BIMKEEPER

INTRODUCTION AND MANUAL

Using Building Information Modeling to successfully manage

real-estate

INTRODUCTION TO BIM

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Contents

Introduction to BIM ___________________________________________________________________________ 2

BIM and IFC ___________________________________________________________________________________ 3

Account management ________________________________________________________________________ 4

Role Types ____________________________________________________________________________4

Creating a new user___________________________________________________________________4

Managing complexes _________________________________________________________________________ 6

Navigating to a complex ______________________________________________________________6

Creating a new complex ______________________________________________________________7

Complex detail page __________________________________________________________________8

Units __________________________________________________________________________________9

Uploading IFCs ______________________________________________________________________________ 10

Conversion__________________________________________________________________________ 12

Setting a model as default __________________________________________________________ 12

Multiple selection and element export______________________________________________ 19

Adding documentation _____________________________________________________________ 20

Management________________________________________________________________________________ 22

INTRODUCTION TO BIM

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Introduction to BIM

This document provides a brief description of the visualization and building

information module of BIMkeeper. BIMkeeper is a larger software suit containing a

fully web-based system for managing real-estate. BIMkeeper offers full integration

with Building Information Models (BIM), 3D digital information models representing

real estate or other physical infrastructure.

Using Building Information Modeling offers many business benefits, including but not

limited to: improved collaboration, a more rapid and productive drafting process, error

and conflict reduction during development, and of course numerous visualization

capabilities. BIMkeeper emphasizes and adds to these benefits, providing powerful

tools for visualizing data, connecting, and sharing data relevant to the Building

Information Model. For example, linking condition reports, preparation and set-up of

long term maintenance plans, visualization of sensor readings, and linking and storage

of relevant documents.

BIMkeeper is a fully web-based platform, no client software is required, just a WebGL-

compatible browser and device. The platform provides easy search functions,

integration with maps or street view, and the ability to share data (with e.g. just a

hyperlink). This very much eases accessibility of the BIM models and the ability to share

information about them.

Screenshot of BIMkeeper

BIM AND IFC

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BIM and IFC

Building Information Models contain 3D geometry, measurements, physical properties,

materials, connections, and many other relevant building data. These models are often

created by professionals, like architects and specialized offices such as FIMBLE. This is

achieved with advanced computer-aided design (CAD) software such as Autodesk

Revit or Graphisoft ARCHICAD. The internal BIM file formats of these software

applications are often proprietary, but most offer the possibility to export the models

into the IFC format. IFC stands for Industry Foundation Classes, an open (ISO 16739)

exchange format for Building Information Models. BIMkeeper works with IFC files, so it

does not matter in which application the modeling is conducted.

Naturally, the level of information, detail, performance and quality of the model

provided in BIMkeeper entirely depends on the modeling process and/or IFC export

options in the used modeling software. For use with long term maintenance plants,

providing proper measurements (dimensions, areas) and classifications of elements is

absolutely required.

BIMkeeper has implemented many optimizations to be able quickly load and render

large models (including large complexes and IFCs of several hundred MBs). It is one of

the fastest web-based viewers available. Still, for smooth performance in WebGL and

not to exceed browser memory limits, care must be taken not to export too much

detailed geometry.

The terms IFC models and BIM models are used interchangeably in this document.

ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT

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Account management

ROLE TYPES

There are three user-roles relevant to BIMkeeper:

• Standard user – user with just the rights to read (viewing IFC models,

information of complexes and relevant data/files)

• Manager – user with rights to read, add, change or delete Complexes, IFC

models, and relevant data

• Administrator – user with all manager rights, plus the ability to create new

users, managers, or administrators

Additionally, for standard users it is possible to set whether they may view all files, or

only files in folders marked as public.

CREATING A NEW USER

To create a new user, first log in with an administrator account. Next:

- Go to the “Admin” menu item

- Click on “Users”

- Click on the “Create new user” button

Page for creating a new user

ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT

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Here you can enter the necessary data. A username, password, name, and role are

required. When finished, click “Save”. The user should then be able to log in with the

provided credentials.

MANAGING COMPLEXES

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Managing complexes

To use Building Information Models in BIMkeeper, it is first necessary to navigate to, or

create a complex. Although we use the word “complex”, “building”, “asset” or “project”

also fits the description.

