Let's talk about BIM Open source!

I gladly take the suggestion given to me by @Knfitaly and today I will give you an introductory overview about the open source world of BIM.

Why do we talk about Open BIM? Why are we surrounded by the monopolis of software houses?

I think there are different aspects to keep in mind to get closer to the correct answer.

The open source softwares are constantly updated and sometimes are not "stable" risking to compromise the productivity of the company.

the necessity of the informatic figures inside the design studio will be born, to adapt open source software to business needs.

Not everyone knows and learn Open software because advertising is scarce, or because it is easier to attend a course (organized by software house affiliates). Using open software would be a great limit on finding staff to be hired in the company, which should provide training.

BIM is a new theme, requires an object-oriented relational database programming, which is not really easy. The software houses have invested heavily in research to provide complete products. I have not found anything "complete" and "intuitive" among the open BIM softwares to be used as an average user, with the exception of Openmaint that can be defined as ready for the public.

let's now analyze what the free / open source BIM world offers us.

IFC

I would start from the Open format par excellence, even if it is not really a software, it is the one that allows all BIM programs to communicate (even if with some translation error). I'm talking about the IFC (Industries Foundation Classes), created by Building Smart to facilitate the interoperability and information flow between the various BIM softwares. All BIM softwares are able to open and export native geometries and data in this format.

IfcOpenshell

IfcOpenshell is Open software to open and read IFC formats. It can be useful for those who want to verify the ownership of a model without having to acquire a proprietary license. Currently, however, it is still under development, the latest version is from March 2017.

Bimvie & BimSie

Bimviews is a BIM template viewer that works in the cloud, along with BimSie (Bim Service interface exchange), to view BIM templates online wherever you are. The principle is the same of Autodesk Glue. The site today(February 2018) is still under construction, but it is possible to download the application for free. BimSie instead is the open source cloud service. The libraries are open, but they can be used by proprietary software houses.

xBIM

We begin by describing xBIM, (eXtensible Building Information Modeling), developed by Northumbria University. It is a series of tools for reading and creating IFC format, rendering, creating BIM geometries and inserting / extracting data in Cobie format. IFC format could also be created and exported by a proprietary BIM software. The wonderful thing about xBIM is that it is absolutely customizable, even if it is still in a fairly embryonic stage of development.

Dynamo

Dynamo is a software that exists in two versions: as a standalone and as a "plugin" associated with Revit. In the latest versions of Revit, it has been integrated into the interface of proprietary software, because it has the potential to "make revit do what it can not".
With Dynamo it is possible to create BIM geometries through visual programming, or otherwise called "computational design". In other words, simplified computer science for architects! It is true that you do not need computer language, but you must know the algorithms, matrices, lists, Boolean and logical operations ...
It is quite unlikely to use it for a complete project.
I admit that working with Revit is sometimes strictly necessary to perform a certain operation, or simply to automate some long and repetitive processes.

B-Processors

This BIM software was developed by the Aarus School in collaboration with the Alexandra institute.
It allows you to create geometries with a simple interface, similar to sketchup. The status of this software is still in pre-alpha, but unfortunately the latest release is November 2015. It 's done well, but since no more releases have been published later who knows if they will continue to develop it!

OpenMAINT

Openmaint, distributed by CMDBuild, is an open source software that is not used to design in BIM but to help its management over time. OpenMAINT absorbs Ifc format data and reprocesses it in a database to schedule space maintenance and management.

And after this overview let me know if I left out something, I will be happy to integrate the post with your suggestions!
I'll be back soon to further explore this theme, talking about BuildingSmart, "International home of open BIM"

Have a nice weekend!

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