Federated BIM Models, what are they?

In recent years, Building Information Modeling (BIM) has transformed the construction industry by introducing a collaborative and digital approach to project management. With BIM, professionals can create complex digital models that not only graphically represent a building but also integrate data related to design, costs, materials, and post-construction management. A crucial aspect of BIM is represented by BIM federated models, which allow coordination between different disciplines – such as architecture, structures, and systems – ensuring a more efficient workflow and reducing errors and conflicts among teams.

The aim of this article is to explore in detail what BIM federated models are, how they work, and how they can be used to optimize construction project management. I will also show you some practical examples of how to manage a BIM federated model using a BIM federated model software, helping you understand how to apply this technology to improve coordination among teams and save time and resources.

Federated BIM model, definition

A Federated BIM model means a set of 3D models related to specific disciplines (architectural, structural, MEP engineering, etc.) that are integrated into a single view to create a single complete digital twin model of the building that is multidisciplinary and comprehensive.

In a federated model, all the information relating to the geometry of the building, the structure, the electrical system, plumbing, heating, renewable sources, etc. converge.

The federated model is made up of interconnected but distinct components that do not lose their identity or integrity. This means that any change to a single component of the federated model, does not imply a change to other components of the same federated model.

The components of the federated model can be created by the same professional or by distinct members of the same team or by professionals who work separately, each for their own discipline.

Generally, this process begins with the architectural modelling phase, on the basis of which the other specialists, for example the structural designer, the plant engineer, etc., develop the parts of their respective competence by importing the architectural model in IFC format. The individual parts then merge into the federated model which, once completed, constitutes the complete digital twin of the project.

The federation between the models can be managed through the use of BIM tools, able to coordinate the different disciplines involved and create a common information base for the various professionals involved. The aim is to verify and manage any problems, conflicts and inconsistencies that emerge from the comparison and overlapping of the different models.

The coordination of these processes, also provides for control, management and supervision of any conflicts between the individual parts of the federated model. This obviously means that other specific professional roles may need to be involved too. The UNI 11337 standard, in the part relating to these aspects, identifies two different management roles, the BIM Manager and the BIM Coordinator, and one with more operational training, the BIM Specialist.

usBIM | what are federated BIM models

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Advantages of the federated model

The availability of a federated model capable of integrating all the data relating to the various disciplines has an important impact on many management aspects of a BIM project.

For example, it has a very positive impact on:

• Coordination
  • improves the understanding of the project in all its various parts
  • guarantees everyone access to information
  • facilitates informed decision making, planning coordination,
  • prevents interference detection
  • improves project approval processes
  • it constitutes an information container that can be consulted and implemented by everyone over time
• Interference detection
  • it allows early detection of interdisciplinary conflicts that could otherwise escape during the verification phase. For example, by processing the structural model and the plant engineering model separately, in certain cases you may be unable to highlight collisions between an air conditioning duct and an emerging structural beam. This interdisciplinary clash between the structural model and the MEP model would not have emerged if the models had not been federated. All missing information, design inconsistencies, wrong decisions and inadequate use of resources emerge during the design phase, before starting the project. This methodology allows professionals to easily intervene, introduce corrective actions and continue with the design and construction process.
  • it saves time and resources that would otherwise be used to re-elaborate new design solutions, revisions and project variations in advanced stages of the design or even during construction.
• Accurate and realistic estimates
  • provides consolidated and precise data
  • it includes all the graphical, metric, geometric data and information relating to individual components
  • it allows to obtain accurate estimates on quantities, costs and realization time schedules and allows, on the basis of the data contained in the IFC files, construction cost estimates deriving from parametric design workflows with the planning and verification of execution times and of single tasks with their relating costs.

