By Nicholas Bowley, IMAGINiT Building Solutions
Old as-built fabrication models just got a lot more valuable to the design engineer and owner. This also means that the life cycle of an MEP BIM model is now infinite.
If you are beginning a renovation project in Revit, it is likely that there is an existing as-built fabrication CAD file. This fabrication model can be imported into Revit as “Fabrication Parts”. The fabrication model will need to be exported from Fab CADmep using the CREATECAM command to create a .maj file type. The model can also be modified and added to in Revit when the field conditions are confirmed. These parts can also be demolished in the area of work.
Using the as-built fabrication model reduces survey cost by allowing the designer to verify the conditions. This allows the design engineer to bid a project more competitively and pass that cost savings on to the owner. The as-built model will also increase the quality of the Revit design model by improving coordination with the existing field conditions in a program familiar to the design engineer. This will also reduce cost during construction. An owner should make the as-built model available to the design engineer and continue to maintain the BIM database for their campus.
Figure 1 is a screen shot of an old fabrication as-built model in Fab CADmep. Figure 2 is the same as-built model after imported into Revit 2016 in the area of the new renovation.
Figure 1 Figure 2
To get the Revit 2016 plugin to bring in a fabrication model, follow this link.
The button will appear under the Add-Ins ribbon in Revit 2016 and look like this.
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