Despite being the talk of the town for quite some time and not being “the latest trend” anymore, the construction industry is still hesitant on using BIM as a norm in their process. This is either because the upper staff is too comfortable with their conventional ways or because there are a lot of rumors or myths spread about BIM. These misconceptions are enough to make the contractor not take the risk of training his staff with BIM and investing in them. Some of the myths are discussed below.

Implementing BIM is costly:

The first and the most commonly heard rumor about BIM is that it costs a lot. Though it’s not a complete lie. Yes, companies will have to bear the expenses of training their staff and buying the relevant machinery and license for the software. But this is the case with every advancement in this field. When CAD was first introduced, many people must have hesitated to use computers to draw drawings instead of conventional papers and pencils. But now, you can’t even imagine how someone could complete a project without the use of CAD. So, this is just a one-time investment. The fruits of this investment would enable the company to bid for bigger and more complex projects and, in return, earn more.

BIM is just making flashy 3D models:

Many of the ignorant people in the community still think that BIM is just another way to make flashy 3D models. They argue that they could always use CAD 3D or some other lightweight software to make 3D models. 3D modeling isn’t even half of what BIM can do. Building Information Modeling means creating 3D models that contain information. Every element in a BIM model contains individual properties like its height, material, quantity and even cost. All this information also assists the quantity surveyors in cost estimation and the site engineers to look at the completed product.

BIM is not for small scale projects:

A very common misconception among contractors is that using BIM for small-scale projects is a waste of time. They assume it’s only for complex projects that would require some sort of advanced modeling. Bigger projects often have complexities, but if the right tools are not used for small projects, they’ll cause big problems. BIM saves cost, increases productivity and aids the process, whether it is for big projects or small projects.

BIM is only useful during the design phase:

A lot of people believe that BIM only assists the engineers and architects during the design phase, i.e., for structure design or quantity estimation. In actual, BIM can prove to be useful for all stakeholders from the start of the project to the end. It can show a proposed finished product to the stakeholders even before the project begins. It can even be used after the project is finished for facility management. Having a 3D model of a building is very important for efficient facility management. Infact, it will also be useful during renovation and demolishing.

 BIM is a software:

One of the most common myths in the construction industry is the belief that BIM is the name of a software application. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. BIM is a complete way of doing a project. It involves changes in the stakeholders, staff, processes, procedures and technology. It is not an installable software but a means through which the traditional practices are replaced with advanced methods.

BIM requires the hiring of a new team:

Company owners are often scared of the fact that if they ever decide to implement BIM into their practices, they will have to hire a new team. It is common to think that a new technology, alien to the previous staff, would require experts. Well, there’s no nuclear science in learning how to utilize BIM in the project. The engineers already employed in the company can easily grasp its concept and expertise after going through some training. In fact, training the previous staff would aid in streamlining the flow of work.