BIM² Blog

Time and time again, we reflect on a great workshop!

Last week, our entire #BIM2Team gathered at our headquarters in Nagold for two days to highlight the strategy for the fifth operational year of BIM². 📈

Since open and transparent communication within our company is crucial to us and we value the ideas of each team member, we organise an annual workshop to gain an overview of past successes and future challenges.

As always, our coach Dietmar Dengler was on hand to provide us with helpful inputs and to spark discussions within the team.

Moreover, we were able to gain some practical insights by visiting three super exciting construction sites with Thilo Braitsch from MEVA on Friday. We were able to see formwork from #MEVA and #PERI live in action and learned a lot! 🏗

Of course, delicious food is a must at a team meeting! 😋🍔

A big THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the success of this year’s workshop! 💙

We are facing the future with strengthened team spirit and ambition! 💪

Some impressions from our team time and trip to the building sites. © BIM² GmbH

📯📰 BIM²form NEWS

 Our new update is now available! Your daily work will be even more simplified with some helpful enhancements to our commands that we provide with the updated version. Here´s what´s new 🆕

The Forming command now recognizes existing walls from previous cycles, which allows you to design cycle connections by connecting wall segments lengthwise and crosswise.

When working on big projects you may use project specific individually nested groups. In response to your wishes we extended the command ‘Change Group Phases’ to now change the phase of every family within such individual nested groups.

But sometimes, the program still just doesn´t give the design output that satisfies you. That´s why we have a section for placing certain elements manually within a few clicks. You can now even place single accessories like Alignment Rails by choosing exact Points on the panels, so the design will come out just as you wish.

As annoying as insects can be in real life, bugs are also in software. That´s why our team is always working on fixing them for you.

To finish up the list, there are also additional formwork systems available for you. If you want to know more about them and all the other improvements subscribe to our quarterly Update Newsletter on our website so you don´t miss out on further details!

Sign up for your 14 days free trial of BIM²form HERE.

Looking forward to the upcoming release where we are planning to release lying top-ups. Stay tuned!

Meet our developer Philipp.

Our currently youngest team member Philipp has completed training as an Application Developer and brings a variety of interests in different fields to the company besides programming. He is keen to use his brain rather than his physical abilities (except for playing volleyball 🏐) and therefore loves problem-solving. As he is working with us remotely, he is planning on studying Computer Science in Japan.

In his free time, he likes to play video games and found passion in discovering Japan, the Japanese culture, history, and language. Overall, education is big for him, as he loves to learn new things and skills and has fun teaching others what he has learned. A handy skill he would like to improve in the future is cooking.

Glad to have you on board Philipp!

Meet our developer Syrine.

With a Master’s degree in Computer Science Syrine is full of motivation and energy as she jumps into the world of construction and real estate. With an open mind for other people´s views, she is always willing to discuss and share her knowledge with her team members.

When Syrine is off work, she enjoys listening to music, surfing through the depths of the internet, or going for walks with her family for a change.

Glad to have you on board Syrine!

Our new update is here!

The latest version of our Autodesk® Revit® add-in BIM²form is now available!

As you might know, Open Innovation is our key to making BIM²form a product that actually supports you when performing your daily tasks. The latest version includes a command that has been wished for by users over and over again: The ‘All Intersections’ command.

In addition to the various bugfixes in the new release, we introduce new wall formwork systems as well as slab formwork for our manufacturer #PERI VARIO and MULTIFLEX as well as our first column formwork #MEVA EcoFix.

There have also been some enhancements to existing systems.
For further details check the document attached.

Our next big project we will be focusing on will be cycle connections. We are looking forward to the upcoming release!

We hope to expand the scope of BIM²form once more significantly to provide you with a time-saving way to approach formwork design.

Want to know more about all the improvements? Subscribe to our quarterly Update Newsletter on our website so you don´t miss out on further details!

Sign up for your 14 days free trial of BIM²form HERE.

Access the PDF file HERE.

Meet our developer Philipp.

After completing his retraining from salesperson to application developer, Philipp joined us in December 2022. Blessed with a curious mind he seeks the satisfaction of figuring out complex systems, a quality that allows him to unravel even the most tangled threads of code.

