NBS Create and BIM

Yesterday I was in London with a number of large architectural practices who have been NBS users for many years. As part of this session we looked at how NBS Create can work within a BIM environment.

As always with live demonstrations, it's always a good idea to take screenshots in case the technology doesn't work on the day - so I thought I'd blog these screenshots here as they may be of interest to others.
(All images can be clicked on to make them bigger).

Figures 1 and 2 below show how an NBS specification can be linked to a Revit model so that the user can quickly view the specification for a system or a product without taking up an NBS licence. Within the NBS viewer all hyperlinks to clauses and external standards may be clicked and sub-sections can be expanded and collapsed.

Fig 1 - Select an object to view the specification

Fig 2 - The specification is accessed in the viewer

Figures 3 and 4 below demonstrate how annotations may be quickly added. When any linkage is broken, the user may correct this through the NBS plug-in functionality.

Fig 3 - Report on incorrect annotations

Fig 4 - Correct the annotations by selecting the appropriate clause from the specification

For those needing to access the NBS design guidance, this also may viewed in a single click. In the example below the user is considering the security guidance with respect to doorsets from the context of the model.

Fig 5 - NBS design guidance from the context of the model

To learn more about the free NBS plug-ins for BIM platforms (Revit, ArchiCAD, Vectorworks) please visit - http://www.nationalbimlibrary.com/bim-tools-and-guides

Following the demonstration on specification and model linkage we then looked at the standardised content that is available free from the National BIM Library. The screenshots below show how objects can be dragged and dropped directly from the National BIM Library into a model and how the objects synchronise with the guidance and notes on the web.

In addition to the development of generic objects to manufacturer and the specification linkage, the other big benefit of using National BIM Library is the consistency and quality of the information within the objects. The screenshots below show how the IFC, COBie and NBS properties are consistently authored to the NBS BIM Object Standard. This gives assurances of quality to any end-user or manufacturer using the library.

Fig 6 - Technical guidance on the web for the objects in your model

Fig 7 - Consistent IFC properties authored to the NBS BIM Object Standard

Fig 8 - Content from almost 200 manufacturers all authored to the same standard

Fig 9 - Property sets showing standard international definitions

Fig 10 - Pragmatic levels of geometric detail in the objects to keep the file sizes to an acceptable level.

The NBS BIM Object Standard is a free PDF download and also a website with associated guidance. It's great to see so much manufacturer content to this standard and more and more design practices adopting this standard for their own internal use. The screenshots below show a little from the standard website.
- http://www.nationalbimlibrary.com/nbs-bim-object-standard

Fig 11 - NBS BIM Object Standard 

Fig 12 - Free-to-use standard and associated guidance