Recently I undertook a very detailed and intensive research project focused on BIM and Revit Content Management Systems. The results of that research will eventually become fully available… In fact it will be discussed in detail at an upcoming webinar (register here).

The research covered a range of product categories including Revit Integration and Management features. However, it also considered the cost and ROI of various content management systems. On a related note, I was very happy to hear that Unifi have now released  UNIFI Standard, a content management solution for firms with less than 30 design staff, offered at the very attractive $14/month. Basically, as a smaller firm you can still afford to access a lot of the awesome Unifi Content Management features, but there are service level differences that mean it makes more sense for larger firms to stick with UNIFI Enterprise.

For more information about the UNIFI solutions, check out the media release here, and to learn more about the webinar have a look at this page.

Key details on the new offering:

  • name: UNIFI Standard
  • for firms with less than 30 design staff.
  • licensing model is named user – each person is assigned a license
  • price is $14/user/month
  • there are service level differences between Standard and Enterprise (level of support, customer/account management, onboarding services, SSO integration) although both products have access to the same content management features.

UNIFI Enterprise remains for firms who need more than 30 licenses and it will have two licensing models – active users or open/concurrent licenses.  The pricing will be dependent on what type of license and how many are needed.

Happily, it is becoming less and less common that we have to actually justify why we do BIM.

But if you do, Daniel Hughes has put together an interesting list based on his experience:
“Here’s my list of the ten best process features in Revit; that can offer the biggest Return On Investment (ROI) in the initial phase of Revit implementation.

  1. Automatic Sheet set Management and Tag Coordination
  2. Automated Floor Planning Tools
  3. All Model & Sheet Views Update When the Revit Model is Edited
  4. Annotation Graphics Resize Based on View Scale
  5. Power of Parametric Dimensioning
  6. Pre-built Building Product Manufacturer Model Libraries
  7. Building Schedules SynchronizeAuto-Update With Model Changes
  8. Views: Independent & Automated Visibility Controls
  9. Multiple people can simultaneously Access and Edit the Project File
  10. Link DWG Files Into Revit Project”

Read the whole post at:
http://bradleybim.com/2014/06/03/revit-implementation-secrets-10-best-revit-process-features/

The more difficult question in light of this article would seem to be – how do you separate and distinguish your BIM revenue / ROI from that you would be producing as a simple CAD firm?

A couple of interesting quotes:
“BIM implementation has been a long-term effort and a considerable one,” says Phil Harrison, FAIA, LEED AP, CEO of Perkins+Will. The firm has overcome the technical and training issues and is now “focusing on innovations and efficiencies,” he says.

President Steven Straus says Glumac made “an enormous investment” in BIM training and software development. “BIM is a new technology that is improving coordination,” he says, “but the software is not ready for prime time.”

Read more / via:
BIM finally starting to pay off for AEC firms | Building Design Construction