In his free time, he enjoys gaming, with a focus on roleplaying and strategy. Collectable card games in particular tend to get his attention, both analogue and digital. A firm believer in a unified future of humanity, he’s an advocate for kindness and cooperation. Teamwork comes easy to him and he’s always willing to assist a colleague in their endeavours, be it through word or deed.

Glad to have you on board Philipp!

Our new update is here!

The latest version of our Autodesk® Revit® add-in BIM²form is now available!

The past bauma gave us a great opportunity to present our latest inventions directly to visitors and some of our existing customers. Thanks for stopping by!

With this release, we introduce the presented new wall formwork systems as well as slab formwork of our manufacturers MEVA and PERI.
There have also been some enhancements to existing functions.
For further details check the document below.

By the beginning of 2023, we are looking forward to including more systems within the upcoming release!

We hope to expand the scope of BIM²form once more significantly to provide you with a time-saving way to approach formwork design.

Want to know more about all the improvements? Subscribe to our quarterly Update Newsletter on our website so you don´t miss out on further details!

Sign up for your 14 days free trial of BIM²form HERE.

Access the PDF file HERE.

Wow, was für eine Woche!
Eine Woche voll interessanter Neuerungen, spannenden Gesprächen und inspirierender Ideen.
 
Die bauma war für uns eine tolle Möglichkeit mit vielen von euch persönlich in Kontakt zu kommen, sich über die digitale Baustelle und die Zukunft der Bauindustrie auszutauschen, und BIM²form mit seinen Neuigkeiten präsentieren zu können.
 
Daher möchten wir uns ganz herzlich bei allen Besuchern und Kunden bedanken, die uns aufgesucht haben. Es war uns eine Freude euch zu treffen! 💙
 
Ein besonderer Dank gilt auch unseren Partnern MEVA Formwork, PERI und RINGER!
 
———-
 
Wow, what a week!
A week full of interesting innovations, exciting conversations and inspiring ideas.
 
bauma 2022 was a great opportunity for us to connect with many of you personally, exchange ideas about digital construction sites and the future of the construction industry, and to present BIM²form and its latest developments.
 
We therefore would like to sincerely thank all visitors and customers for stopping by, it was a pleasure to meet you! 💙
 
Many thanks also to our partners MEVA Formwork, PERI und RINGER!

Exciting News!

We recently teamed up with ALLPLAN and are working together on providing BIM²form for their BIM solution Allplan. 

This way, we hope to make BIM²form more accessible to a broader range of users.

IT’S UP TO YOU!
If you are interested in getting early access as a user, click the link below and sign up!
https://lnkd.in/esy5TxwC

©Video: ALLPLAN

Meet our 3D Designer Miriam.

Miriam joined us in August 2022, right after her graduation from SAE Insitute and is excited to put her skills into action.
Fresh from university with a Bachelor´s degree in Visual Effects & 3D Animation and an open mind, she brings in new ideas and colours.
Her knowledge in various programmes from Adobe Photoshop to Autodesk Maya enriches our team and expands our competencies.

Miriam´s open mind does not only show when working for BIM². She loves to travel and learn more about other cultures or you´ll find her experimenting in the kitchen trying out new recipes.
Her love for animation also is reflected in her other hobbies such as reading comics and watching movies in the cinema.

? Our new update is here! ?

The latest version of our Autodesk® Revit® add-in BIM²form is now available!

With this release, we introduce once again a new modular slab formwork system and some other new functions.
For further details check the document attached.

We are looking forward to BAUMA with great excitement!
For months we have been working intensively on many major and minor innovations, which we can finally present with the new version in October.

We hope to expand the scope of BIM²form once more significantly to provide you with an even more comfortable and time-saving way to approach formwork design.
Stay tuned!

Want to know more about all the improvements? Subscribe to our Update Newsletter on our website so you don´t miss out on further details!

Sign up for your 14 days free trial of BIM²form HERE.

Access the PDF file HERE.

