This document discusses how bots can automate tasks in building information modeling (BIM) by taking advantage of open web APIs and data. It argues that individual bots providing niche applications can create a new market that is not dependent on any single platform. Bots could perform automated tasks by subscribing to events in the BIM data and being triggered when those events occur. Examples of potential BIM bots include clash detection bots, cost estimation bots, supplier bots, validation checkers, and more. The document advocates shifting away from separate "islands" of collaboration towards this more open ecosystem of interoperable bots.

1. BIM Bots
Why do it manually, when a bot can do it for you?

6. “Open API”
“Platform”
“Extendable”

7. ISLAND!

10. Listoffeaturesontheleft Comparison of ‘islands’

11. The situation
• “perfect and easy collaboration when you are
on our island!”
• Online platforms are the new islands
• Collaboration between islands is not in the
interest of the providers
• You can only use the features of your island
– No crossing over to the other island for that one
cool feature they have!

12. An oppertunity
• Now that BIM data are on the web, the web
can use it
• No need for user interaction any more:
automation by using the web

13. A solution
• Microservices / macros / whatever…
• “Bots”
• Small niche applications
• Subscribed to an event: Waiting till they can
perform an automated task
• Triggered when an event happens
• Every ‘feature’ has a bot (or more than one)

17. Another example
Elasstic – www.elasstic.eu
Others
– Clashdetection
– Total Cost of Ownership (www.proficient-project.eu )
– Supplier bots (staircase, floors, walls, etc)
– Loggers and analyses
– Planning suggestion (Stijn)
– Validation checkers
– BOM extractor
– Furniture placer
– LOD analyzer
– SpaceInvaders bot

25. The business
• Automating tasks
• Individual applications; not dependence on a ‘platform’
• Can be closed source / ask money for specific features
• Can be more than one per topic (competition)
• Is centralized for the bot provider (big data analyses)
This:
• Creates a new market for niche appliations (you don’t have
to choose an island anymore; combine features)
• Takes advantage of the fragmented nature of the industry
• Open approach instead of getting everyone on one island

26. The big difference
• Getting knowledge earlier in the process
• Constant process/data validation/evaluation

27. The shout out
• Help!
• Chicken and egg problem
– Philips produced and aired 264 TV shows between
1948 and 1951.
• Help to expand the “ecosystem”
• Help to shift the island paradigm!

28. How to start?
• BIMserver reference implementation
• BIMSie API
• Example bots (validation checker; furniture
placer; etc..)
github.com/opensourcebim/
www.bimbots.org
Leon.vanBerlo@tno.nl