BIMobject launches new BIMsupply—A Cloud-Based Supply Solution for AEC Industry

BIMobjects AB, a Scandinavian-based BIM software company, has announced BIMsupply®, a cloud-based solution that will allow BIM users to create a bill of materials, tenders, bids, and direct orders seamlessly within a BIM project in Autodesk Revit.

Linking BIM Data to BPMs

Using the cloud as a platform, BIMsupply as a solution will allow cloud-based sharing of the list of products and materials with Building Product Manufacturers (BPMs) in order to get pricing, quotes, or to place direct orders.

Billed as the world’s first O2O (Online to Offline) solution for BIM, BIMobject Cloud utilizes and ties together with the recently released cloud-based Autodesk Forge platform. Additionally, all Revit content already published on Autodesk Seek will also be compatible with BIMsupply, with a very small update.

BIMobject SpitFire — Getting a Direct Connection Between Stakeholders

BIMobject has also announced BIMobject SpitFire, which is the backend payable license system for BPMs that will allow business matching and business intelligence on projects, products, and materials from the BIMsupply solution. SpitFire allows the building product manufacturers’ own sales and support staff to engage in a cloud-based BIM project environment in full 3D spaces.

01 – BIMobject announces new cloud-based BIMsupply for AEC BIM industry.

BIMobjects says the value proposition for the whole construction industry is to get correct and conceivably more reliable information through a direct connection between project stakeholders, thereby increasing industry and company know-how in how to select, configure, and specify based on the actual product manufacturers’ products. The BPM’s product data will flow down from the manufacturer into the digital products downloaded from BIMobjects.com and then inserted and configured into the actual BIM model at the design-side in Autodesk Revit and then returned back to the BIMsupply.com cloud in the form of a BOM (bill of materials) and fully interactive 3D virtual space, detailed with properties and production data.

Liking Moving From Old-Fashion Typewriter to Google Docs

“For the construction industry it is like moving from an old-fashioned typewriter to Google Docs—in one go”, says Stefan Larsson, CEO and founder of BIMobject.

The value proposition for the BPMs is that they will need no local BIM application to be purchased and installed on their computers since BIMsupply runs in the cloud. BIM users can upload their BIM projects from Revit to BIMsupply and a 3D BIM project space is created. They can invite BPMs into the space for detailed discussions about product selections, extract configuration results for immediate orders and manufacturing, as well as invite multiple users that can interact simultaneously within the project from a web browser. The value of understanding the actual BPM’s products in the context of the building design is significant. It will remove mistakes and errors that today come from miscommunication in paper-based and fragmented processes.

“Welcome to a new digital world that we think can be a real game changer. Boosted by our professional global community of users, our superior cloud platform, manufacturers’ digital products and our eagerness to challenge everything, we have built the supply solution for the future based on BIM and BIM objects. Through our relationship with Autodesk, we have managed to build this solution on top of their new cloud solution, Forge.”

The BIMsupply solution will be completely integrated within the BIMobject Apps, the BIMobject Cloud and also at bimsupply.com. Manufacturers will buy BIMobject SpitFire subscriptions to enable their local sales representatives to be matched to orders and tenders. The direct, or indirect supply chain can then match business to product information and price requests based on the scope of the SpitFire licenses they have.

“The value of our services just went from being digital marketing and pre-sales tools to actually become a new platform for e-business, says Larsson. “This has the potential to be a major breakthrough in shortening the buying process and get the proper products, actually detailed enough to be configured for purchase, integrated into the BIM models. O2O is the future and we are now the first company in the world offering a complete solution to take products and materials online, get them into the actual projects and then returning back with requests for orders, specifications, and supply chain connections. Welcome to the digital future for construction and supply.”

Revit for Today, Bentley, ArchiCAD, Vectorworks for Tomorrow

Although this is built on Autodesk’s Forge platform, only the first version of this product offering will be for Autodesk Revit. BIMobject has the plan to support multiple BIM applications and formats in the near future.

BIMsupply and the license system for BPMs, BIMobject SpitFire will be showcased during BIMobject LIVe, the annual conference in Malmö, Sweden for Building Product Manufacturers and construction companies. It will be held at the new BIMobject HQ building STUDIO November 2-3, 2016.

For mer detailed information, take a look at the interview with CEO and founder Stefan Larsson (link here) and visithttps://bimsupply.com/