NAVIGATING TO A COMPLEX

When you log in to BIMkeeper, the first thing you will see is an overview of complexes,

and a search box. You can search for complexes by their name, address, city, or the

name of an IFC model (if available). The result page will show you some basic

information about the complex (thumbnail, name, address, whether it’s a HOA, if there

is a BIM model available). By clicking on a row, you can navigate to the complex.

There are two other ways to browse complexes in BIMkeeper:

- The “My Complexes” tabs shows an overview of complexes (tiles) that are

specifically linked to your BIMkeeper account. This can be used to easily access

complexes you often work with.

- “Search on the map” offers an advanced search and filter functionality. It

presents all assets on the map matching specific criteria (energy labels,

construction years, square meters, any many more) visually on the map.

Searching for complexes

MANAGING COMPLEXES

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CREATING A NEW COMPLEX

To create a complex, click on the “Create complex/building” button on the first search

screen:

Next, you will need to enter the required information about the complex (name and

address):

Click on “Save” to finalize the creation of a complex.

MANAGING COMPLEXES

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COMPLEX DETAIL PAGE

The detail page of the complex provides, at a glance, a visual overview of its location,

appearance and relevant information.

- On the top left, the location and outline of the complex is shown on a map

(OpenStreetMap). In this example, we use information from the Dutch cadaster

(BAG) to draw the building outlines. But we can also link with other sources.

- On the top right, you can use an interactive Google Street View pane.

- On the left side, you can view and/or upload a photo for the complex.

- Below the photo, there is a button to directly open the IFC model. It will be

shown if there is a single IFC model in the complex, or in case of multiple, the

one specifically set as the default.

The Complex detail page

MANAGING COMPLEXES

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- Tabs provide different functions and information about the complex:

o The BIM tab allows you to view and manage the IFCs for the complex

o The 3D-related tab shows information linked to specific building

elements

o The files tab lets you download and manage all files/documents relevant

to the complex

o The “Units” tab is shown if there are units in the complex. You can

manage them here and view their location on street view and the map.

UNITS

A complex may contain zero, one, or multiple units. Units can be thought of

apartments, houses or rentable spaces. Or if the complex is not subdivisible (for

example, a church), you can define a single unit for the complex itself.

In BIMkeeper, lots of information can be connected to a unit, including:

- The type of unit (apartment, house, garage)

- The address

- Information about the occupant (including renting contracts or HOA

membership info)

- Many relating properties such as energy label, construction year, value, number

of rooms, etc.

It is not necessary to define units to upload an IFC model. However, they are very

essential objects in BIMkeeper in order to connect building information to. This

information, can among other things, be used to show information in the viewer. Like

whether a space is rented or not, and if yes, by whom. It also allows you to filter assets

on a map based on select criteria. For example, to visually present all assets with a low

(D-) energy label built after 1990.

UPLOADING IFCS

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Uploading IFCs

To upload an IFC, a BIM project has to be created first. A BIM project can consist of

multiple BIM models (IFCs). It is possible to combine multiple IFC files in the view.

To start, first go to the BIM tab. Next, click on “Add new BIM project”:

If there already is a BIM project, click on the “Edit” icon:

Next, you will see the create/edit page for the BIM project:

UPLOADING IFCS

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First, enter the name of the BIM project if not already present. Below, you can drop one

or additional IFC files. After adding the IFC file, click on “OK” to assign it as a new

model.

It is also possible to assign an IFC file as a new version of an existing one.

We strongly recommend uploading the accompanying Revit file (if available) alongside

the IFC model. You can do this by dropping the file as well, add adding it as a “source

file”.

When done, click on the “OK” button below. The model will automatically start

conversion.

UPLOADING IFCS

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SETTING A BIM PROJECT AS DEFAULT

If you uploaded more than one project, it is a good idea to set one as default. To do

this, click on the “Edit” (pencil) icon next to the project. Then, click on the “Set as

default project” checkbox, and press “OK”:

CONVERSION

Before the IFC model is accessible in the viewer, it will have to be converted to a

format suitable for WebGL. This process can take a while. Models that have not yet

been converted will be shown with an hourglass icon, and will show the progress.

Models of which the conversion is finished will have a check mark and a “3D” button to

access the viewer.

UPLOADING IFCS

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After loading a model in the viewer, you will be presented with a 3D view of the model

(1), and a left (2) and right (3) pane.

