Using Trimble Access for Building Information Modelling (BIM)

Since the early 2000s, Building Information Modelling (BIM) has transformed the design, construction, and ongoing management of buildings.

The key innovation of BIM is to focus on building projects around a single, centralised digital model. This model incorporates everything from architectural design and structural engineering to material specifications and cost estimation. By providing a central hub of project data, the model enables seamless collaboration among project stakeholders from the initial design stage right through to handover and beyond.

The BIM industry is expected to grow rapidly over the coming decade, with the market for BIM services projected to reach $14.8bn by 2029. But despite its obvious benefits, implementing BIM is not without its challenges – and surveyors, in particular, have a key role to play. High-quality geospatial data plays an integral role in ensuring these detailed digital models match up with real-world conditions. Without this data, the model simply will not work.

Needless to say, delivering this kind of data for BIM is a complex process. To see success, surveyors need to leverage the most powerful tools in their arsenal – including field software that can integrate seamlessly with BIM models.

In this post, we’ll look at how Trimble Access can help surveyors implement the BIM methodology. We’ll look at its key features and show how it can contribute to your BIM processes both in the field and back in the office.

First, let’s take a closer look at how BIM works and outline some of its far-reaching benefits.

In essence, BIM is a digitally driven leap forward in the way buildings are designed, constructed and maintained. Traditionally, this process involved using 2D drawings or 3D CAD models to capture key information about the building, from its physical structure and layout to the materials and systems used.

However, these models were generally static, simplified renderings. They could not capture the full range of data relevant to the building project, nor could they be easily updated and shared across different teams. This made collaboration more difficult and led to a number of risks, including design clashes, cost overruns, delays, and errors during construction.

BIM takes advantage of major technological developments over the past two decades – from improvements in cloud storage to advancements in data processing and visualisation – to overcome these limitations. BIM allows all stakeholders to collaborate on a single, unified 3D model of the building. This model doesn’t just include visual and location data – it can incorporate a full range of project data, covering everything from material specifications and costs to energy performance and maintenance schedules.

Most importantly, this data can be updated and shared in real time. That means that BIM is a full lifecycle solution for building management. It provides an endlessly evolving model that can be continuously updated from the initial project brief right through to the demolition and decommissioning of a building, decades later.

The transformative impact of BIM is clear – but what role do surveyors play in delivering its substantial benefits?

The answer is a fundamental one. That’s because these digital models are only effective if they accurately match the real world. No matter how sophisticated your BIM model is, no matter how much data you have integrated across your project, it’s all for nothing if it doesn’t actually correspond to the physical building.

And this is where the surveyor comes in. Surveyors are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between the digital and physical world. Armed with total stations, GNSS receivers and laser scanners, surveyors gather the precise measurements and real-world data that ensure the BIM model is more than just a theoretical concept – it’s a practical blueprint that can be used to guide construction and maintenance with confidence.

 

In practice, surveyors contribute to BIM processes by:

• Capturing precise site data, including terrain, vegetation and existing structures, to create accurate base models for BIM projects.
• Integrating survey data into the BIM model to ensure accurate representation of the physical site.
• Validating the BIM model by comparing it to real-world measurements and identifying discrepancies.
• Performing stakeouts to accurately mark out building elements and ensure they align with the design.
• Conducting as-built surveys to capture the final constructed conditions and update the BIM model for future reference.

Given their pivotal place in the BIM process, it’s essential that surveyors are able to deliver accurate geospatial and location data at pace. Considering the complexity of most modern construction projects, that means you need powerful tools on hand to collect, analyse, and integrate your data. And this is where powerful field software like Trimble Access comes in.

Trimble Access is Trimble’s powerful, versatile and user-friendly field software, which powers their extensive range of data collectors and field controllers.

As we’ve explained in a previous post, for surveyors data collectors are the most versatile device in the field. They help you to gather, process and analyse your survey data right there on site. Whether you’re conducting a survey using GNSS, a total station or a laser scanner – or a combination of the three! – a data collector is the perfect partner to keep your data in order.

Trimble Access unlocks the full potential of your Trimble data collector with a range of important features, including:

• Real-time data processing and analysis. Access offers a powerful and intuitive way to process survey data on the fly, so you can get instant insights and perform quality control right there on site.
• Seamless access to project files. With Trimble Access on your data controller, you can retrieve and utilise design files, BIM models, and other relevant documents directly in the field.
• Automated workflows. Whatever surveying tasks are on your slate, from topographic surveys to stakeouts and monitoring, Access offers a range of customisable routines and templates to help make your surveying process as efficient as possible.
• Data integration. Access seamlessly connects with office software like Trimble Business Centre for efficient data sharing and collaboration between field and office.

Needless to say, Trimble Access can have an enormous impact on your surveying workflow. It can help you to streamline data collection and processing, improve accuracy and efficiency, and collaborate more effectively with your team, both in the field and back in the office.

But how do Trimble Access’s powerful capabilities translate into tangible benefits for surveyors working with BIM?

