A Study on the Interoperability between 2D Drawings and BIM-Based 3D Drawings

doi:10.4236/jss.2013.15003

Paper Menu >>

Journal Menu >>

Open Journal of Social Sciences

2013. Vol.1, No.5, 10-14

Published Online October 2013 in SciRes (http://www.scirp.org/journal/jss) http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jss.2013.15003

Open Access

A Study on the Interoperability between 2D Drawings

and BIM-Based 3D Drawings

Myoung Bae Seo, Ki B eom Ju

ICT Convergence and Integration Research Division,

Korea Institute of Construction Technology, Goyang-Si, Republic of Korea

Email: [email protected], kbju@kict.re.kr

Received September 2013

While it is expected that the introduction of BIM, which recently emerged as a new paradigm in the con-

struction industry, will bring about various effects, 2D-based products cannot be easily substituted with

BIM. As such, the 2D and 3D works that designers and contractors have to perform at the same time will

lead to increased construction costs and tasks. To minimize the overlapping of BMI and 2D drawings so

as to reduce the construction costs, this study surveyed the products list based on electronic design draw-

ings and on the existing supply guidelines in South Korea, and examined the 2D-based products among

them that can be substituted with BIM models if the existing electronic supply system is changed to a

BIM ordering system. Based on the results of the survey, this article proposes a BIM-based product sup-

ply and future development plan at the current time, when 2D and 3D drawings coexist. It is expected that

the results of this article will be used as reference data for considering the interrelation of a BIM-based

product supply system to 2D drawings as well as the existence of alternative drawings.

Keywords: BIM; Standard; Civil Engineering; Drawing; Product

Introduction

BIM, which has emerged as a hot issue in the construction

industry, is a new technique with which to manage various

products that are currently managed as 2D in existing construc -

tion projects in 3D, and can be used in interception reviews,

energy analyses, constructability reviews, process control, cost

management, and facilities maintenance control, among others.

Construction and various other licensing processes, however,

still use 2D-based products and the related guidelines required

for the submission of 2D-based products, for which reason

designers and contractors have to perform 2D and 3D works at

the same time, leading to increased construction cost and tasks.

While this is the first matter that needs to be addressed to pro-

mote BIM, due to the domestic circumstances, 2D and 3D BIM

products have to coexist until BIM is established.

Therefore, this study surveyed the existing products list

based on electronic design drawings and the existing supply

guidelines in South Korea, and examined the 2D-based prod-

ucts among them that can be substituted with BIM models if the

existing electronic supply system is changed to a BIM ordering

system. Based on the results of the survey, this article proposes

a BIM-based product supply and future development plan at the

current time, when 2D and 3D drawings coexist.

Review of Previous Researches

The review of the previous researches, as part of the survey

of the interoperability of BIM models and 2D drawings for road

construction projects, focused on the researches on the 2D

drawing information standards, BIM-ordering-system-based

drawing supply plans, and BIM-based drawing methods. Kwon

et al. (2008) proposed a direction for standardization, such as

basic categorization systems for drawing elements and BIM

objects for using 2D drawings, by producing drawing types

through the analysis of the CALS/EC drawing categorization

system and actual drawing cases. Seong et al. (2009) pointed

out the necessity of substituting 2D drawings in the transitional

period with BIM by researching on 2D drawing extraction from

BIM models based on the consideration of the existing 2D

electronic drawing standards and a method of extracting 2D

electronic drawings from a BIM model, using templates. O h et a l.

(2013) proposed the scope and expression standards of struc-

tural drawings by design stage based on a research on BIM-

based structural drawing standards. Chae et al. (2011) analyzed

the problems of drawing expressions and completion techniques

using the BIM system based on domestic and foreign design

firms’ final projects, and described various issues and im-

provement plans in relation to the implementation of BIM

drawing methods that extract drawings from 3D models, break-

ing away from the existing method of extracting 2D drawings.

The review showed that while the past researches examined

various problems and improvement plans for the coexistence of

2D and 3D drawings due to the implementation of BIM, the

primary focus was on showing the necessity of establishing

standards and guidelines and of revising the drawing categori-

zation system. What was lacking in the previous researches,

however, was an examination of the process of recycling 2D

drawings from BIM. This therefore shows that the research on

the interoperability of BIM models and 2D drawings, which is

presented in this article, is time ly and crucial.