Components of a BIM federated model

In the BIM context, a federated model is given by the composition of multiple disciplinary models and their respective components that can be managed separately but at the same time visualized and coordinated together on a single platform for purposes of:

• BIM coordination, that is the process of coordination among the various figures collaborating in a BIM process, in order to optimize the management of a construction or infrastructure project (from design phases to decommissioning);
• Clash detection and clash management, that is the detection of conflicts between colliding elements and their management and possible resolution;
• Project management, to provide always updated information about the asset and thus improve the building’s performance, reduce interventions, and overall maintenance costs;
• Model checking, that is the activity of verification and control for the validation of the BIM models produced during the Authoring phase.

The components pertaining to the various disciplinary models represented together through a federated model are:

• architectural model;
• structural model;
• system model (MEP);
• energy model;
• site model (BIM 4D);
• cost model (BIM 5D)

How to create and manage a federated model

As we saw in the previous paragraph, a federated model combines various disciplinary models (architectural, structural, system, etc.) in a single environment, thus gathering a considerable amount of information to be used simultaneously for analysis, checks, and collaboration among the different stakeholders involved. But how do you create and manage such a rich model? Let’s see it step by step:

1. Planning and project setup
   1. Drafting the BIM Execution Plan (BEP)
      • Rules on: levels of detail (LOD), naming conventions, file structure, IFC standards, codes, and properties.
      • Definition of roles and responsibilities: BIM Manager, BIM Coordinator, disciplinary teams.
   2. Creation of the structure of the Common Data Environment (CDE): division into folders (Work In Progress, Shared, Published, Archived) to visualize, share, and manage construction and infrastructure projects online.
2. Creation of disciplinary models: each discipline works on its own model in native software, following guidelines for easy federation. The guidelines include the use of shared coordinates (georeferencing), well-structured models, and export in openBIM formats.
3. Federation of models
   1. Importing the models into the federation software, overlaying the models while maintaining their logical separation;
   2. Verification of positioning and consistency, that is checking the correct alignment of all models (same origin, scale, orientation).
4. Coordination and clash detection, that is identifying any conflicts between the elements of the federated model and managing and resolving BIM issues, recording and tracking the problems detected.
5. Updates and versioning, the disciplinary teams update the models according to the agreed revisions. The updated models are reloaded into the CDE and refederated.
6. Sharing and validation, this phase consists of exporting the model in openBIM format (IFC) and sharing it with various stakeholders for approvals, validations, 4D (time) or 5D (costs) uses.
7. Final delivery and use on site or for management and maintenance.

Example of federated models

To understand more about what BIM federated models are from a practical point of view, you can take advantage of the federated test model with full access to ACCA’s usBIM integrated system.

To get started, just access the usBIM page and enter your ACCA account credentials.

If you don’t have an account yet

1. go to the MyACCA page
2. register by entering your data
3. enter your email and password.

usBIM | Cloud system Interface login page

At this point you are ready to use one of the example files available in the “Shared with me” folder to experience all the usBIM.federation features.

Available files are:

• Federation of IFC MODELS – a federation of models in the IFC format
• Federation of various 3D MODELS – a federation of heterogeneous models produced with Edificius, Revit to which point clouds, textured meshes, etc. are added.

Let’s also see the specific features that you can take advantage of and the characteristics of a federation of BIM models.

Federated model characteristics

Moving on to analysing the characteristics of a federated BIM model, let’s start off from the example file available in the “Shared with me” folder in our usBIM cloud BIM integrated system. If you open the same model, you can follow the step by step instructions.

To open the “Federation of IFC MODELS” file, click on the monitor icon on the right hand side of the corresponding entry.

