Our process
Your engineers design it. We model it, every time they issue drawings.
We go through the issued drawings and mark what's new, changed or removed before the model is touched.
Why: the model changes only where the design did, and nothing slips through.
We go through conflicts and gaps with your engineers, each with its drawing references.
Why: your engineers make the call, so nothing is modeled on a guess.
Changes go into the same model, structure before architecture, each element with its data.
Why: one model through every issue means no rebuilds and no second copy to keep in step.
Sizes, levels and locations are checked against the issued drawings before anything leaves our hands.
Why: the model matches the design that goes into your submission.
The model is handed over in your ProjectWise, ready for drawing production, with any questions still open listed.
Why: you know exactly what's done and what's waiting on your engineers.
What we model
We choose the tool for each element by what it gives back in your drawings, schedules and data, and every element carries the Family and Part your standard requires.
| Element | How we model it | Data it carries |
|---|---|---|
| Structural | ||
| Steel members: columns, beams, bracing | Placed from the structural section library. Sections your engineers specify that aren't in it are added as user shapes first, so every member reports its real section. | SectionGradeMaterialWeightCoating |
| Steel coping & plates | Members coped automatically where they meet, with set flange and web clearances. Base plates and connection plates modeled where your design details them. | SectionGradeMaterial |
| Concrete columns, beams, walls, slabs & footings | Modeled to the sizes, levels and grades on your structural drawings. Footings carry the Foundation family, so they schedule separately from the structure above. | GradeMaterial |
| Openings & penetrations | Placed as penetration components from the catalog, so every opening is a real object that cuts the slab or member, shows in plans and sections, and can be scheduled. | Catalog typeSize |
| Stair & elevator structures | Stair stringers, landings and elevator shaft framing, tied to the floors and grids they serve. | SectionGradeMaterial |
| Changes to the existing structure | Modeled into the existing condition model. Elements being removed get the Demolition Part, and retained ones keep the Existing Part. | Existing PartDemolition Part |
| Architectural | ||
| Walls, doors & windows | Intelligent walls joined with T, L and cross connections. Doors and windows from the project catalog, so openings move with them. | Catalog typeSizeFrameSwing |
| Floors, platforms, ramps & roofs | Built as forms and solids, so slopes, ramps and drainage falls stay easy to reshape as the design develops. | Instance Data |
| Stairs | Stair tool with shared stair settings, so every stair matches and its symbols update in the drawings. | Stair type |
| Railings | Railing types from the project dataset. New types are added to the library for reuse. | Railing typeHeight |
| Curtain walls & glazing | Types, panels and mullions from the project catalogs. Doors and windows go straight into the curtain wall, and the panels adjust around them. | Curtain wall typePanelsMullionsGlazing |
| Objects & casework | Placed from your project's own object set, such as benches, bins and furniture. | Object type |
Getting started
Share the information you have. We'll review it and send you a quote.
Structural and architectural plans, sections, elevations and details from your latest issue.
Engineers' sketches and redlined markups for anything not yet on a drawing.
The model the new work goes into. No model yet? We build it first with existing condition modeling.
The level of development, attributes, levels and naming your project requires.
The project workspace, with its catalogs, cells and section library.
The dates of your upcoming design submissions, so the model is ready for each one.
We model in OpenBuildings Designer, the same environment your drawing production and ProjectWise run in. Every element stays native and editable, with its data intact.
Led by an industry expert with a career mostly in structural work, including station upgrades, bridges, viaducts and tunnels modeled in OpenBuildings alongside the design teams. Your drawings are read the way your engineers meant them.
Each element is built with the tool that keeps the file light, so plans, sections and elevations cut quickly and your drawing team never waits on a lagging model.
The proposed design model is built into your existing condition model, then carries on into drawing production, construction and the as-built record without a rebuild.
Who it's for
Your engineers have the design, the next submission is due, and your modelers are already booked. We build the model so your team stays on the design.
Design is underway on a station upgrade, renovation or accessibility package, and the model has to keep pace with every submission.
Your team works in Bentley software and needs extra structural or architectural modeling capacity, built to the same standards your own team uses.
Your design team. Your architects and engineers design the work and keep their names on it. We model what their drawings show, and we work through any open point with them before it's modeled.
We work through it with your team, with the drawing references in hand, and model what your engineers decide. Nothing is filled in on a guess, so the model always matches your design team's intent.
Yes. We work to the same standards inside your ProjectWise, and can take on a full package or extra capacity when a submission peaks.
Typically LOD 300, set per element type, or the level your BIM Execution Plan sets: each element at its designed size, shape and location. Fabrication-level LOD 400 is built from your contractors' shop drawings once construction starts.
Yes. Views and display rules are checked before handover, so your team can cut plans, sections and elevations straight away. If you'd like us to produce the drawings too, see Drawing Production.
Yes. We confirm your standard at kickoff (levels, naming, catalogs, cells and attributes) and model inside your ProjectWise environment, so your files stay in one place.
Every project is scoped first, then quoted. Cost and timeline depend on the size of the design, the level of development, the disciplines involved and how many design stages the model is updated for, and we confirm both in your quote.
Every stage
Where the proposed design model comes from, and where it goes next.
We turn your point clouds and record drawings into accurate OpenBuildings Designer models of what's on site today.
View service → DrawingsWe produce your MicroStation sheet sets from your OpenBuildings model: plans, sections and elevations, set up to your client's CAD standard.
View service → ConstructionWe turn your design model into construction and as-built models in OpenBuildings, updated from your contractors' shop drawings and field-verified data.
View service →Live 1-on-1 and group training in OpenBuildings Designer, MicroStation and ProjectWise, built around your team's real workflow.
Tell us about the design.
Share what you're modeling, the drawings and existing model you have, the level of development and your next submission date. We'll ask a few questions, then send a proposal.
Or email contact@bimglobalconsulting.com
We will get back to you within one business day.