Design, analyze, model, measure, document and visualize civil infrastructure with ease.

What is Open BIM?

Open BIM is a collaborative approach that lets everyone on your project share information and models using open, standardized formats. Unlike proprietary systems that lock you into one vendor's software, Open BIM ensures interoperability, giving your team the freedom to work with the tools you prefer. With Open BIM, you can:

• Share only the data you need, when you need to, via a Common Data Environment (CDE).
• Streamline collaboration across disciplines using standards like IFC 4.3 (a universal format for building and infrastructure data) and ISO 19650 (a global standard for managing project information).
• Save time and reduce costs by working with a coordinated, up-to-date design model.

For civil infrastructure projects, Civil Designer's complete design model integrates seamlessly with your preferred CDE, ensuring efficient collaboration without clutter.

What BIM is not

BIM isn't just software - it's a process that aligns teams, minimizes errors, and drives better project outcomes. Open BIM takes this further by ensuring everyone involved in design, construction, operation, and beyond is working with the same accurate, real-time data throughout the project lifecycle.

Why Open BIM Matters

Imagine starting a major project and being handed outdated plans and incompatible digital files. Surprisingly this is still common practice despite the errors and wasted effort. Open BIM addresses this problem by providing a coordinated digital model that lets your team:

• Identify issues before construction begins.
• Eliminate duplicate work and manual data re-entry.
• Simulate, validate, and optimize designs at every stage.
• Future-proof projects by using open standards that support long-term data accessibility.

What is a Common Data Environment?

A Common Data Environment (CDE) is a centralized platform where all project data including models and documentation is stored, managed, and shared. Unlike basic cloud storage such as Google Drive or Dropbox, AEC specific CDEs like Catenda Hub, Autodesk Construction Cloud, Trimble Connect, ACCA or Revisto are designed for the complexities of construction projects. A CDE enables your team to:

• Maintain version control and traceability.
• Share precise data with the right stakeholders.
• Reduce rework and ensure compliance with standards like ISO 19650.

Civil Designer and BIM

Civil Designer empowers your team to create comprehensive design models for civil infrastructure projects, fully compatible with Open BIM workflows. With support for IFC 4.3, you can control which elements to share via your CDE, ensuring a coordinated and efficient design process.

By integrating Civil Designer with Open BIM, you'll save time, reduce costs, and deliver better outcomes for your projects.

Ready to streamline your BIM workflow? Get in touch and we will gladly schedule an Open BIM demonstration for you.

Our Clients Say

"Working closely with clients, architects, structural, electrical, and wet services engineers, it is important that I can share my infrastructure design model. My Civil Designer model gets exported as IFC files so that we can verify the design with the buildings, levels and infrastructure as they will be located on site. Services designed in Civil Designer can be included in later phases using Navisworks for example."
- Pedri De Lang, Civil Engineer, Zutari Consulting Engineers.

"Civil Designer has been put to good use in designing the civil infrastructure services and generating the required construction drawings for the new facility. Coordination between all parties is key on this project and Civil Designer allows us to work within the required BIM Execution Plan"
-Calvin Lottering, Kantey & Templer.