How I use Simplebim: Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads: Principal Designer on saving hundreds of hours per project.
Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), is the Government authority in northeastern Australia responsible for managing the State’s 33,000 km road network, including 3,100 bridges. Since July 2019, BIM has been mandated for all projects exceeding $50 million. Queensland has been the first State in the country to do so.
We spoke to Gavin Cairns – Principal Designer for openBIM and Digital Systems – about working with BIM, and how Simplebim has transformed his team’s workflows.
Simplebim (SB): Can you tell us about your role at the Department of Transport and Main Roads, and how it relates to BIM?
Gavin Cairns (GC): As Principal Designer, I develop BIM documentation and supporting software systems that are included in our contractual documentation. Part of my role involves validation of Project Information Models from the supply chain, and integration of Asset Information Models with AMS (Asset Management Systems) and GIS (Geographical Information Systems).
SB: What kind of projects do you typically work on, and what role does BIM play in their delivery?
GC: BIM is mandated in Queensland as an inclusion in transport infrastructure projects over 50 million capital expenditure. I collaborate with lead appointed parties to develop their BIM execution plans, as the project’s specific information requirements develop.
IFC is the key BIM deliverable in our contracts. The supply chain delivers IFCs with custom TMR IFC property-sets, for our review and integration with AMS and GIS.
SB: Which challenge led you to explore and adopt Simplebim as part of your digital workflows?
GC: We started using Simplebim for reviewing opensource IFC model files from the supply chain. We noticed that Simplebim offered an Excel functionality which suited our digital workflows, which are heavily Excel based.
The challenge was that the TMR Department doesn’t host any middleware or API for its Asset Management Systems; however, the suite of Oracle AMS are all capable of comma delineated .csv upload.
The Excel functionality of Simplebim allowed us to streamline the workflow to upload BIM data to our AMS.
SB: How does Simplebim support your work with IFC class assignment and validation?
GC: The Project Information Models that we receive from the supply chain are structured according to the IFC class definitions captured in our documentation.
Simplebim has allowed us to write validation rules in templates, and automatically parse these validation rules against the models.
Prior to using Simplebim, we used to manually check attribute values against our documentation; this took hours and was open to human error.
With Simplebim, model validation takes minutes and provides us with consistent outputs.
“To help automate our review processes, we develop tools for validating attributes. We use Simplebim Excel functionality to write basic rules to validate the IFC at our review submission gates: these rules mine the attribute values, and report to us if there is a value outside of a predefined range.“
SB: Can you walk us through how you use Simplebim’s Excel functionality “Bimsheet” to manage and validate data?
GC: The “Bimsheet” function brings spreadsheeting functionality into the model file viewer. A good example is that we bring our AMS upload template into the Bimsheet.
From there, we can align attribute values from the model with the corresponding Asset Management field. We can then save the Bimsheet as .csv, and the data is then ready for upload to AMS.
This process saves hundreds of hours of manually entry data to AMS, that is retrieved from project drawings and documentation.
SB: You’ve previously mentioned features like Object Groups being particularly useful. How do you use this feature in your work?
GC: Object Groups provide us with an extra layer of data structure within the Project Information Models. They help us group common object types for running validation rules against, and exporting into the right format for our various AMS. They also help with attribute editing when we’re using Bimsheet to update attribute values.
“Having regular maintenance activities in the electrical discipline means that we will soon be receiving operations and maintenance data capture to update as-constructed models.
We have completed an as-constructed model update workflow using Simplebim: its excel functionality allows us to import a .xls register from the maintenance work contract, and update the as-constructed model with newly completed maintenance registered information. Simplebim writes out a native .cube file in the background to save the modified data fields; from that .cube file we can then export to IFC, so that the model is an updated version that reflects the O&M activities that have occurred for those assets. We have both engineering design certification – and registered surveyors attributes captured in our property-sets, to ensure that our data is accurate ahead of updating the AMS.“
SB: What kind of improvements or time savings have you seen since implementing Simplebim?
GC: We have applied Simplebim’s functionality to automate our model review processes and data formatting for AMS upload. The Excel functionality of Simplebim has enabled us to format BIM data for direct upload to the AMS.
Collectively, these functions save hundreds of man hours per project.
SB: How has Simplebim improved the quality or reliability of BIM data you work with, especially in terms of data extraction or reporting?
GC: By using Simplebim’s templates in these processes, we’ve experienced reduced human error, more consistent data formatting and extraction, plus less rework in our BIM data management processes.
SB: Can you tell us more about how you’re using Simplebim for updating as-constructed (WAE) IFC attributes?
GC: We use Bimsheet to import work as executed data to update the attribute values in as-constructed models. We can import an Excel spreadsheet from the maintenance works contract, and update attribute values with maintenance registered information. Simplebim writes out a native .cube file to save those changes; from that .cube file, we export to IFC and the model is an updated version in work as executed status.
“Our workflow for BIM data extraction hinges around our IFC class definitions, published in our Information Delivery Manuals. We use Simplebim to export IFC directly to XLS.
Simplebim tabulates attributes for each model object, and delineates our IFC classes across separate worksheets. This step is a great piece of automation in the workflow! From here we wrangle the data down into the right format for AMS upload. Custodians of our AMS managers has provided us with a template, structured for AMS upload compatibility: we work through Simplebim export dialogues, to map the data into the required format.”
SB: How does Simplebim fit into your overall BIM ecosystem and technology stack?
GC: Simplebim sits on the client side of the Common Data Environment. It is used at each of our project information review submission gates. We review project information models at 50%, 85% and 100% detailed design, ahead of granting issue for construction. We apply a Simplebim validation template at each of our review submission gates. This automates our review processes.
Simplebim is also applied on receipt of the final Asset Information Model (AIM). We use Simplebim to format and extract AIM data for AMS upload. This process automates laborious data entry of traditional Asset Management upload processes.
SB: What advice would you give to other public sector professionals or infrastructure designers considering Simplebim?
GC: Simplebim is great software for anyone interested in model validation, data manipulation and interoperability with other systems. It is valuable because it’s so accessible and easy to use.
If you can navigate a 3D model and use Microsoft Excel, then you can use Simplebim and harness efficiency gains from it. Within a public sector with limited resources and varying skillsets, Simplebim has been quickly adopted by staff with limited experience in BIM.
My teammates enjoy working with Simplebim as it adds so much value to our work processes. It makes BIM data management easy, more efficient, and therefore more enjoyable.
I would recommend Simplebim to anyone that uses BIM in their work activities and can see how data-driven BIM management may drive efficiencies in their business.
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Hundreds of man hours saved, human error reduced, accessible and easy to use? If you’re not benefiting from Simplebim yet, what are you waiting for?
