Opinion
I'm took in Dassault Systemes’s "Understanding the New BIM Module in DraftSight" Webinar. You can watch the replay at https://youtu.be/-Y1bmFIJmhI.
Dassault, like PTC, has long longed to get a toehold in the AEC/BIM market, but usually did not make it. There is an AEC version of CATIA that starts at (just) $4,500/year, which includes Draftsight and the BIM module.
This BIM module is not new. It is licensed from Graebert, upon whose ARES Commander DraftSight is based. Graebert has been developing the BIM model for some years now. So, it is new only to Dassault and DraftSight. BIM is short for “building information modeling,” a more advanced version of architectural drafting, because it is inherently 3D and jam-packed with data about the building.
DraftSight’s BIM module is perhaps misnamed; it does not do BIM modeling, and so it is no replacement for Revit and other BIM modelers, such as ArchiCAD and Vectorworks. Instead, it is meant to do two jobs ancillary to BIM modeling: viewing Revit and IFC files in 3D, and generating 2D plans from them. (IFCs are 3D models output from other BIM modelers.)
The Webinar
The initial argument made by Webinar host Jack Lane is that lots of data is lost when exporting BIM models to DWG for creating 2D plans. As well, the export process requires manual updates when changes occur in the original 3D model. The solution is, of course, Dassault's new BIM module for DaftSight: import linked BIM models.
Benefits of the BIM module over using a plain DWG editor
The demo of using the BIM module was, for me, a useful review of the how the process works:
1. Import a RVT or IFC file into versions Draftsight that have the BIM module.
2. Use the built-in BIM Navigator to change viewpoints to see the model in 3D; toggle views, such as to see just the basement, or all doors on the third floor.
3. Generate (2D) plan views, section cuts, and elevations by specifying cutting planes.
4. Add labels to section views.
5. Map hatch patterns to materials; hatch patterns are used in 2D plans to specify materials.
6. Automatically apply string dimensions by layer, with customized BIM dimension styles.
7. Insert grid lines that apply equally to all drawings in the project.
Floor plans generated by sectioning 3D model
8. Place drawings on sheets, and then annotate them.
9. Split large drawings into smaller sections.
10. Create equipment schedules using filters, such as filter “doors” to create a door schedule; tables update automatically.
11. When the 3D model are changed, the 2D drawings are updated.
Q&A
Q: Does the BIM module cost extra?
A: Included free with DraftSight Premium, Premium Plus, and 3dExperience Premium.
Q: Is BIM in DaftSight Mechanical?
A: No.
Q: Can you have multiple BIM models in a single Draftsight model? Can these be related to each other so an update of one BIM model updates the master layout?
A: Yes. And yes.
Q: Can we edit the 3D source model?
A: No.
Q: Is there a possibility to export geometry to Solidworks to do additional work in structural design?
A: 2D -- yes; 3D -- not directly.
Q: Are building systems (ventilation, plumbing, electrical) equipment and piping available to make 2D drawings?
A: Yes.
Q: Can we dedicate some DraftSight licenses to just the BIM module?
A: Yes.
Q: Are some of these features exclusive to DraftSight and not available in AutoCAD?
A: Definitely more than AutoCAD LT
That ends my coverage of the Webinar.
Comments