Photo : Fréderic Gibello
Solutions: Stabicad for Revit & Trimble Nova
We meet Fréderic Gibello, design office manager, and Pierre Guilloteau, draughtsman at Elithis. In this article, they explain how their team uses Stabicad and Trimble Nova software for their BIM designs.
Context
Elithis is a consulting and building engineering group, leader in energy efficiency, structured around 9 subsidiaries. Founded in 2003, the Elithis group today employs 200 people worldwide and develops its activity around complementary businesses: consulting, auditing, building engineering and construction, project management, project management assistance, construction economics, professional training, digital mock-up, both in France and abroad.
The switch to BIM took place in 2014 as part of the emblematic Elithis Danube Tower project in Strasbourg, drawing on the specific know-how of Foundation, the Group's Paris-based subsidiary dedicated to digital mock-up. On this subject, Mr Gibello explains that following the Stabicad for Revit training, and with a view to practicing Revit more efficiently, they completely redesigned the project with Stabicad for Revit. The last few years have been promising in terms of BIM projects for Elithis.
MEPcontent: an indispensable tool
Stabicad for Revit was also the obvious choice, as the dedicated HVAC/Fluid Content Library: MEPcontent met their needs. Indeed, manufacturers who want to get ahead with BIM and take advantage of it also need to think about the distribution of this information. While most countries choose to upload data to the manufacturer's website, engineers are looking further afield and opting for a platform/library where products from various manufacturers are brought together. Researchers expect the future to belong to websites that gather product information from different manufacturers, continue to enrich it with BIM information, and expand and update the assortment.
"We're up and running right away when it comes to drawing, thanks to the content available on MEPcontent."
MEPcontent already meets these requirements, in terms of 3D objects and item information for BIM engineers in the design, execution and installation sector. By making over 600,000+ products in Revit RFA and/or 3D-DWG format available free of charge on a portal accessible to all. By means of a free application, item information is available in the project, from within the software: "You're ready to draw right away, thanks to the content available in the MEPcontent.com library".
He adds that the big advantage of Stabicad is the drawing aids for the HVAC Plumbing section, such as node resolutions, and the availability of all the objects needed for drawing. Mr Guilloteau also mentions the quality of the software's synthesis and 3D view.
The partnership between Trimble and Stabiplan
We wanted to know what the Elithis Group thought of Trimble's acquisition of Stabiplan, since their design office has Trimble Nova and Stabicad licenses. Mr. Gibello gives us his impressions: "The association of Trimble and Stabiplan is interesting and complementary. In fact, the Stabiplan + Revit solution is useful when everyone involved in a project uses Revit. On the other hand, when the architecture is not on Revit, using the IFC format can be problematic with Revit. Trimble develops IFC-based solutions with Trimble Nova, which leaves us free to choose between Nova and Stabicad, depending on the project. Trimble's approach to developing BIM objects for the 2 platforms and enabling better interoperability between the IFC and RVT formats is very interesting, as currently communication between these 2 formats is difficult, with information being lost."
Asked how you manage the use of the two platforms, and at what point the design office chooses one or the other, Mr Gibello replies: "On BIM projects, we use Trimble Nova at the start of the project, in the APS and PC submission phases, for everything from analyzing plans and making models of ducts and technical rooms, to 2D elements (synoptic diagrams, schematic diagrams), since in these phases the digital models are not sufficiently advanced. As soon as sufficiently mature models are available, we start modeling with Stabiplan + Revit. Exchanges between the two platforms are mainly carried out by importing and exporting DWG files
"Trimble develops solutions based on IFC [...] which leaves us free to ultimately choose the solution we feel is most relevant between Nova and Stabicad depending on the project."
All our designers are trained in both software packages, since they were originally using Nova. They were then trained on Revit + Stabicad as and when we needed them, and in anticipation of BIM project start-ups, so that the training would be effective and quickly applied to concrete projects.
Trimble Nova
Finally, we asked Mr Gibello to name some of the most frequently used Trimble Nova functions. "Trimble Nova remains our preferred 2D tool for synoptic and schematic drawings, since Revit is not adapted to 2D drafting. It remains our design and drafting tool for projects that don't require digital mock-ups or BIM processes, because it's easier to draw than Revit.
The developments planned by Trimble will provide an alternative with IFC to native Revit projects, and the diversity of projects and stakeholders currently shows that there is no trend for one or other of the IFC or RVT formats, you have to adapt to each project since you can't impose one format rather than the other."
"All our designers are trained in both software packages, since they were originally using Nova. They were then trained on Revit + Stabicad as and when we needed them, and in anticipation of BIM project start-ups, so that the training would be effective and quickly applied to concrete projects."
- Fréderic Gibello, BIM Coordinator, Elithis
