Interactive clash detection is one of the most compelling and visible reasons to convert to BIM-based contracting. It’s a key function of all major modeling software providers, and Autodesk’s NavisWorks has turned it into an art form. But, there’s more to clash detection than just the colliding ducts and pipes that show up on a screen. In this month’s building information modeling column, John Jurewicz gives step-by-step instructions on how to get the best trade collaboration for your BIM investment so you can avoid clashes on the screen, on the jobsite and in the boardroom.

BIM technology is also making headway in the world of cost controls. By comparing BIM’s fourth dimension, time, with production quantity data, Larry True says cost controllers can get a better idea of the project’s productivity.

Where two-dimensional blueprints once ruled, three dimensions are now taking over. Gordon Aronson recalls the days of two-dimensional drawings in plan rooms and speculates on the transition to interactive computer-based modeling.