate file. Due to the IFC data format being promoted as an exchange format that is sufficient for a lot of software, it will be the focus of the authors to examine these conversions.
The results did not support the expectations that using an IFC file format is the ideal manner to exchange information between BIM-software and FEM-software. If a direct link is available between two programs, this is still recommended. Even an intermediate file, developed to be used between two specific programs, had better results for most of the conversions than using an IFC file format. However, IFC is a file format that can be used as long as the engineer knows which data is imported correctly from the BIM-model.
In the first part of the thesis, the different possibilities to exchange the models between BIM-software and FEM-software are theoretically investigated and explained. Next, a simple model was created to examine the conversion practically. We did this by modelling a simple steel and concrete beam where, if possible in the BIM-software, boundary conditions were assigned to the nodes, loads were applied and for the concrete beam, reinforcement was designed. The possible conversions were reviewed and the properties of the sections, materials, geometry, boundary conditions and loads were compared. To investigate the conversion of node connections, their positions and the transfer of the slabs, an advanced model was designed and transferred for links where good results were obtained in the simple model. The conversions are performed using an IFC data format, a direct link or another intermediate file. Due to the IFC data format being promoted as an exchange format that is sufficient for a lot of software, it will be the focus of the authors to examine these conversions.
The results did not support the expectations that using an IFC file format is the ideal manner to exchange information between BIM-software and FEM-software. If a direct link is available between two programs, this is still recommended. Even an intermediate file, developed to be used between two specific programs, had better results for most of the conversions than using an IFC file format. However, IFC is a file format that can be used as long as the engineer knows which data is imported correctly from the BIM-model.