SYNRGYdesign

As an instructor, I’ve seen many new softwares come and go.  In architecture, there has always been a divide between 2D drafting and 3D modeling.  For many years now the industry has been using AutoCAD for it’s 2D drafting needs.  It has become an industry standard.  Everyone uses it.  All the consultants use it.  Firms have spent thousands of dollars on equipment, training, and software to have it in their offices.  But with the acquisition of Revit byAutodesk a few years back, we are now seeing the combination of 2D and 3D together.There have always been 3D modeling software to use.  For the past 10 years, the use of 3D modeling programs has risen.  Many of the 3D modeling software programs out there have become more sophisticated.  There has always been a line between 2D and 3D modeling.  3D has always been viewed as an extra.  It was something that would give the client some nice pictures to visualize the spaces.  2D was what got the building built.  It was the real set of working drawings.  But that is no longer the case.  With the advent of Building Information Modeling, we are now seeing a mingling of the 2 formats.Building Information Modeling is a fancy way of saying it’s a smart 3D model.  No longer are we restricted to just drawing some lines and then hoping the contractor understands what they are.  A BIM model is drawn as if it were being built.  There is a knowledge of the materials being used, and the sizes.  We are no longer able to wait for decisions on certain things until the end.  Clients need to decide some things ahead of time now in order to be able to do the drawings.  If anything like the last 3 or 4 years are an indication of what is to come - BIM is here to stay.  It has taken over architecture as we know it and is transforming it into a world of “smart” models.