OpenBuildings Designer, Bentley Systems' multidisciplinary BIM software, unifies architecture, structure and MEP in a unique design environment. This article focuses on one of its most useful everyday features: the detection of collisions between disciplines.

What is OpenBuildings Designer?

OpenBuildings Designer allows the design, analysis, documentation and visualisation of buildings of all types, forms and complexities, in a BIM environment shared between architects, structural engineers, mechanics and electricians. Based on the same CAD core as MicroStation, it adapts to both a small building and a large-scale multidisciplinary infrastructure project. The objective is to remove barriers between trades and geographically dispersed teams to deliver high performance buildings more quickly and confidently.

Focus functionality: the detection of collisions between disciplines

On a complex building project, the majority of the additional construction costs come from conflicts discovered too late: a ventilation duct that crosses a beam, a cable path that crosses a pipe. OpenBuildings Designer natively integrates conflict detection tools that identify these interferences directly in the model, before construction.

Identify conflicts during design, not on site

Collision detection automatically compares elements from different disciplines within the federated model and reports each geometric interference. The teams resolve conflicts during the study phase, when a correction costs only a model adjustment, not an order of modification during the construction.

The Penetration Manager, for structural drilling

The Penetration Manager pushes the process further by integrating configuration file and collision check file to locate the necessary holes and automatically create the corresponding openings in the structural elements concerned: a considerable saving of time for the structure and MEP teams.

Coordination based on a shared model

Thanks to a unified design environment and sharing of annotations and documents between teams, each discipline works on the same up-to-date reference, limiting errors of interpretation between architects, engineers and engineering offices.

The 10 key points of OpenBuildings Designer

Case of practical use

On a hospital or tertiary project, MEP networks often represent the bulk of coordination conflicts. By regularly launching a collision detection on the federated model, the project teams identify the interferences between ducts, cable tracks and structural elements before they go back to the construction site meeting, thereby reducing the overlaps and delays.

Why choose OpenBuildings Designer with beCAD?

Reseller, trainer and accredited integrator Bentley Systems, beCAD supports architects and design offices in the deployment ofOpenBuildings Designer : advice on the adapted license, BIM coordination training and French technical support.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does collision detection work between several files from different disciplines?

Yes, it applies to the federated model of reference models for each discipline (architecture, structure, MEP).

Does the Penetration Manager automatically create openings in the structural elements?

Yes, it locates the required holes from the configuration and collision check files and generates the corresponding openings.

Is OpenBuildings Designer suitable for both small and large projects?

Yes, its limitless modelling environment is suitable for both simple buildings and large-scale multidisciplinary projects. Would you like to evaluate OpenBuildings Designer on your own projects or train your teams in BIM coordination? Discover the product sheet or contact the beCAD team.