Exchange between students and practical partners at MEVA’s headquarters in Haiterbach. © MEVA Formwok Systems

On Friday, July 1, the final presentation at the Biberach University of Applied Sciences marked the end of a Master students‘ project for which MEVA Formwork Systems, together with BIM² and Building Information Innovator, had the opportunity to support them as a practical partner. 

Proudly, the students of the Master’s program in Construction Project Management and the Master’s program in Engineering Management at HBC presented the result of their work, which they had been developing over the past semester.

With the model project „In-situ concrete formwork in its life cycle – processing future formwork“, they faced the standard problem for time delays on present-day construction sites: a lack of structure and insufficient overview of the overall processes.

 The project’s main focus was on formwork and its digital integration with the help of the BIM method. The aim was to rethink the formwork workflow as a process and to demonstrate a solution for making construction sites leaner and more efficient in the future.

The students‘ approach is the necessity of interaction between improved resource management and transparent data exchange between planning and execution. To implement this in practice, basic concepts for the development of a digital customer interface were worked out. An app created by the students that digitally generates delivery notes has already served as a prototype.

The ideal target process

To obtain an on-time completed building at the end of the process, the following data is imported into 5D BIM at the beginning: the 3D model, the time frame, and the available resources such as internal and rented material, employees, and the forecasted material stock.

Through an ideal process planned out in detail in advance, which is constantly tracked during execution, resources should be saved eventually, and thus more clients can be served.

The permanent target-performance comparison also enables the construction site to react more flexibly and makes deviations from the target directly visible.

The first step is to import the building carcass model as an IFC file into Revit and then use BIM²form to create the formwork design and its cycles. This is then analyzed with the help of the tool dProB by BII GmbH to optimize the use of formwork components, and the associated logistics processes are visualized.

This results in a schedule in which deliveries and returns are also noted. Based on these, the digital delivery notes are then issued.

Once on site, the planned processes are tracked using the photogrammetric picture recognition tool oculai.

Through constant target-performance comparison, tracking of the individual formwork components can be realized throughout the entire process.

This means that it is always possible to track which material is currently being used where and when it will be returned.

 As a result, flexible, foresighted, and structured reactions can be made at any time with the help of the target-performance comparison of the schedule.

Supporting students is important to us

BIM² CEO Tobias Wallner listens intently to the students‘ input. ©MEVA Formwork Systems

As a partner, we aim to encourage students who explore the topic of Building Information Modelling and 3D formwork design and are happy to support them in projects like this that drive digitalization in the construction industry.

We are happy about the dedicated performance of the students and sincerely congratulate them on this successful project.

Lesen Sie den Artikel auf Deutsch.

Austausch zwischen Studierenden und Praxispartnern im Hauptsitz von MEVA in Haiterbach. ©MEVA Schalungs-Systeme

Am Freitag den 01.07. ging mit der Abschlusspräsentation an der Hochschule Biberach ein Projekt der Masterstudierenden zu Ende, bei dem MEVA Schalungs-Systeme gemeinsam mit BIM² und Building Information Innovator (BII) als Praxispartner unterstützen durfte.

Stolz präsentierten die Studierenden des Masterstudiengangs Bau-Projektmanagement sowie des Master Engineering Management der HBC das Ergebnis ihrer Arbeit, an dem sie das vergangene Semester über tüftelten.

Mit dem Modellprojekt „Ortbetonschalung im Lebenszyklus – processing future formwork“ stellten sie sich dem Standardproblem für den Zeitverzug heutiger Baustellen: fehlende Struktur und mangelnder Überblick über die Gesamtprozesse.

Der wesentliche Fokus des Projektes lag auf der Schalung und deren digitaler Integration mithilfe der BIM-Methode. Ziel war es den Schalungsablauf als Prozess neu zu denken und eine Lösung aufzuzeigen, wie Baustellen künftig schlanker, leaner gestaltet werden können.

Der Ansatz der Studierenden ist die Notwendigkeit eines Zusammenspiels zwischen verbesserter Materialwirtschaft und transparentem Informationsaustausch zwischen Planung und Ausführung. Dafür wurden zur Anwendung in der Praxis Grundlagen für die Entwicklung eines digitalen Kundenportals erarbeitet. Als erster Prototyp diente bereits eine von den Studierenden erstellte App, die die Lieferscheine digital erzeugt.

