Why aren’t you using BIM yet? The impact of BIM (Building Information Modelling) on construction projects has increased over time and now there are more BIM software tools than ever before. The use of BIM virtual reality and 4D imaging is starting to revolutionize the builder’s lifecycle. It allows contractors to make better design decisions, reduce waste, and perhaps even reach that elusive goal of finishing on-time and on-budget. Why or even give it the time of day?

Imagine the efficiencies in viewing a 4D model of your contract building before the footings are poured. Imagine being able to make design changes without losing money and wasting man power. BIM provides a solid advantage both to owners and contractors. In a study conducted by McGraw-Hill Construction, between 2007-2012 BIM usage in the US and has become standardized in the drafting and design industry. Users of BIM of report, as noted in the McGraw-Hill study, that 4D models provide more accuracy, lead to fewer claims and issues, and influence shorter project durations. If you’re not yet beginning to use BIM modeling, maybe it’s time to get on-board. Here are 5 Free and Open-Source BIM software tools to help you get started with BIM.

5 Free BIM Tools For Beginners 1. BIMx This is an interactive viewer that uses Hyper-model technology that integrates 2D and 3D project navigation. This viewer can be used on mobile devices (iOS and Android) and makes communication between the office and on-site flow better. It has advanced map display technology that makes navigating and adding links to the 2D sheet easier. You can choose which information you want to publish with the hyper-model feature. iCloud or Dropbox can be linked to this app which makes transfer of models seamless and project sharing effective. There is real-time team collaboration through messaging, redlining and photo attachments.

You can print 3D and 2D plans from your device using AirPrint or Google Cloud Print. You can link to BIMx from external databases like spreadsheets or browsers that can be used to of the model. By ACCA Software Edificius is a free BIM software that allows you render your designs in real-time. It has the capability to create 3D videos for simple visualization and advanced design solutions with structural analysis and architectural designs.

It helps to increase your team’s productivity with the integrated structural calculations and cost estimating features. You can get an accurate mapping of your land with data that is pulled from Google Maps satellite imagery. If you’re always making changes to your sketch, the real-time rendering allows you to view your changes right away. It allows you present your project to your clients with realistic simulations where they can move objects around and easily change concepts. Your presentation can be viewed by automated rendering, video and animation, and photo montage.

If you want to transition from CAD to BIM, Revit LT 2015 is a BIM software created by Autodesk which offers a seamless conversion. Revit LT gives you the ability to produce 3D architectural designs and supports BIM project workflows.

(This is a 30-day free trial version). There is a full library of predefined photorealistic objects and materials to help create your floor plans on a 2D design that will automatically generate into a 3D model. This can automatically generate schedules right from the model that shows costs, quantities, etc. When modifying the design on a 2D sketch,it will automatically update and reflect on the intelligent 3D model simultaneously. Effectively communcate the project to your client with an animated walk-through of the visuals, space, design and idea virtually.

FreeCAD is a parametric 3D modeler. It is an open-source platform that is used to create real-life models. Parametric modelling means that the shapes are based upon certain properties or are dependent on other objects. You can build geometric constrained 2D shapes with this software with the ability to extract 3D drawings and create 2D Sketch’s.

This software is compatible with Windows, MAC and Linux. It offers a robotic simulation module that lets you view robot movements. You can simply export your 3D drawings with external rendering that currently supports povray and LuxRender. Tekla BIMsight is collaboration software for construction teams with a focus on BIM. The tool allows the project team to identify issues during the early stages of construction. Try out the free download. You can combine all models in the building lifecycle into one to immediately view any errors or overlaps.

It offers live collaboration to avoid any issues or miscommunications on-site and in the office. You can easily determine any mismatches between the structural and architectural models by navigating to and focusing on a certain areas. If you find any clashes between the models you can leave a note communicating with the Engineer about this issue. Maybe you think BIM is too complicated or that it’s too expensive to get started. As a beginner, why not try out one of these free tools to see just what you’re getting into. Like all project scheduling, it will take time to get the hang of BIM. But the advantages are clear.