- You can navigate and zoom in the 3D view (1) with a mouse or touch controls.

o To center the camera on an object, click on it with the mouse

o To rotate the view, hold and move the left mouse button

o To pan the view, hold and move the right mouse button

o To zoom in, you can use the scroll wheel, or hold and move the middle

mouse button

- The left pane (2) represents the selection of visible elements in the building.

Here you can select and navigate to elements, or turn them on or off. You can

do this in four different ways:

o The first tab (“Structure”) lists all floors of a building and allows you to

turn them on or off. For example, when you only want to view a specific

floor of a building.

UPLOADING IFCS

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o The second tab (“Elements”)

shows a list of elements

categorized by their element

type. There can be multiple

levels of element types, and

you can turn them on or off

by level. To hide all elements

except a specific category,

right click and select “Hide

others”. You can do this for a

main category (“Glass”), or a

subcategory (all glass with a

specific brand or dimension).

o The third tab (“Classification”) is similar to the previous tab, but instead

categorizes elements by their classification. For example, the NL/SfB

standard.

o The third tab (“Zones”) shows elements grouped by Zones and Groups, if

this data is defined in the IFC. These represent collections of elements

and/or spaces. For example, all spaces belonging to a specific apartment

can be grouped to a zone.

- The right pane (3) shows information specific to the currently selected

element(s). This consists of the name, its type/IFC class, classification and

measurements. The number of elements with the same type, IFC class, or

classification is visible on the right. By clicking “Show more”, you can even view

additional information, such as the unique id and all properties defined in the

IFC. When having multiple elements selected, only information common to the

selection is shown.

- At the bottom of the right pane (4) is the documentation panel. This shows

additional information (text, hyperlinks, files) connected to the specific element.

For example, an operating manual for a boiler. This additional information

Building with only two floors enabled

Building with only elements of type doors and

glass enabled

UPLOADING IFCS

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comes from the BIMkeeper database, not the IFC. You can add documentation

using the “Add…” button. We will explain this feature in the next section.

- The toolbar (5) contains some useful tools and advanced functionality:

The “Separate floors” slider pulls floors

apart, so that it becomes easy to look

into the building. This is similar to

getting a view into the floors by

turning them on or off.

The “Spaces” icon toggles spaces on

or off. This allows you to view, select

and link information to spaces.

UPLOADING IFCS

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The “eye” icon is used for showing and

hiding elements, and making them

transparent. This menu can also be

accessed by right clicking an

element (in the viewer or left

sidebar.)

“Show all” resets the visibility of all

elements.

“Hide” just hides this element.

“Hide others” hides all elements except

this element.

Next, it is possible to show only

elements with the same IFC class, main

type, or sub type as the selected

element.

Similar to hiding elements, it is also

possible to make an element (or other

elements) transparent.

The “Look at” button centers the

camera to the specific element (this is

useful when working from the left

sidebar).

The crosshair icon switches to first

person camera mode. This allows you

to linearly move (fly) through a

building. You can look by moving the

mouse, and move by pressing the

WASD or arrow keys. You can exit first

person mode by pressing Esc.

UPLOADING IFCS

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The viewpoint menu is used to switch

to and manage viewpoints. A

viewpoint stores your current view

(position, rotation) and element

selection.

“Create hyperlink” creates a sharable

link with your current viewpoint. This

can be for example given to an

installer or contractor, so he can see

what element needs to be repaired,

with all relevant information at hand.

“Save viewpoint” opens a dialog to

save the viewpoint in the database,

together with a screenshot. It is

possible to mark a viewpoint as

default, so it will be opened when the

model is loaded.

Next, a list of viewpoints for the

current model is shown. Switch to the

viewpoint by clicking it. You can also

edit or remove them using the two

icons on the right.

The sectioning tool can make a cross

section of a building, to view the

insides at a specific position and

angle.

To use the tool, first select a side of an

element to start sectioning (for

example, a side of a wall or a side of a

roof). This decide the initial position

and axis of the sectioning plane.

You can move the sectioning plane by

dragging the on-screen arrows (red,

green, blue).

By clicking “Rotation”, you can rotate

the sectioning plane to another angle.

UPLOADING IFCS

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Click on “Translate” to be able to move

the sectioning plane again.

You can lock the sectioning in-place

by clicking the sectioning lock icon.

To stop sectioning, press the

sectioning button again.

The view settings menu allows you to

tweak some display options in the

viewer, such as lighting, background

color and wireframes.

UPLOADING IFCS

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The “Add objects…” button allows to

dynamically add additional objects

(furniture) to the current model. To use

it, first select a surface to add an

object to.

