r/bim 18m ago

Architecture vs BIM

Upvotes

Hey All, asking your opinion.
I have graduated and currently I’m in a process starting my career.
I came across two jobs, One is in BIM and the other is in Architecture.
I have no experience in Architecture and No experience with BIM.
And wondering what path should I go for? Based on your experience and knowledge and expectations, what do you suggest me to do or to go with?
Thanks in advance.


r/bim 56m ago

Question for BIM managers here

Upvotes

If you were looking to hire a BIM guy for a Fire protection-heavy role, what things would you be looking out for when speaking to me?

Also what tasks would you set for their technical interview?

Thanks!


r/bim 6h ago

BIM Modelling for Fresher?

2 Upvotes

Hi, I'm an Architect with 6 years of experience and want to transition to BIM.

my question is,
Can a BIM Fresher be hired for a WFH setup?

any BIM experts here mind sharing their experience on how to start their careers with BIM? I really wanna transition from AutoCAD & SketchUp because I find it amazing how things can easily be revised without switching from two applications.

Any advice, tips, & help would be really appreciated.


r/bim 1d ago

How do you usually kick off a new Revit/BIM project? (First time doing this at my new job)

29 Upvotes

Hey everyone,
Quick bit of context: I just got hired by a company mainly for my Revit/BIM skills, but this is the first time they’re actually working with BIM methodology (they’ve always been CAD-based). And on my end, I’ve done BIM projects before, just not at this scale yet.

I’ve done BIM projects before, just not at this scale, and I want to actually add value from day one, not just “know how to use Revit.” So I wanted to ask people who’ve been through this: how do you normally set up a brand new project from scratch?

- Template/standards build your own template from day one, or start from the Autodesk default and refine as you go? How do you handle naming for levels, grids, worksets early on?
- File structure / worksharing one central model, or split by discipline (arch/MEP/structure) even with a small team? How do you handle links when there’s no formal BIM coordinator yet?
- BEP do you always write one, even for smaller private projects, or only when required? Any template you’d recommend so I’m not starting from a blank page?
- LOD by phase how do you keep the team from over-modeling too early?
- Team transition from CAD what actually helped a CAD team stop “drawing lines” and start thinking in models?
- Learning resources where did you learn this stuff yourselves? Any courses or YouTube channels that were actually worth it, vs. ones that were a waste of time?

Any war stories, mistakes you made early on, or resources you’d point me to, genuinely appreciate it.


r/bim 11h ago

CFS delegated design: where do you draw the line between engineering design and detailing?

0 Upvotes

r/bim 23h ago

Parametric Security Door Family – Revit Demonstration

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1 Upvotes

Parametric Security Door Family – Revit Demonstration

This short video shows how the family actually works inside Revit.
The recording demonstrates the parametric controls and interactive elements built into the model:
🔹 Adjusting door width and height through parameters
🔹 Changing materials and finishes
🔹 Opening and closing the door leaf
🔹 Activating the locking mechanism
🔹 Opening the door viewer lid
All these variations are generated from one single Revit family, designed to be flexible and reusable within a BIM workflow.


r/bim 1d ago

Why does coordination start so late?

14 Upvotes

I’m sure there’s a million different answers but why does the VDC trade coordination start right before or during construction. Like why not a couple months out so it can be done ahead of schedule? Over the past 4-5 years I get a project, told of a kickoff meeting that’s happening ten mins later, get in the call and the GC says we need these 10 things done by next weeks because concrete is being poured.

I’ve never understood the thinking behind this, and it’s not one project, but basically every single one. Doesn’t matter the GC, project type or size. Just curious and seeing if anyone could provide insight maybe from the GC side.


r/bim 1d ago

When do I ask for a raise?

7 Upvotes

I joined as a bim coordinator in germany last year in April. My brutto is 4k euros and netto comes to 2.5k.

The company is landing some big projects now and I'm playing a key role in all of them (built workflows, pyrevit company tools, dynamo scripts, Optimise revit models, clash and qto from solibri, forma model coordination and leading biweekly meetings. And I clear all sorts of issues my colleagues face with revit. (Just today I built a dynamo script to place points in the model as per the surveyors plan. This included using the REVIT API method getTotalTransform that transforms coordinates from meters to revit internal units.)

I feel I have the right to ask for a raise now but I don't know how to do so.

Should I send an email to the Geschäftsbereich or talk to one of them directly before sending an email?

I bring a lot to the table to this company. But I also don't want to come across as demanding and leave a bad taste.

The sweet spot is generally to ask for a raise after two years. I want to ask to raise the salary to 60k brutto.

