Using the buildingSMART Data Dictionary (bSDD) Inside Civil 3D

TUOMO PALOMAA: So today's, in this presentation, I will show how to transform Civil3D design models into asset information model. And topic for this presentation is using the buildingSmart data dictionary, so bsDD. And inside Civil3D, and we will be focusing only for civil 3D features for this use case.

And presentation is to show how this bsDD add for Autodesk Civil3D 3D and is developed by Ramboll and is part of our computational design development strategy. I will cover, during my presentation, basics of bsDD, use case of client driven development project and live demo how bsDD was integrated.

The objective was to utilize data content, effectively, during the entire life cycle of this project. And there I'll show the safe harbor statements. And shortly, about myself, I have a long history of different kinds of interesting aspects to infrastructure process and projects.

I have been both sides of the table. I've been previously designer, and client side, and software vendor, and developing both standardization and classification. In one sentence, I have been generally driving the industry forward. And my basic motto today, is computational design is the next theme.

Shortly, about Ramboll, where I work currently, we are an independent engineering, architecture, and consultancy company, which was actually founded already in Denmark in 1945. And we have a huge and wide expertise. Our experts create sustainable solutions across buildings and transport and water, environment, and health, and architecture, and landscape, energy and management consulting.

So across the world, Ramboll combines local experience, with the global knowledge base, to create sustainable cities and societies. We will combine insights with the power to drive positive change to our clients, in the form of ideas that can be realized and implemented. So that's how we call it. It's bright ideas and sustainable change. And briefly, this global map, office locations around the world.

So let's start with bsDD and a little bit of basics. Yeah, so let's start with bsDD. Is it another BIM standard? No, it is not a standard. Nor bsDD is a software or application.

BsDD is actually a service, and its service from buildingSmart international. And bsDD supports open BIM workflow. And definitions from bsDD can be referenced in IFC models and IDS specifications. So standards are joining here. And bsDD is totally used for harmonizing data information and there's are really strong business case on information consistency.

Let's take a quick example of what this bsDD and what kind of data model is behind the bsDD. So there's a really simplified example, right side of the slide. This could be like business order for everyday grocery store. They are very picky, what kind of supplies they want to receive. So they have created bsDD for their own purposes.

So fruit is classification and one fruit has extra information. And there are, for example, materials, they have codes and names. If there should be fiber or water, and each material, like water, might have properties, like color or volume, for example. So these are the mandatory information that grocery store wants to use.

And bsDD is available already in server, , like online but how do I access it? BsDD is totally free. They have a public content available. There is a web page that you can see the address, top of the slide. And they have published different dictionaries for the usage for anyone.

And top of that, if you publish a new bsDD, you will decide. You will be controlling what kind of license you want to publish it with. Because there are also private content if needed. And the standards and agreements in the bsDD are owned and maintained by the original owners, just like any other hosting service.

The data you put on it stays your ownership. By putting data in the bsDD server, you agree that buildingSmart International is allowed to distribute it and end users can use it, if it's public. As I said, there is also always this private option.

Here are a couple of important links, how to start with. And bsDD digital distribution channel for information and information content requirements. The necessary information content requirements are compiled in one source and updating and maintenance are more controlled by this workflow. And information content requirements are digitally searchable using API software interfaces, and can be easily used effectively for many different needs.

Example, automation of design or quality assurance processes are very good examples out of this. And the information and interfaces containing content in the system can also be used in the so-called, in the preparation of traditional material, such as for creating catalog templates.

And bsDD is actually widely supported already. Just to name a few, there's ACCA software, Solibri software, Trimble Connect, Autodesk, Revit, and many, many other BIM softwares.

OK. Let's talk about the use case. We had a big client demand in advanced asset information management data. It's actually agency of transport in Finland. And there was actually no previous project based on this kind of usage. So let's start from scratch, scratch, how we need it to go onwards.

This process needed to break down, as three main phases. We needed to improvement and check out the background. What is the status? Where we are starting this kind of project.

And then we had this objective phase, so kind of finding common target, how to enrich models for handover phase, defining what is needed, what is important. And lastly, preparatory work, like defining properties, data types, and allowed values, how to proceed.

And background was kind of a current background was manual process. And it's actually not working, and creates lots of waste of data. The necessary information is often scattered in different sources. And the information is not machine readable. And adding data context to data models is often manual work, so it's slow and the possibility of errors increases.

And not all the necessary information has been defined and standardized, just to mention like property data, value sets, or data format, even. And to modernize this process, we clearly state that there's a need for IFC 4.3. And we need to have some national specific content, and we need to create user specific content to start with.

And the objective, we define that the bsDD in [INAUDIBLE] enables efficient and highly automated process that can be used for different purposes. For example, searching and reviewing information content, checking and validating data, or enriching BIM models.

