Yasmin Ali

Weblinks

BIM Regional Hub Scotland - here

Autodesk Revit - here

Cadassist - here

Skills Development Scotland - here

The Lighthouse - here

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Autodesk reseller and training specialists Cadassist organised a morning breakfast briefing on BIM applications for Autodesk Revit at The Lighthouse in Glasgow last week. The morning programme included a demonstration of the main uses and applications of Revit, a presentation on potential sources of funding for training in using the software for companies in Scotland, and the policy context of shifting towards BIM for government infrastructure projects in both Scotland and the wider contextual position of the UK.

Also very relevant was a video presentation of an architectural practice who used Cadassist for their bespoke training and data and software migration to Revit-based systems, which included an upgrade of hardware, assessment of server capabilities and appropriate licensing and software solutions based on their needs, as well as a specially designed training programme which allowed the practice to switch over to the new program within one working week. They have found switching to Revit and using BIM has given them a competitive advantage against other local and regional practices and improved their PPQ scores to 99%.

The complimentary morning session was well attended by architects and building design professionals from Glasgow, as well as Edinburgh and as far afield as Inverness. It was followed by an optional hands-on demonstration session in the afternoon. Attendees were given a USB stick containing documentation referred to throughout the briefing, such as links to Cabinet reports on the targets for implementation of BIM in governmental projects. BIM is the way forward for construction projects, especially infrastructure.

It was also noted that although BIM use is on the rise in the UK, it is not new technology: Revit has been around for many years, and elsewhere in the world is more widely used and in more advanced applications than currently widespread or typical in the UK. For example, BIM has been used throughout Australia for over 15 years and it is fairly commonplace to use it to draw architectural details, whereas in the UK its application tends to be limited to 1:50 for modelling and detailing scales for isolated images from the model. It was also cited that in Singapore BIM is used for the submission of building warrant applications in which the model can be seen by local authority officials using a viewer and a decision on statutory approval can be delivered within just half an hour, given the advanced detail and ease of viewing of BIM files. One example of BIM software, Revit stands for 'revise it' and was developed as a software solution for the co-ordinated revision and updating of construction drawings and data schedules.

// Cadassist have regional offices in Glasgow, Manchester and London and regularly run short, accelerated training programmes in Autodesk software including Revit at these centres throughout the year.These courses can be in part financed by 50% through Skills Development Scotland for up to ten employees for eligible companies.