Whether you are an Engineer, Planner, Designer, or Architect, BIM software provides many benefits for your role. What are you waiting for? I hope this list helps you find the right fit for you. Are there any other free BIM software tools that you use?

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As a former Gartner analyst with more than 12 years of IT service management industry experience, Jarod understands the market from the vendor, end-user, customer, and analyst perspectives. His proficiency in IT service support management processes, organizational structures, and technology is sought after for speaking engagements, customer consultations, and product development. He has published numerous white papers, research articles, blogs, and delivers innovative IT-focused presentations at events around the world. Introduction and Background Effectively responding to the complex requirements of today’s IT customer demands a framework that is robust, agile, and adaptable to the modern, ever changing business paradigm. This Essential Guide to Developing a First-Class IT Service Catalog will provide an introduction to the IT service catalog and promote the value a well-designed catalog can bring to any organization. The IT service catalog was originally introduced as part of the IT Infrastructure Library’s (ITIL®) set of best practices for IT service management (ITSM). The British Government was the first to introduce ITIL to the world, stemming from its dissatisfaction with the quality of IT service being provided during the 1980’s.

As such, the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) was given the responsibility to develop a fiscally re¬sponsible framework for the efficient use of Britain’s IT resources within the British government, as well as in the private sector. ITIL versions include V2, V3, and the most recent, ITIL 2011. ITIL is comprised of five primary publications, which include:.

Service Strategy. Service Design. Service Transition. Service Operation. Continual Service Improvement Service Catalog Management is an essential IT process contained within the IT Infrastructure Library’s Service Design publication. The Service Design publication is especially important to overall business operations, including everything required to identify, conceptualize, design, and improve the services your business requires. This guide defines the IT/ITIL service catalog, explains its purpose, and outlines how to develop a catalog that works for your business, metrics you should measure to monitor success, pitfalls to avoid, and how to leverage technology to implement your service catalog.

What is the IT / ITIL Service Catalog The service catalog is at the core of IT service delivery and contains a centralized list of services from the IT service portfolio (the service portfolio includes the entire lifecycle of all IT services – services in development, services available for deployment, and retired services) that are available for customer use. Within the IT service catalog, you will find an organized, digitized presentation of all of the IT services that your company provides – from resetting a lost password to accessing a financial system. The typical service catalog is composed of two views: 1) The customer view This is how the end-customer experiences the service catalog. Usually presented using an IT self-service portal, this view presents services in customer terms and gives them the means to initiate service requests. For example, the following are customer views into higher-education service catalogs:. 2) The technical view This is intended for internal IT resources and includes technical information that is required to effectively deliver a service, including important relationships, approval processes, and impact on related services. The service catalog should be designed with the end customer in mind.

Most importantly, the information necessary to request a service needs to be clearly defined with easy to understand instructions. Some of the key service information includes:. Name of the service. Description of each individual service. Service category (i.e. IT Service Catalog Examples There are no 'right' or 'wrong' ways to develop an IT service catalog. That said, based on the best practices contained within this guide, we have compiled a set of real-world service catalog examples that were built to accommodate the unique needs of their businesses.

Why Do You Need an IT Service Catalog? The perception of IT has gone through enormous change in recent years. IT has historically been undervalued – viewed as “a necessary evil,” simply managing the company’s information technology systems without a clear understanding of how they impact the overall business goals. With the advent of the service catalog, the value of IT is now becoming more apparent. The delivery of services that are critical to the daily operation of business, such as company web access, email, software solutions, and related services, clearly demonstrates its present and future value to business.

Visibility into the essential business services IT delivers is one of the main benefits the IT service catalog offers. Additional benefits include. How to Develop a Service Catalog Developing a service catalog may sound simple, but in order to encourage customer engagement and set proper expectations, it helps to consider the following tips to make it work: 1) Identify the services your business needs in order to operate Developing a service catalog is an exercise in good communication. Know your company and learn about its wants and needs. Business unit managers and other decision makers should work with both end users and stakeholders to determine what they need to perform their jobs. Differentiate between the services that your service desk and other IT teams currently provide and what may be missing. Are they essential and, more importantly, do they align with company goals?