These objects can then be moved,

resized and rotated. It is intended to

allow you to “furnish” your own home.

For this function to work, the objects

(in fact, IFCs) must be uploaded to

BIMkeeper, and marked as

dynamically placeable.

This functionality is currently

experimental, furnishing

configurations cannot be saved yet.

MULTIPLE SELECTION AND ELEMENT EXPORT

It is possible to select multiple objects in the viewer, and to export the information of

the selection to a CSV spreadsheet.

To select multiple elements, hold the Ctrl key while selecting elements with the left

mouse button in the 3D view. Keep holding the Ctrl key to add to the selection. It is

also possible to select multiple elements by clicking a floor, element type, classification

or zone in the left panel. In that case, all elements with the same floor, type,

classification or zone will be selected.

To export the selection, click “Export selection (x elements) to CSV” in the right sidebar.

UPLOADING IFCS

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Element export

ADDING 3D-RELATED DATA

By clicking “Add..” (4), you can add documentation related to a BIM model. Next, a

dialog will be presented:

First, enter a short title for the added information. For example, “Technical manuals”.

UPLOADING IFCS

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Next, you will need to decide on which level the element connects to:

The possible ways to connect an element are:

- Only this specific element

- To the specific main- or subtype indicated by the architect

- The IFC class of the element

- If available, the classification code. For example, NL-SfB (Dutch), but others are

supported as well

- The floor of the element

- Or, the entire complex

Next, you can either add free text (including an URL/link), or upload file(s).

Finally, you can decide under which tab to put the added information, or create a new

tab. This tab will be a subtab under “3D-related” on the complex detail page. You can

add as many as you want.

Added information can be accessed in two ways. Firstly, clicking an element in the

viewer will show the information that is connected to it, in the bottom right toolbar (4).

Added installation manuals to an element

MANAGEMENT

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It is also possible to view all added 3D-related information on the complex details

page, under the “3D-related” tab.

Management

The management part of BIMkeeper possesses a huge amount of functions to manage

buildings, houses and homeownership associations. This allows the whole

administration-cycle to be managed. Imagine, all the documents about buildings,

condition measurements, multi-year maintenance plans, quotation projects, work in

progress, invoices, etcetera. Below, you will find an explanation about them in a

nutshell.

All stakeholders have a role in the system (chain-immigration). For example, renters,

members of a homeowners’ association, administrators, notaries, contractors, debt

collectors etc. Transparency, digitization and full process-control are core concepts of

the system.

To illustrate an example:

● According to the multi-year maintenance plan, it seems that in 2018, the

roofing felt must be replaced.

● The roof will first be inspected, while the costs will be discussed in a later

meeting. Maintenance activities will automatically be added to the agenda one

year in advance (at a HOA, the general members meeting).

● If the owners decide to replace the roof felt, the concerning finances will

be discussed with them.

● An administrator gets an assignment to request a quotation (digitally,

from BIMkeeper), as a result of a decision in a meeting.

● Quotations will be digitally requested from the roofers.

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● In consultation with the owner(s), the work will be awarded and the

work-assignment provided.

● The roofer will receive mail, declaring the “contract” and can immediately

request an online invoice. Of course, there is a counter which limits the amount

of invoices that can be declared.

● Communication between the executor and the client is provided

throughout the process.

● There is no need for bookkeeping, because the proper ledger number is

chosen when creating a work assignment.

● Warranty periods are also set, so that the reparation requests can be

checked whether the warranty is still applicable or not.

● The controller who is responsible for the payment, gets insight into all

previous events. That ranges from the meeting, decision-making, and the

quotation until the conclusion.

Also, for other stakeholders, such as owners, directors, audit-committee and

administrators, the data is always accessible to them, and is always up to date.

(Invoices that you shouldn’t have gotten are a thing of the past, because a work

assignment is mandatory, as well as the increasing backlogs, because the dashboards

are always in real-time and provide insight into the processes.) These dashboards are

adaptable and extendable. Dashboards are used for the following sections:

● Financial (debtor, creditor, exceedance, contracts, etc.);

● Technical (open reparation-requests, work in progress, assurance-

matters, etc.);

● Communication (upcoming meetings, state of preparation);

● Administrative (still to be filled information, transfers, etc.).

Interested? Do not hesitate to contact IRP at contact@irp.nl

MANAGEMENT

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