Collaboration is one of the qualities of a BIM work environment. This is why we persent a first approach at collaboration between three product manufacturers:leaders in their respective fields. They have agreed in developing a joint BIM catalogue.
Cortisa, Somfy, and Mermet have developed, along with Bimetica, Cortisa´s C-14 roller blind in BIM format. This model also comprises two other BIM products, the Sonesse 40 motor from Somfy, and the 5500 LOW E textile from Mermet. The files were developed in Revit 2013, and are free to be downloaded and used in:
Cortisa: http://bimetica.com/en/cortisa/
Mermet: http://bimetica.com/en/mermet/
Somfy: http://bimetica.com/en/somfy/
Each company plans to develop their own product BIM catalogues, even if they currently working together. Each of them sees the need for coordinated actions within the BIM environment to improve communication strategies.
Collaborative work philosophy
Collaboration between product manufacturers is a necessary trend. One frequently finds products with special qualities (on an individual level) that are part of other products. By themselves they might not cover the design or information requirements of a “whole” product if they were modeled independently.
This problem is bypassed when there are various manufacturing companies that add content or provide a complementary product that makes unique BIM model out of the joining of both products.
As an example, we could have a good handle from a manufacturer ready to be included, but if we don´t have a model of a manufacturer´s door panel, having the door handle wont be of any use. The solution would be the collaboration between the door handle manufacturer and the door panel manufacturer to develop a more complete BIM catalogue based on both their products along with all necessary information. This solution can help construction industry professionals specify products easily, while avoiding un-coordinated information and unnecessary mistakes.