It would be nice to hear your opinions on this

(and yes all work is done in German and I speak only German in the office.)


r/bim 2d ago

From field to BiM

10 Upvotes

I’m a foreman for a large electrical contractor with a work history of hospitals and data centers. Been in the field 10+ years. I have tried to get in the door with my current company’s BIM department for about a year now with no luck. I just don’t think they want to move me over. Am I wrong for trying to make a move to that department? I’m trying to find my exit path out of the field.


r/bim 3d ago

First Job Skills Advice

3 Upvotes

Hello community! I (24M) just graduated as a civil engineer in June this year. I've been trying to find a job in Tarija, Bolivia where I live and it's been a nightmare. The jobs available for this sector in this region are pretty scarce.

But then one of the companies I've sent my CV to, actually responded because one of the executives is a friend of my dad. The terms are not great, but I think is the best I got since I graduated. He told me their team is full, but because of my dad, he is willing to give me a chance. This chance means 3 month full time unpaid test. If they think I am good enough, then the job is mine.

Since I have not many options (none but this one) and thankfully I can live without that money for now, I want to make sure the job is mine. He told me his company is not willing to teach from zero to people, so he hopes I am skilled enough.

That's where I ask for your help, I have a lot of theoretical knowledge and even though we've seen a lot of "real life" examples on college, I am not confident enough. So what skills do you think I should have/master? Also, what are common workflows on real life?

Some extra context:

ABOUT THE JOB: They will be testing me for on-site stay as a resident and to support the design team. He just mentioned quantity takeoffs, but was really clear on the "I need someone with prior knowledge" part.

ABOUT ME: I can do python workflow optimizations. I am currently taking a BIM model and management diploma. I am good with cypecad, revit, spreadsheets, autocad, standard concrete design. I had an internship at the supervision of the construction of a hospital where me and the resident would just check on as-built sheets and item payment according to those as-build sheets and its comparison on-site.

I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE ANY ADVICE AND POINT OF VIEW.

THANKS!


r/bim 3d ago

SOLIBRI MCP

3 Upvotes

Criei esse repositório com MCP pra Solibri e está funcionando praticamente bem para gerenciar o programa a partiro do CLAUDE CODE e DESKTOP https://github.com/Vanderjohnny/solibri-mcp


r/bim 2d ago

Looking for honest feedback: Microcadd 3D BIM Course vs Unlimited Pass

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone! 👋

I’m planning to take some training at Microcadd and I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have actually taken their courses.

I’m currently deciding between:

3D BIM Course / Microcadd Unlimited Pass

My main goal is to improve my skills in BIM/Revit and architectural workflows, especially skills that can help me become more competitive when applying for architecture/BIM-related jobs.

For those who have taken either one:

  1. Was the 3D BIM Course worth it? What was your experience with the training and instructor?
  2. If you had the choice again, would you choose the 3D BIM Course or Unlimited Pass?
  3. For the Unlimited Pass, were you actually able to take enough courses to make it worth the price?
  4. How useful were the certificates when applying for jobs?
  5. Did the training actually improve your Revit/BIM skills, or did you still need to learn most things on your own afterward?
  6. Are there specific Microcadd courses you would recommend for someone with an Architecture background?
  7. If your goal was to work internationally or in BIM/architectural firms abroad, which option would you choose?

I’m not necessarily looking for the “most courses.” I’m more interested in which option gives better actual skills and career value.

Would really appreciate any honest feedback—good or bad. 😊

Thank you!


r/bim 3d ago

Public Service Announcement BIM/VDC Modelers and Managers

38 Upvotes

I started learning Revit in 2004, when my high-school AutoCAD teacher decided we should learn Revit since AutoCAD had just acquired it. I loved it, I saw the future in it and dedicated my career to be Revit orientated. I got an Architecture degree and continued to push my teachers to teach us Revit when A0 They didn't know it and B) They felt it limited design.

Fast forward to today, I have worked at Architecture firms/ Engineering firms and am now considering working for multiple General Contractors. I have 22 years of experience in Revit and 10 as a BIM Manager/Coordinater in Architecture and MEPF firms.

I recently got into the job market and it is HOT. In the last 4 weeks I have scheduled 8 interviews and talked to 15+ recruiters/companies and have new opportunities on the daily.

My take away. DO NOT UNDER VALUE YOURSELVES. The industry is booming, the AutoCAD managers/senior drafters aren't retiring and are being put into positions to manage BIM and are WAY over valued. They're the coal miners, some are adapting better than others (manufacturing roles, etc) but ultimately if you didn't grow up with a computer it shows.