Der ideale Soll-Prozess

Um am Ende des Prozesses ein termingerecht fertig gestelltes Bauwerk zu erhalten, werden dafür am Anfang folgende Daten in 5D BIM eingespielt: das 3D-Modell, der Terminrahmen und die verfügbaren Ressourcen wie Eigen-und Mietmaterial, Mitarbeiter:innen und der prognostizierte Materialbestand.

Durch einen im Voraus detailliert geplanten idealen Prozess, der während der Ausführung ständig getrackt wird, sollen letztendlich Ressourcen gespart und somit mehr Kunden bedient werden.

Der permanente Soll-Ist Abgleich ermöglicht zudem flexibleres Reagieren der Baustelle und macht Abweichungen vom Soll direkt sichtbar.

Konkret wird dabei im ersten Schritt das Rohbaumodell als IFC-Datei in Revit importiert und dann mithilfe von BIM²form sowohl die Schalungsplanung als auch deren Taktung erstellt. Diese wird dann mithilfe des Tools dProB der BII GmbH auf optimale Auslastung der Schalungskomponenten optimiert und die dazugehörigen Logistikprozesse visualisiert.

Daraus resultiert ein Terminplan in dem auch An- und Rücklieferungen vermerkt sind. Anhand diesen werden dann die digitalen Lieferscheine ausgestellt.

Auf der Baustelle angekommen werden die geplanten Prozesse dann mittels des photogrammetrischen Bilderkennungstools oculai getrackt.

Durch ständigen Soll-Ist-Abgleich ist das Tracking der einzelnen Schalungskomponenten über den gesamten Prozess hinweg möglich.

So kann jederzeit nachverfolgt werden, wo aktuell welches Material eingesetzt und wann dieses zurück geliefert wird.

Im Ergebnis kann also jederzeit mithilfe des Soll-Ist Abgleichs des Terminplans entsprechend flexibel, vorausschauend und strukturiert reagiert werden.

Die Förderung von Studierenden liegt uns am Herzen

Gespannt lauscht Tobias Wallner, CEO von BIM², den Anregungen der Studierenden. ©MEVA Schalungs-Systeme

Als Partner möchten wir Studierende fördern, die sich mit der Thematik des Building Information Modeling und der 3D Schalungsplanung befassen und unterstützen sie gerne bei Projekten wie diesen, die die Digitalisierung in der Baubranche voranbringen.

Wir freuen uns über die engagierte Leistung der Studierenden und gratulieren ihnen herzlich zu diesem gelungenen Projekt.

Read this article in English.

„After bauma is before bauma“, as they say in our circles. Exhibitors are not the only ones starting their preparations early this bauma year.
In cooperation with the VDMA, the organisers themselves are kicking off this year’s fair with five talks on the major key topics.

In the first talk of the series, for example, topics such as future construction methods and materials have been discussed.
The topics are presented by a number of experts from the industry and university speakers.

You can find the first part of the lecture series HERE on the bauma Network YouTube channel.

As a part of the industry, you might find a little insider tip particularly interesting: the third bauma TALK which was held last week covered aspects of the Digital Construction Site.

? Our update is finally here! ?

The latest version of our Autodesk® Revit® add-in BIM²form is now available. With this release, we introduce a new part wall type and RINGER as the second manufacturer to provide two of their slab formwork systems in BIM²form.

Besides that, we made a bunch of improvements to offer you an even more comfortable and time-saving way to approach formwork design.
For further details check the document attached.

Want to know more about all the improvements? Subscribe to our Update Newsletter so you don´t miss out on further details!

Sign up for your 14 days free trial of BIM²form HERE.

Access the PDF file HERE.

Norway´s Longest Railway Bridge ??
– Challenging Formwork Design with BIM Approach

The recent issue of FormworkPress* features an article about how BIM²form was used for the formwork design of the Minnevika railway bridge that is to be completed in autumn 2023. Our BIM² team also provided support and guidance to our customer MAXBO Teknikk during the formwork design phase.

