Related Pages

• BIM Server information exchange (BIMSie)
• Building Programming information exchange (BPie)
• Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBIE)
• Coordination View Information Exchange (CVIE)
• Energy information exchange (ENERGie)
• Equipment Layout information exchange (ELie)
• HVAC information exchange (HVACie)
• Life Cycle information exchange (LCie)
• Quantity Takeoff information exchange (QTie)
• Specifiers' Properties Information Exchange (SPIE)
• Wall information exchange (WALLie)

Common Building Information Model Files

ORGANIZATION: USACE

Chair
Bill East
Bill.east@us.army.mil

Repeatability in Practice

For the capital facilities industry to trust information exchange standards, buildingSMART alliance certification and challenge results must be repeatable. Software firms presenting at alliance events are required to publish configuration guides and technical support contacts to ensure that software users can achieve the tested performance on their projects. The alliance also publishes its Quality Control and Quality Assurance testing procedures used during these tests and the results of tests conducted. In all cases these procedures include the use of example building models.

Platforms for Innovation

Educators and researchers are often required to develop building models from sources that cannot be shared. Unfortunately, scientific investigation demands repeatability of results that can only be achieved by sharing of experimental models. A common set of building models could reduce the time required for researcher data collection and facilitate associated research and education.

Future Contributions

Those developing new models based on these standard models, in new native formats, or extending the models provided in open formats for purpose of innovation and research are encouraged to contribute these updated models to this page. To submit your model please provide a 2-3 sentence paragraph describing the model and providing a point of contact the POC listed at the top of this page.

Reuse Licensing

People downloading these models may copy, distribute, display, and use these models and make derivative works based on these models if they provide proper citation of the source of these models through proper academic citation whenever these models are presented. Any future examples or extensions to the models subsequently published on this website may also be used according to the terms above. There is no cost or use restriction on these models in any for-profit or not-for-profit.

Building Information Model Tools

The models provided on this page have been developed with a variety of commercial and non-commercial tools. The identification of these specific tools does not constitute an endorsement of any of these tools by the National Institute of Building Sciences, the U.S. Army, or any of the future contributors to this page. The following tools are referenced in the models that you may download:

• Adobe. Actobat 9 Pro Extended. Used to create 3D building model visualizations and redacted building documentary information.
• AutoDesk. Revit 2011. Used to create the base models and export the models to the IFC 2x3 Coordination Model View.
• A customized distribution of bimServer.org was developed in parallel with the creation of these models. This tool replaces the use of bimServices to create COBie files from IFC models on realistically sized buildings. This tool is in its initial development stages and is provided here for unsupported use. Please refer to the open source bimserver.org (http://www.bimserver.org) project for documentation on the use of the generic bimserver distribution. Get a copy of the customized distribution of bimServer.org here (http://projects.buildingsmartalliance.org/files/?artifact_id=4638).
• AEC3 UK. bimServices. Used to transform, report, and analyzes IFC and COBie model files. Download bimServices here (http://www.aec3.com/en/6/6_04.htm).
• NIST. IFC File Analyzer. Used to evaluate the contents of IFC model files. Download the IFC File Analyzer here (http://www.nist.gov/el/msid/infotest/ifc-file-analyzer.cfm).
• Solibri. IFC File Optimizer. Used to reduce the size of IFC model files by consolidating common property sets and other reference information.
Download the IFC File Optimizer here (http://www.solibri.com/solibri-ifc-optimizer.html).

COBie Configuration Guide

In order to correctly configure Revit 2011 to produce the needed IFC and COBie models a guide covering how the product should be setup was developed based on both AutoDesk provided configuration information and trial and error testing during the course of the effort. The configuration guide, called "Experimental Building Information Models," provides both the generic Revit setup instructions as well as specific issues identified while creating each of the three building models provided below. To replicate the results of this effort please download the following files:

• Configuration Guide (PDF)
• Shared Parameter and IFC Export Mapping Files

Model 1. The Duplex Apartment Model (release 2.0)

The duplex apartment model was originally created by a student who developed this building as part of a design competition. This model was first used at the Dec 2009 COBie Challenge event. The model provided here is the second version of this model completed by designers at Kristine Fallon and Associates.

2011-09-14-Duplex-IFC

2011-09-14-Duplex-IFCAnalyzer

2011-09-14-Duplex-PDF

2011-09-14-Duplex-RVT

COBie Deliverable Examples:
2012-03-23-Duplex-01-Programming
2012-03-23-Duplex-02-Design
2012-03-23-Duplex-03-ProductSelect
2012-03-23-Duplex-04-ProductInstall
2012-03-23-Duplex-05-Handover

Model 2. Office Building Model

The two story office building model was developed based on the published sample floor plans for a specific type of mid-size office building built in the United States.

2012-03-23-Office-COBie

2011-09-14-Office-IFC

2011-09-14-Office-IFCAnalyzer

2011-09-14-Office-PDF

2011-09-14-Office-RVT

Model 3. Medical/Dental Clinic Building Model

The Clinic Model was developed based on an actual federal medical and dental clinic building at a location in the South-West United States. The model also comes with a set of redacted design drawings. A full set of operations and maintenance manuals are also available but have not yet been redacted, so cannot yet, be posted to this public repository.

2012-03-27-Clinic-RedactedDrawings

2011-09-14-Clinic-IFC

2011-09-14-Clinic-IFCAnalyzer

2011-09-14-Clinic-PDF

2011-09-14-Clinic-RVT

COBie Deliverable Examples:
2012-03-23-Clinic-01-Programming
2012-03-23-Clinic-02-Design
2012-03-23-Clinic-03-ProductSelect
2012-03-23-Clinic-04-ProductInstall
2012-03-23-Clinic-05-Handover

Licensing

All building models provided here by buildingSMART alliance are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.