A core system for design information management using industry foundation classes

Research has been conducted for the applications of Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), developed by International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI) for building product model-based information sharing and exchange. This article presents the results and lessons learned from a research project, titled "A Development of the 3D Object-Based Product Model and Application," jointly performed by the research teams of two universities in Korea. An integrated information system called Design Information Management System (DIMS) has been developed with a focus on representation of design information based on IFC and its association with schedule, estimation, and structural engineering information. With the integration of information from various sources, DIMS can represent project information in multiple viewpoints through the hierarchical classification of building components. It also calculates the quantities of each building component and helps users to recognize the corresponding 3D graphic objects in the CAD system. This article discusses considerations, processes, and methods used during the development of DIMS along with lessons learned from this research.