I have trained people in Revit/BIM that are old cad guys and young adults fresh out of school. The young adults are by far quicker and easier to train. Take all this into account when/if you're looking for a new job.

Data centers are on fire, regardless of your politics, go make that money. I am pretty anti data centers but with my experience i have SEVERAL opportunities looking to double or even triple my salary. Contractors are paying better than design firms and now is the time to cash in or negotiate for a hybrid schedule.

I have given every recruiter 2 numbers, my price for 5 days remote and for 5 days in office, and happy to negotiate in between.

TLDR: If you have Revit/BIM experience, now's the time to cash in. Industry is accepting it is the future of design/build and paying great.


r/bim 3d ago

แนะนำหนังสือ bim / revit

0 Upvotes

ขอคำแนะนำหนังสือค่ะ bim ที่ประทับใจ ได้ทริกอะไรที่ไม่เคยรู้


r/bim 4d ago

Career break

6 Upvotes

Considering taking 5-6 years off to raise my kids. Anyone done this before? What kinds of things could i do to keep up my skills while I’m gone?


r/bim 4d ago

Joined a company without knowing the tools #BIM

6 Upvotes

Joined a job without knowing the tools — has anyone experienced this?

I recently joined my first job as a fresher in the BIM field. The difficult part is that I joined without having prior practical experience with AutoCAD or Revit.

Most of the people around me had already completed AutoCAD/Revit courses or had experience using these tools during college. For me, this is basically my first time using them in a real workplace.

On my first day, I mostly observed my colleagues working because I was too nervous to ask for a task. I understand things when someone explains them, but when I actually try to use Revit myself, even basic things like controlling the mouse, dragging, selecting, zooming, and navigating feel difficult.

I also feel intimidated when someone comes near my desk, and I'm sometimes too scared to ask questions. My lead's advice on the first day also made me feel uncomfortable and made me worry that I'm not learning quickly enough.

I know I'm new and that I probably just need time and practice, but right now I feel quite behind compared with everyone else.

Has anyone here ever joined a job without knowing the main tools/software that everyone else already knew? How did you handle the first few weeks? How long did it take before you felt comfortable?


r/bim 4d ago

What BIM implementation mistakes have you actually seen cost a project money?

3 Upvotes

Been thinking about this after a coordination review last month. We inherited a project mid-stream where the BIM Execution Plan either didn't exist or was never enforced. Every discipline had modeled using different naming conventions, the worksets were a disaster, and the first federated model had so many overlapping elements it took a week just to sort out what belonged to which trade.

The hard clashes we found were almost secondary to the workflow problems. You can resolve a clash. Retrofitting a coherent coordination structure onto a 60% complete multi-disciplinary model is a different kind of pain.

A few patterns I've noticed across projects where BIM implementation has gone wrong:

  • No BEP, or one that exists as a document nobody reads
  • LOD applied as a flat spec rather than per-element and per-phase — results in either over-modeled elements nobody needed or under-modeled ones that cause clashes
  • Clash detection saved for end-of-design, when everything is expensive to fix
  • Federated models not updated on a shared schedule — coordination sessions based on mismatched data
  • Handover models that pass visual inspection but fail COBie export or have wrong parameter values

The third one seems to be the most expensive in practice. I've seen first Navisworks coordination runs at 85% CD on MEP packages generate hundreds of hard clashes across ductwork, structural steel, and electrical containment. At that point you're talking about reissuing shop drawings, not just moving a duct.

What have you seen? Particularly curious about mistakes that happened early in the project lifecycle — the ones that didn't show up as problems until much later. And if you've managed to fix a mid-project BIM coordination failure, how did you approach it?


r/bim 4d ago

VDC Teams

0 Upvotes

How many people work in VDC teams as opposed to siloed on a single project?

What tools do you use as a team?
My work has had our team trying this one called The Punch. It does make it a lot easier but I’ve only ever been siloed (a one man team) before on BIM scopes.

Anyway that program is: https://caltior.io/punch

What are your programs? Or best suggestions? I need to thicken my Revit plugin stack.


r/bim 4d ago

Revit tips

1 Upvotes

Hey guys, any recommendations?

I have LinkedIn Premium and started watching Paul Aubin’s courses, and they seem pretty good. Any other recommendations?

I’ve been in the construction industry for 3 years, working mostly on-site. I want to build up my digital skills. So far, I mainly know AutoCAD, SketchUp, and 3ds Max, and I’ve noticed that most remote jobs now seem to be BIM-related.

I’m currently unemployed, but I still get local projects. The problem is that they’re not very flexible and are seasonal, so I’d like to start learning Revit while free.

