Interpreted Information Exchange: Systematic Approach for BIM to Engineering Analysis Information Transformations

Transforming a building information model to an engineering analytical model is tedious and time consuming. With the current state of interoperability, after importing the building information model, the designer makes extensive modifications to prepare the model for analysis. This issue could be addressed by automating the model transformation process. In this paper, an automated interpretation mechanism referred to as interpreted information exchange (IIE) is presented and compared with the conventional direct information exchange (DIE). Moreover, a methodology is proposed for design and standardization of this type of information exchange to facilitate its implementation. Subsequently, application of IIE for engineering analyses is illustrated by explaining and validating a case study platform developed for interpreting the structural analytical model from the architectural model. Furthermore, based on the experience gained as a result of developing this tool, the considerations that need to be taken in the design of an IIE process are specified. Finally, the paper suggests how IIE can facilitate using building information modeling (BIM) for engineering modeling purposes.