The project is part of the state-owned company Bane NOR‘s ongoing upgrade of the railway system in Norway.
In order to simplify the collaboration with Teknikk‘s contractor and to enable a streamlined connection to the BIM workflow, a 3D formwork model was used.

Are you curious about the project?

Read the article here:

Deutsch | English | Français | Nederlands | Magyarul | Español

*FormworkPress is a publication of MEVA Formwork Systems.

Read the full news article about our partnership with RINGER HERE.

Meet our developer Kevin.

Kevin joined us in February 2021 and is more on the quiet team of our software developers. Although „reserved“ is probably the best word to describe him, he is very reliable and always willing to help his colleagues out. Whether supporting his team or taking on new tasks himself, he loves what he is doing.

Before working with BIM², Kevin originally studied Games Programming. Therefore, he also loves programming in his free time, but in this case, literally, rather playfully.

? Imagine: It is finally Friday, you are already looking forward to meeting friends for playing sports after you finish work BUT then you remember you have a scheduled training today which will probably run until late in the afternoon and you have to drive home in horrible traffic afterwards so you won´t be able to make it on time ?
What a pity, isn´t it?

? Luckily there´s a solution to this: Remote training.
Due to the circumstances of the pandemic, namely working from home and not being able to travel, and a resulting increase in digitalisation we switched from offering on-site training courses running for several days to remote training with the learning content being broken down into small units.

Besides the obvious advantages like saving travel expenses (either for your employees or the coach) or being able to stay in a safe environment, remote training offers many more advantages:

✅ Time Flexibility
Due to the learning content being broken down into smaller units you are more flexible with finding suitable dates for both the coach and the trainees. We recently received very positive feedback on that from our customer: Since they are usually loaded with daily work during the week, they can´t easily leave their workplace for several days to attend a training. Instead, it was perfect for them to schedule a meeting every Friday for two hours each in the morning and in the afternoon where they could actually make the time in between to learn something new.
In addition, it is also a lot easier to postpone training dates if there may occur any inconveniences e.g. if a participant gets sick.

✅ Individual Learning
This just leads to the next point which is individual learning. It is up to the customer how many dates they want to schedule, how many blocks they would like to go through in each session depending on how much time is available. This could be two hours a week, four hours every other day or the classic eight hours a day if you wish so. We also offer to record the training sessions and will provide them to you afterwards so you can go through them once more in your own learning tempo.

✅ Training on the Job
Another great thing about not having to leave your familiar work environment is training on the job. If you´re usually busy caught up in your daily work, your head might not be receptive to mere theory while you have a serious problem to solve. How much better would it be, if the training could actually help you solve a real problem? Remote training supports you in learning new skills at the workplace. You bring your project and apply what you learn directly. There is more flexibility topic-wise and better opportunities for addressing individual problems. Technology makes it even more beneficial and enables you to share your screen with others so they can learn from you too!
And bonus: it reduces stress when everyone can attend without having to go out of their way and leave their familiar environment.

✅ The Learning Curve
According to brain scientists learned lessons stick better with our brains if we revise them in regular intervals. Let´s be honest: if you just go there for one or two days and get loaded with tons of information all at once you won´t remember most of it the day after. However, if you schedule your training every week you will be able to process the information according to your own tempo and remember what you learned a lot better. It also gives you the opportunity to recap and ask questions that come up in between the sessions next time.

✅ Finding everything in one place
We opened a Microsoft Teams channel for each training customer where we would communicate with the trainees and have all the training documents in one place together. This also opens up another opportunity to ask for quick support in between the training sessions.

To sum up, there are really big advantages to individual remote training. However, it is not that practical for bigger groups and topics that require lots of interaction between the participants.
Nevertheless, due to the very positive experiences on both our customers and our employee’s side as well this became our new standard.

Are you on the digital planning side or on the practical site of the construction project?

BIM²field is where they both meet. The video shows how practical this approach is with some impressions of projects we have supported in the past. Our tool BIM²form enables you to visualize the designed process in 3D beforehand before you can take your digital plan with you on-site and see how it really works in real-life.

What are your experiences with BIM²field? Let us know in a comment!