Key Service Catalog Metrics Don’t quit after you create and release your service catalog. It is equally important to continually measure and improve your service catalog by removing unnecessary or unused services and adding new services. Review your processes and learn from both your successes and failures.

And, most importantly, be sure to share your successes with both business stakeholders and management. Consider metrics such as:. The number of people accessing your catalog. The least and most accessed services. The number of requests associated with services. Costs associated with a service. Service level metrics (Did you meet, exceed or breach service level agreements SLAs?).

Problem and incident resolution time (Has it increased or decreased?). Mean time to resolve by service Each of these metrics helps define the effectiveness of your service catalog. IT Service Catalog: Performance Metrics Dashboard Example Back to top. Pitfalls to Avoid When Creating a Service Catalog There are “do’s and don’ts” to consider when implementing any ITIL process. You can achieve success when creating your service catalog by avoiding some of the most common mistakes:. Don’t use tech-talk to describe services.

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Avoid technical language, and keep details simple to ensure your customers know what to expect. Don’t limit services to what you THINK your customers need. Offer the services that your customers are looking for to do their job. Don’t set access boundaries for internal office staff. Make sure the catalog is available anytime, anywhere. Don’t respond and deliver when you feel like it. Be responsive to the needs of your customers, make SLA commitments, and keep them.

Don’t stop communicating after a request is received. Provide your customers with a timeline for service delivery, and keep them apprised of status throughout the process. Tips for Selecting the Right Service Catalog Software The key role of service catalog software is to provide simple access to services, creating a user-friendly experience, and automating the service delivery process. Your service catalog will be similar to a self-service portal, simulating an “online shopping” experience with web and mobile accessibility. It must therefore be flexible enough to add additional services and related details, with the ability to automate approvals, and communicate via email and web. In addition, and depending on your industry, growing regulations and more complex business demands may have increased your need for technology solutions that support or are compliant with best practice frameworks/methodologies, such as ITIL, COBIT, ISO 20000, ISO 27000, VAL-IT, or Risk IT. Consider compliance, risk management, and industry regulations when selecting your solution.

The software solution you choose may offer IT service catalog templates that can be configured to include your IT and business services. The tool should allow the creation of multiple service catalogs that can be accessible via a single self-service interface. It should also have broad functionality that includes the ability to provide automatic service progress notifications, monitor metrics, and the flexibility to implement on-premises or in the cloud (software as a service, or “SaaS”). According the Gartner, organizations should “select an IT service catalog tool from one of these options, according to your organization’s I&O maturity:. I&O organizations with a lower I&O maturity (ITSIO Level 2 or lower) - Focus on service request fulfillment features from a basic or intermediate ITSSM suite for now, and be prepared to revisit service catalog at a later stage (see Note 3). Otherwise, they are likely to produce an asset database that is focused on technical components and IT capabilities that aren't really IT services. I&O organizations with a medium I&O maturity (ITSIO Level 2 to Level 3) - Buy service catalog functionality as part of an ITSSM tool suite after defining an IT service portfolio.

I&O organizations with a high I&O maturity (ITSIO Level 4 or above) - Those ready for enhanced catalog features and movement into provisioning the catalog beyond IT offerings should buy a stand-alone IT service catalog tool suite, after defining an IT service portfolio. Otherwise, use service catalog functionality as part of an ITSSM tool suite after defining an IT service portfolio.” Finally, consider integrations with related IT support applications, IT asset management systems, human resource management solutions, a CMDB, and financial solutions. As customer demands on IT continue to escalate, key shortcomings in IT service delivery practices become readily apparent. Automating the delivery of IT services is acknowledged to be the wave of the future, as business and technology are inextricably linked. Implementing agile, mobile, adaptable, and user-friendly capabilities within your service catalog will be an integral part of your company’s success.