How to Adapt Your 2D Skills to BIM-Based Projects

The transition from 2D design to 3D modeling has a profound effect on project delivery. This is amplified for users whose entire career has revolved around 2D drawings. After 20-plus years of Revit use in the industry, some companies are still coming on board with building information modeling (BIM), and they face challenges in implementing Revit and 3D BIM processes. Those challenges include:

1. Adhering to standards for workflows and models.
2. Making BIM deliverables accessible all stakeholders. 
3. Adapting 2D skills to 3D BIM-based projects.

Adapting your 2D skills to 3D workflows can be a stumbling block and a humbling experience for those who have been in the industry a while. Fortunately, there are tools that make it easier than ever to effectively design and model in 3D.

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If you want your BIM coordination process to run like a well-oiled machine, contact Applied Software, Graitec Group and talk with Revit and BIM experts who have partnered with companies just like yours for effective BIM coordination.

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When drafters and engineers transitioned to using computers for their work instead of manually producing drawings, a shift in mindset wasn’t necessary. While they needed to learn how to use a computer, they could still use their knowledge about how to draw and apply it to the computer-aided design (CAD) process. Lines previously drawn with a mechanical pencil could be translated into the CAD software, typically AutoCAD, which could then plot more precise drawings on paper.

On the other hand, moving to a 3D model-based system involves new workflows and a new mindset for everyone, including:

• Embracing parametric design.

As described by Entrepreneur.com, a successful transition to 3D uses the right design tools to capitalize on 2D design and thinking skills. The most productive transition from 2D to 3D may start out simple and work toward more complex as staff skills develop. For parametric design in construction, Revit is one tool that can make the work of 3D easier. One person’s work in the model can automatically update it, as well as affect others’ work. Transitioning a 2D skillset to a 3D environment may have its challenges, but, as over half of companies in the construction industry have discovered, the challenges are not insurmountable.

• Sharing information.

If you are not known for sharing well with others, the move to a 3D model-based system is your opportunity to change. In traditional design-bid-build workflows, information was/is closely held. That does not benefit – and in fact works against – a cooperative model-based process like BIM. Stakeholders need to develop trust when working together on a project model.

• Collaborating with others.

Each stakeholder’s input into a 3D project model has value, particularly in the early stages. Subcontractors can help identify design flaws and avoid rework later in the project. Likewise, clashes can be detected long before construction begins. When the overarching goal is delivering the best project, collaboration can be seen in a whole new light.

If your shift from 2D to 3D presents the challenge of adapting 2D skills to 3D BIM-based projects, you’ll find greater success when you embrace parametric design, share information and collaborate with others.

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The shift from 2D to 3D can be easier when you choose an experienced technology partner. To ease your transition, Applied Software, Graitec Group offers workshops, training, consulting, and even BIM management options.

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