This blog post was originally published on 8/29/2012.

The switch to BIM: bigger than just going from 2D to 3D

So you’re thinking about making the jump to BIM. Or perhaps you’ve been using Archicad for years and have just upgraded to the latest version. What can you do to make the transition smoother?

1. Know where you are coming from.

I cringe every time I hear people complain about how BIM takes longer. How many of them know how long things really used to take? Does your firm know how long a typical employee spends doing one interior elevation? How about two, three, or twenty of them? BIM benefits from the Network Effect; make sure to compare not just individual tasks, but the whole process.

2. Know why you’re making the switch.

Is it for IPD, to keep up with everyone else, because you want integrated documentation and visualizations, because you want to produce faster, because some person or company told you that you need to switch, or some other reason? Understanding why you are switching to BIM will help you reap the benefits and stay on task. There are countless advantages. Make sure to focus on the ones that are important to you.

3. Accept and embrace that BIM is different.

You need to commit to both learning and using BIM. BIM thinking is fundamental to your worth as an architect; understanding and incorporating Archicad into your process is vital (or Revit or Vectorworks or whichever BIM software you are going to use…). If you view Archicad as an external add-on to your existing workflow, its benefits will be hindered.

4. To succeed in BIM, you need to tackle both an increase in complexity and order.

This is a big deal. Templates and best practices are vital. Read this blog post, look at the diagrams, and accept that I am correct.

5. Find yourself a guide.

An employee who’s made the transition before (internal BIM Champion), an outside consultant, a friend at another firm, or a helpful blogger; a guide will make the transition easier. Spend your energies growing and improving, not reinventing the wheel.

6. Share, share, share.

You are not alone. Seek help from those farther on the path and help those behind you. Teaching is one of the best ways to learn. And opening yourself to others’ knowledge will help you find the answers you can’t see on your own.

7. Allow time for reflection.

Listen to everyone who makes the transition in your firm. Interns, designers, production staff, project architects, and principals all have valuable input.

8. Get full, CONTINUED support from management.

Make sure management understands that their role as stakeholders in the transition is equal to that of those using the software. If the leaders of the firm don’t understand, embrace, and encourage the transition, much energy and effort will be wasted. The transition might still succeed, but the risks are HUGE. If you are a sole proprietor, this still applies. You are both management and production staff.

9. Incremental steps.

You don’t need to tackle every aspect of Archicad and BIM at once. Think back to #2 above. If an aspect of Archicad doesn’t align with your reasons for using the program, don’t stress about it. There’ll be plenty of time.

10. Don’t rush.

This is a marathon, not a sprint. You have a lot of career ahead of you. Find a pace of learning that works well for your firm’s business model.

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Between 2012 and 2018, I wrote about two-hundred blog posts for the GRAPHISOFT North America blog, BIM Engine. Around 2020, the GSNA website was revamped. All my articles disappeared. A few other websites I wrote for between 2012 and 2022 have also disappeared. Fortunately I have copies of all the articles. I plan to republish as many of the old posts as I can here. While some posts only need minor editing, others need a lot of updating. It’ll likely take years to complete this project.

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