And the content should be easily searched and viewed via the web interface. Also, the greatest benefits are achieved through the interfaces provided by the bsDD, but the human readability of the information is still crucial. And one of the biggest potential in bsDD lies in its application programming interfaces. API interfaces can be used, for example, in design automation and quality assurance, as mentioned before.

And preparatory work is, there was this requirement that information exists already in instructions, technical documentation, and AIM requirements. And these requirements were defined with technical experts in workshops, for example. And defined properties, data types, lists of property values, and allowed values, these were compared and linked to IFC 4.3 specifications.

Imported data models from road and rail domains to bsDD and explored how this data structure here, and hierarchical components work in the system. So data structure affects usability and how the end user utilizes the data content inside their own design software.

Let's have a quick demo how this is actually done. So let's zoom in with this model. So we have a different disciplines available inside one project. This is just an example project, one random railway station. And there are lots of different disciplines and then technical engineering solutions here.

But these are just geometrical models. And if we want to use bsDD inside Civil3D, we create that small application inside Civil3D and I will use net load command to execute that. And then I will call bsDD selector command. And let me copy one address. And copy paste this address.

It's fixed buildingSmart International organization address and FDA is Finnish transport agency, in short, and there are railway properties at library that we created under this buildingSmart bsDD server. So when I click Find, it will search all those library property sets that are inside this railway library segment.

It might take some time because it's online service. But it should open all those smaller things. And these are actually like national library content, but currently, in September 2023, we are already creating English version for this. So it's more easier for any other, outside Finland, located consultant company. It's more easier to use.

So let's activate couple of property sets here. I will select general information content and then I will select rail content. And then I create the properties that's inside Civil3D, kind of download all those property sets. And then I will select, for example, ballast information.

And it's located this one. And I will select a couple of these. There are already made material or manufacturer names, and things like that. I will download those property sets. And, for example, like catenaries, I can create catenaries, property sets, and let's take, for example, these electrical poles that we can see.

So let's take those one. OK. We are good here. And then we will start to inject property sets. Let's start with this electrical poles. I will select properties and activate this at property sets. But I will not take everything. I will only take electrical poles and general information.

And all the properties are now connected with this electrical pole. Other [INAUDIBLE] are not fixed yet, but we can do that later. So if we take, for example, rails here, we can set different kind of setup. Let's take general and rails.

And if we choose, let's select ballast. Let me, we'll select similar, and we will set general and ballast information. For example, rail, there are some already made properties here. But it's easy to fix anything if you want to. For example, change different steel material that this specific manufacturer has been producing.

So we will select that one. And lastly, we will save this model. Like, well, let's select some, your name here. 36. So all the new asset information is saved.

And lastly, we will activate IFC export, and let's create route number. And let's use all these defaults and start processing objects. There are quite, quite a lot of this objects. But I think it might take, we'll get, there it is.

And because this kind of example, like railway station, there are really complex discipline and collaboration and transportation hubs that require a wide range of these technical disciplines to function efficiently and safely. So if you think that you could set up property sets for civil engineering models, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, signal and telecommunication, architecture, safety and security, information technology, environmental engineering, transportation planning, accessibility, urban planning, and land use. All kind of different disciplines that needs to be set for that specific project.

And let's not forget, like project management or maintenance and operation. Maintenance information could be coming from another bsDD property set and we just create maintenance information inside this models. And Civil3D project model is already set. So we can add it to another collaboration model.

But I am only showing this next step that I will save everything in IFC, and using this Civil3D functionality. And open the very same project inside IFC viewer. So we can see if all the properties are already there.

But the process is really changing here, and just think about what kind of additional possibilities this will open. I really like to see some kind of quality assurance analyzed, for example. So, for example, I could have some functionality in this process, that it should be analyzing if all the objects that I want to receive, if they are already here.

If there is object, the object might have some attributes. But if the attributes are correct, are they valid? Are they well known or are they kind of the pre-agreed manufacturer objects that was inside contract? So if I activate, for example, this electrical pole, we can validate that all the property sets are here, that I was injecting.

These are, again, like finished, but I am seeing here like, for example, steel material for that. And at least we made some changes for this rail object. I changed the steel quality, and we can see that it's here. And ballasts have the similar, not similar, but the ballast properly sets.

So not all the attributes have had default values, but it can be preset, like the defaults, what are already injected here. But it's very easy, as an end user, to change any attribute value that is available from, for example, dropdown menu.

And these property sets will be utilized and used throughout this project, within this life cycle. So there's a huge difference that now we are able to inject life cycle and maintenance information in inside one object. And, of course, the whole model with different disciplines and technical stuff.

Thank you for your time and interest in this presentation.