Try now for free

BIM

NOVA AVA BIM Add-On

With the NOVA AVA BIM add-on, you can make 3D model-based construction cost management live on the web. BIM is all about using a BIM 3D building model as the basis for all further planning, construction and maintenance processes.

BIM 3D models are available in NOVA AVA as an online service for all AVA processes – regardless of location and device. NOVA AVA consistently relies on the Open BIM standard IFC for data transfer from CAD to AVA. This allows BIM 3D models from all CAD systems to be processed. The BIM 3D building contains a wealth of information – e.g. about components, their properties and materials.

NOVA AVA uses the information from the BIM 3D model to create a room and building book structured according to storeys and components. It is and remains bidirectionally linked to the data of the 3D model – even if changes are made to components in the CAD software.

The data from the room book is used (subsequently within the service specifications) to plan costs, award contracts and bill construction services based on 3D models and document the cost progression.

At the same time, the 3D model is displayed in the viewer and can be enriched with the relevant AVA data. In addition to all the standard functions of such a viewer, NOVA AVA has so-called information views, which display all the important properties of the selected component directly in the viewer itself.

To create quick cost estimates and automatically generate tender specifications, you can link the components with cost elements and specifications items and use the quantity information of the components directly.

Thanks to the bidirectional connection, it is possible to locate each component in the cost table by clicking on it in the 3D model – and vice versa. You can see all the information, the estimated and actual costs and where the component is located in the building at a glance.

Optionally available for all NOVA AVA packages
Thanks to the deep BIM integration, the 3D model is available in all components of NOVA AVA, right through to invoicing with measurement and supplement management and project-related cost analysis.

What can the BIM add-on do?

The BIM add-on makes project work considerably easier by visualizing data in a building model. Based on the open standards Open BIM and IFC, BIM 3D models can be exported from all common CAD systems and further processed in NOVA AVA.

Initially, a project-oriented room and building book is generated in the BIM module and linked bidirectionally with the data of the 3D model.

This means that the entire process and business logic, from cost planning and AVA to cost analysis, can be mapped spatially in the 3D viewer with convenient selection and navigation.

The integrated IFC interface is certified by buildingSMART

NOVA AVA BIM 5D is the world’s first web-based construction cost management software to receive the official certificate from buildingSMART for successfully testing the IFC2x3 import interface.

The certification confirms that users of NOVA AVA BIM 5D can rely on the IFC files to provide them with all the information they need to successfully carry out the sampling of a building model.

BIM in the STARTER package

BIM module (cost planning)

  • IFC import interface (versions IFC2x3 & IFC4)
  • Model display and navigation in the 3D viewer
  • Generation and updating of the room and building book (RGB)
  • Bidirectional link between viewer and room book
  • Variable-supported quantity determination for components (sampling)
  • with own cost elements & (master) BOQ positions
  • with DBD-BIM cost elements & STLB construction items
    Assignment of cost groups (DIN276) & service areas (LB)
  • Model versioning with 3D change log in the multi-viewer
    • Which components are new
    • What exactly has changed in existing components
    • Which components no longer exist
  • Output of the room book-oriented cost planning in PDF & Excel
  • Preparation of cost planning according to DIN276 from the RGB
  • Creation of BOQ for tendering & cost calculation from the RGB
  • Import & export of BIM-LV containers according to DIN SPEC 91350

Course creation module

  • Model display and navigation in the 3D viewer
  • Bidirectional linking of viewer and BOQ (items & subsets)
  • Convenient partial quantity/component quantity allocation
  • Spatial book-oriented output of the cost calculation specifications

Cost analysis module

  • Room book-oriented cost comparison (e.g. storeys, components, …) numerically & graphically between cost estimate/calculation and cost estimate specifications
  • Output of the cost comparison in PDF & Excel

BIM in the EASY package

Tender module

  • Optional activation of the 3D model for bidders (viewer)

Offer cockpit module

  • In the viewer, bidders can bidirectionally visualize the links between the components in the 3D building model and the bid items in BOQ and use them to prepare bids

Offers/awarding module

  • Interactive bid evaluation and analysis in the price comparison list through bidirectional linking between the visualized 3D model and the bidder’s bid parts

Cost analysis module

  • Extension of the room book-oriented cost comparison (e.g. storeys, components, …) numerically & graphically with the values from the cost estimate allocation

BIM in the BUSINESS package

Order/supplements module

  • bidirectional visualization between selected components in the 3D model (viewer) and the assigned order items and subsets in the Bill of Quantities
  • Assignment of supplements to components with differentiated highlighting in the building model

Performance/measurement module

  • Bidirectional link between selected components in the 3D model (viewer) and the assigned measurements and data entry sheets with display of the items/part quantities and quantities to be invoiced
  • Recording of work based on selected components as an increase or cumulative work status as well as marking of finally calculated components

Target/actual comparison module

  • Evaluations of the target/actual comparison of quantity and cost development using selected data from the 3D building model in the viewer

Billing module

  • Visualization of all components in the 3D model (viewer) that are billed in a selected invoice (incremental or cumulative)

Cost analysis module

  • Extension of the room book-oriented cost comparison (e.g. storeys, components, …) numerically & graphically with the values from supplements and the current performance status of the project

Building Information Modeling (BIM)

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a planning method in the construction industry that involves the creation and management of digital virtual representations of the physical and functional properties of a building. The building models represent a database of information about the building in order to provide a reliable source for decisions throughout the entire life cycle, from initial preliminary planning to demolition.

– National BIM Standard Project Committee
BIM refers to a working method in the construction industry. The idea is not new: the basic concept of BIM has existed since the 1970s (Eastman, 1974 and Eastman, 2011). The term Building Information Model first appeared in a paper by van Nederveen (van Nederveen, 1992).

BIM is often understood as a software solution, but it is generally not software, even if BIM cannot be realized without appropriate software.

Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)

IFC is an open, international standard (ISO-16739) for the digital description of complex planning data for 3D building models in the construction industry. Logical building structures and their associated attributes are mapped in an IFC data model.

IFC was developed by the international organization buildingSMART as a standard data model for highly qualified data exchange within the framework of openBIM. In Germany, buildingSMART e.V. is involved in the further development and establishment of BIM and IFC.

Open BIM Collaboration Format (BCF)

The Open BIM Collaboration Format is a data interface for the simplified exchange of information between different software products during the work process. It enables model-based communication and provides information on status, location, viewing direction, component, comment, user and time in the IFC data model.

Further links on the subject of BIM and IFC:

NOVA AVA BIM with BCF integration

This makes cross-system collaboration on the 3D model even easier. BIM Collaboration Format (BCF) is a simple and useful standard for exchanging model-based information. It is used to track issues (tickets) as they are identified, reported and resolved during the BIM process. With BCF, markups, clash reports and general comments can be exchanged between all project members. BCF is completely platform-independent and an essential cornerstone of the Open BIM method.

In NOVA AVA BIM, this BCF information is created and processed as so-called tickets. In addition, further classifications can be assigned for priority, responsible person, status, etc. A ticket can then be saved and sent as a BCF file. The project partner can import it into their BIM authoring tool and immediately visualize the information at the exact point in the model that was previously recorded. And to ensure that this also works in reverse, BCF files can of course also be imported into the BIM add-on.