Once the file is opened, you can manage the model with the usBIM.browser commands:

• Use the Camera option to view the model with two different viewing options – Orbit and First Person modes
• Camera projection to choose between an Orthographic or Perspective view
• Annotations to associate annotations (links and videos) to the model and add useful information and data during the design, maintenance and management of the building asset.
• Measurements to perform linear, angular and surface measurements directly on the model
• Appearance to customize the visual style according to these modes: Show Polygons, Show Lines, Show Bounding Box and Show 2D Geometry
• Shadows to manage the shading effects by defining date (day/month/year), time, orientation and latitude/longitude
• reality/Real-time rendering & VR to view your model in first person and “enter” into the model using virtual reality viewers
• Scene settings to choose whether to view the model in 2D or 3D
• Full screen to view the 3D environment in full screen, making the most of the screen size for viewing the federated BIM model.
• Help to get all the information for navigation both in “orbit” mode and in “first person” mode.

The model you are viewing is a view in which several models in the IFC format are overlayed:

• architectural – with walls, doors, windows, etc.
• structural – consisting of reinforced concrete columns, beams and floors
• plumbing system – in which the drainage and supply pipes, terminal elements, etc. are visible.

However, you can view each model of the federation separately in its entirety by managing the visibility of each object.

In particular, you can:

• “turn on/off” individual objects of the model by clicking on the light bulb icon in correspondence with each object
• adjust the transparency of the model to fully display overlaid elements
• manage the colors of the individual objects to facilitate their readability within the federation.

This feature allows you to visually analyse the model and start evaluating any design conflicts and errors, helping you with the visibility of each element.

The federated BIM model is not a simple graphical representation for 3D visualization, but a system of parametric objects that can contain an infinite amount of information, data with constantly updated and indispensable characteristics to manage the construction and maintenance of the asset itself.

By selecting any object of the model, for example an architectural window, you can read the properties in the toolbox on the right and acquire the geometric data, material characteristics, material layer compositions, etc.

Furthermore, you can also choose to add new info (datasheets, images, documents, etc.) to implement the information system and update it over time.

usBIM | managing contents from usBIM.browser and reading the properties of a federated model object with usBIM

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FAQ – BIM federated models

1. What is a BIM federated model?

A BIM federated model is the integration of 3D models from different disciplines (such as architecture, structures, and systems) into a single visualization, creating a complete digital model of the building. This approach allows for the coordination of data from multiple areas of the project, improving collaborative management and reducing conflicts and errors among teams.

2. What are the advantages of using a BIM federated model?

• Better coordination among the various disciplines.
• Interference detection, allowing for the identification and resolution of interdisciplinary conflicts.
• Centralized access to information, facilitating decision-making and sharing among stakeholders.
• Accurate and realistic estimates on quantities, costs, and execution times, thanks to the centralization of data in IFC, RVT, and DWG formats.
• Time and resource savings, avoiding late changes and costly errors during later phases of the project.

3. How do you create a BIM federated model?

The process of creating a BIM federated model begins with modeling the different disciplines (architectural, structural, system, etc.), followed by integrating the models into a single platform. The main steps include:

• Creating the BIM Execution Plan (BEP) and defining roles.
• Using software for model federation, which allows importing and aligning models in IFC, RVT, DWG, and other formats.
• Coordinating through clash detection, to identify and resolve conflicts between models.
• Sharing and validating the model among stakeholders, ensuring that all parties are updated in real-time.

4. How can I detect and resolve conflicts between BIM federated models?

The clash detection function integrated into BIM software allows for the identification of conflicts between models, such as interference between structures and systems. This enables the resolution of conflicts before starting work on site, avoiding costly changes and delays. Using a BIM federation software like usBIM.federation makes this process quick and easy.

5. Can I visualize a BIM federated model in 3D or VR?

Yes, software like usBIM offers advanced 3D visualization and virtual reality (VR) features. These functionalities allow for immersive exploration of the federated model, facilitating project understanding and real-time reviews, even for remote teams and stakeholders.

6. What components can a BIM federated model contain?

A BIM federated model includes various components from different disciplines, such as:

• Architectural model
• Structural model
• System model (MEP)
• Energy model
• Site model (BIM 4D)
• Cost model (BIM 5D)

Each component remains separate but is integrated into the federated model for a comprehensive view of the project.