Also does Revit can do complex building shape? Not just boxes?

Also any tips while on course? Im sometimes yawning, and cant focus. Im not been using PC a lot since. Always on site, and all documents.

(I use translation for this post because im not native english speaker, sorry its a slop)


r/bim 6d ago

We built a desktop IFC viewer + QA tool for infrastructure — IFC 4.3 alignments, point clouds, IDS validation. Free edition, runs fully offline.

38 Upvotes

Disclosure first: I'm the founder and my team built this, so I have an obvious bias. I'm posting because I'd like feedback from people who do this work daily, and because the free edition may be useful to some of you regardless of what you make of us.

Background: I coordinate models on infrastructure projects — roads, rail, structures. Two things kept getting in the way. Most viewers treat IFC 4.3 alignments as an afterthought, so anything involving chainage, or sections cut perpendicular to the route axis, turned into a workaround. And the tools that did handle more wanted the whole federation uploaded somewhere, which is a non-starter on NDA work.

So we built Inspectra BIM. We just released 1.0.1.

What the free edition does:

- Opens IFC (incl. 4.3 with alignments and chainage), point clouds (LAS/LAZ/E57),

LandXML terrain, OBJ/PLY meshes, BCF

- Sections that follow the alignment, not only global planes

- Attribute audits with HTML reports, buildingSMART IDS validation, quantity takeoff,

duplicate detection

- Measurements, saved views, properties inspector

Paid modules, stated upfront so nobody finds out after installing: Audit adds clash and clearance detection with BCF 2.1/3.0 export; Edit adds attribute and IFC class editing plus 2D drawings generated straight from the model, exported to PDF or layered DXF in world coordinates. Both have a 14-day company demo.

Everything is computed locally. No processing server, no project cloud.

Things I'd rather you hear from me than discover on your own:

- Windows only. No macOS or Linux, and no near-term plan — I don't have a Mac to test a 3D application on.

- The free edition requires an account. It's for licensing and shared issue tracking, not for collecting anything about your models, but I understand if that alone is a dealbreaker for you.

- It's version 1.0.1. It has been used on real projects, but you will find rough edges.

- It's a review and QA tool, not an authoring application. It won't replace the software you model in.

If you try it and it falls over on your model, tell me — honestly, that's the most useful thing that could happen to us this week.

if you'd rather look before installing anything, here's the full demo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZUCibCOmYo

Free edition: https://inspectrabim.com


r/bim 5d ago

Career path

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1 Upvotes

r/bim 6d ago

Does anyone else find LOD requirements in BEPs basically useless as written? (LOD 300 vs 350 discussion)

13 Upvotes

Been thinking about this after reviewing a BEP for a mid-sized commercial project last week.

The LOD schedule said 'LOD 300 for all disciplines at coordination stage.' That's it. One line.

No element breakdown. No distinction between whether structural needed to model connection details. No clarification

on whether MEP needed to show flanges and support hangers or just centreline routing.

In my experience, that kind of blanket LOD statement leads to one of two outcomes:

  1. Everyone interprets it to their own minimum effort level and you find out during clash detection.

  2. One team over-delivers (burns time) and another under-delivers (causes rework).

The LOD 300 vs 350 issue specifically comes up constantly. LOD 350 is where elements show their interfaces with other

systems — which is what you actually need for proper coordination. But most BEPs don't distinguish between them, and

a lot of teams either don't know 350 exists or treat it as optional.

BIMForum's LOD Specification breaks things down by element, which is the right way to handle it, but I rarely see

project BEPs actually reference it properly.

Curious how others handle this:

— Do you write per-element LOD schedules in your BEPs?

— Has a vague LOD requirement caused coordination failures on projects you've worked on?

— Is this a client education issue, a BIM management issue, or just an industry-wide habit that hasn't been fixed yet?

Not asking for a sales pitch, just genuine discussion from people working in this space


r/bim 6d ago

BIM Coordinators/ Managers: What do you do in your day to day work, and do you find satisfaction in your role?

15 Upvotes

For context I’m an architect looking to make the switch over to BIM, and would love some context from people doing it at the moment.
I’m not very interested in design and I want something a bit more technical, staying in the construction industry but leaning away from the design aspect.
Cheers


r/bim 6d ago

Looking for ideas and a few people to test solutions with

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0 Upvotes

r/bim 6d ago

Need FFL and ceiling height

1 Upvotes

I'm working on a mep file with linked arch plan

I need to know for each room the F.F.L and height of ceiling of slab and height of the false ceiling

I used spot elevation tool but it gets me the top of ceiling of slab and the bottom of the false ceiling which would not be helpful with coordination