As we’ve established above, surveyors are the key link between BIM’s digital model and the tangible reality on the ground. This is a significant responsibility – and it’s not without its challenges. It means producing reliable, accurate location data that can be quickly and effectively integrated with your BIM models.

Here’s how Trimble Access can help you deliver the kind of results you need for your BIM projects:

• Visualise and interact with BIM models in the field. Trimble Access enables you to work directly with your BIM model on your data controller. That means you can clearly see how the design translates to the real world conditions on the ground.
• Conduct precise and simplified stakeouts. Trimble Access simplifies the stakeout process by allowing you to select points, lines, or surfaces directly from the BIM model and be guided to their precise real-world locations. This makes it easy to verify if the physical structure aligns with the digital design.
• Perform effortless as-built capture. Trimble Access makes it easy to capture as-built data and compare it with the original BIM model. As a result, you can identify discrepancies efficiently and communicate them to other stakeholders.
• Streamline your data capture and integration. Trimble Access directly connects with your surveying instruments, automatically capturing field data and eliminating manual entry errors. This ensures the BIM model is consistently updated with accurate positioning data and as-built information.
• Enable real-time collaboration. Trimble Access seamlessly syncs with Trimble Connect, Trimble’s cloud-based data sharing platform. This provides instant access to the latest BIM model data and allows surveyors to share their field data in real time.

As you can see, Trimble Access can have a major impact on the way surveyors work with BIM. Let’s explore how you can get the most out of Trimble Access and ensure it delivers significant benefits for your BIM processes.

 

Trimble Access is a powerful tool – but like any tool, its effectiveness depends on how well it’s used. Here are some tips to help you ensure that you’re getting the full benefits from Trimble Access in BIM projects:

• Embrace training and resources. Trimble offers comprehensive training resources, including tutorials, webinars, and certifications, to help your team master Trimble Access and its BIM capabilities. Invest in training to ensure you and your team are equipped to use the software to its full potential.
• Utilise templates and routines. Trimble Access offers a range of templates and routines for common surveying tasks. By taking advantage of these, you can automate the most repetitive processes and make your time in the field more productive.
• Customise your workflows. You don’t just need to rely on the existing routines – Access is also highly customisable, allowing you to tailor workflows to your specific project needs. Take advantage of this flexibility to streamline your field-based work and improve your overall efficiency.
• Integrate with other Trimble software. For BIM, collaboration is key. Explore how Access integrates with office software like Trimble Business Centre to enable seamless data sharing between field and office teams. Trimble also enables cloud-based data sharing through Trimble Connect and an integrated set of model construction programs Trimble Tekla. By drawing on the combined power of these programs, you can radically improve the efficiency and productivity of your BIM processes.
• Explore advanced features. More powerful data controllers such as the Trimble TSC7 can take advantage of Access’s advanced features like clash detection and point cloud visualisation.
• Stay up to date. Trimble Access is regularly updated to incorporate new features and improvements. Access 2024, for instance, introduced a range of new benefits for BIM, including simpler and more user-friendly ways to interact with and modify your BIM models.

By following these tips, you can ensure that Trimble Access is a major asset for your BIM processes. You’ll be well-placed to ensure your digital models are based on high-quality positioning data and the physical construction precisely mirrors the design.

If you’d like help to ensure that you’re working with the latest version of Trimble Access, or you’d like advice on which other Trimble software is right for you, get in touch today for tailored advice from our expert team.

 

BIM emerged as a way to transform building projects into data-driven, digital-first endeavours. It has already had an enormous impact on the way Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) professionals work – and surveyors have had a significant role to play in making it a reality. By using surveying tools like data collectors alongside flexible and powerful software solutions like Trimble Access, surveyors have been able to ensure that digital model and physical reality are perfectly matched.

Here at SEP, our team of experts have been at the forefront of developments in BIM over the past two decades. We’ve helped provide our clients with the technical expertise and surveying tools they need to meet the demands of BIM – and we’re proud to say that, in many cases, these have developed into ongoing relationships.

For instance, after we helped out on a smart motorway project in early 2022, we were able to build a lasting relationship with the client. They’ve reached out “hundreds of times” for help with on-site and office-based queries in the subsequent years – including assisting with BIM models.

Meanwhile, another client required specific support with aligning their BIM model with on-site conditions, given the complex slabs involved. We were able to help them navigate the “stake to surface” function and even developed a custom PDF exporter for their as-built slabs. This new workflow was a “game-changer”, in their words, and one they plan to use again in future.

Finally, our collaboration with Plymouth-based surveying and reality capture firm 4D Surveying has gone from strength to strength. We’ve delivered “swift and efficient response to technical support queries, whether in or out-of-hours” and become “an essential partner for our surveying needs” and we’d like to thank 4D Surveying for giving us the chance to work on a range of fascinating projects – we hope our collaboration continues long into the future!

If you want to find out more about how we can support your BIM project, or if you need technical support for any of your surveying projects, get in touch today. Our team of experts will be happy to discuss your requirements and offer tailored solutions.