Current Status of the 2D-Based Electronic

Drawing Creation and Supply System

To survey the extraction of 2D drawings using a BIM model

M. B. SEO, K. B. JU

Open Access

and whether those drawings can substitute for the existing

drawings, it is necessary to examine the existing roadwork

product supply and drawing system. As such, this article sur-

veys the current status of the 2D-based product supply system

of the Ministry of Land and Transportation, which is currently

conducting a large-scale nat ional SOC civil engineering project

[Ministry of Land, Transport, and Maritime Affairs (2012)].

This guideline presents 20 products, including the master in-

formation, design reports, and structural calculation reports, and

the owner also describes the design and completion drawings

and task orders as well as the products on the contract docu-

ments so that the contractor can submit these documents as part

of the electronic supply products. In the products list, it is the

drawings that are expected to see the most frequent changes

when the BIM supply system is implemented. As shown in

Table 1, the roadwork products under the electronic design

drawing creation and supply guidelines are supplied by 11 pri-

mary categories (general connection, common use, earthwork,

slope safety work, structural work, etc.), 40 secondary catego-

ries (general connection plan, sitemap, etc.), and 83 subcatego-

ries. As the types of drawings supplied difference based on the

types and characteristics of the river and road construction pro-

jects, not all of the 83 subcategories are supplied, and in some

cases, some drawings may not be included in the supply list.

Interoperability of 2D and 3D Drawin gs

Overview

To examine the possibility of substituting the 2D drawings

when creating BIM-based drawings, the article selected as its

target zone the Okdong-Nongso zone, in which the enforcement

plan is to be completed by the Regional Construction and

Management Office under the Ministry of Land and Transpor-

tation. This 4.73-km-long zone has a total of nine structures,

including six bridges, two tunnels, and one underground road,

making it optimal for testing. Based on the supplied 2D draw-

ing, the article conducted 3D modeling using Civil 3D for the

lines, and BIM-related S/W for the Revit structures, and exam-

ined the alternative for the existing 2D drawings based on the

list of roadworks among the civil engineering drawing list from

the electronic design drawing creation and supply guidelines of

the Ministry of Land, Transport, and Maritime Affairs. Shown

in Figure 1 is the modeling result of the Okdong-Nongso zone

with Civil 3D tools.

Review of Drawing Interoperability

Based on the 3D modeling of the Okdong-Nongso zone, the

article surveyed the applicability of the 2D drawing. Due to the

importance of acquiring objectivity, the article selected those

who have five or more years of experience in BIM-related S/W

and who have supplied BIM products in the past, and asked

them to con duct model ing an d ap plicab ility revie w. In the review,

the results were divided into four items based on the relation of

the product and the task difficulty. The items deemed inappli-

cable were categorized as negative while those deemed highly

applicable were categorized as positive. Shown in Table 2 are

the detailed results.

Shown in Table 3 is an example of a review of the applica-

bility of some parts of the drawing that was supplied as the

standard cross-section. Consisting of a total of five drawing

items, the shown drawing is divided into the fill-up part and

Table 1.

Four-point criteria for reviewing the applicability of a BIM product’s

2D drawings.

Main

Category

Mid-Level Category

Primary Secondary

C: Civil

Engineering

000: General

Connection

01: General connection pla n

02: General connection map

001: Common work

01: General

02: Standard plan

03: Coordinates map

04: Nose (details)

99: Others

002: Earthw ork

01: Main line

10: IC or JCT*

20: Business office*

30: Rest area*

40: National road*

50: Access road*

90: Mass cur ve road

99: Others

003: Slope safety work 01: Slope safety facilities

99: Others

004: Draina ge

01: Drainage plan

02: Drainage structure

90: Drainage standard plan

99: Others

005: Structural work

01: Common issues

02: Bridge name*

90: Retaining wall

99: Others

006: Tunnel work

01: Common issues

02: Tunnel name*

99: Others

007: Paving w ork

01: Paving plan

02: Bridge connection

99: Others

008: Transportation

safety facilities work

01: Transportation safety facilities

99: Other drawings

009: Amenities work

01: Amenities

90: Amenit i es work standard plan

99: Others

010: Site work

01: Land for incorporation

02: Obstacles

99: Others

099: Other works 99: Ot hers

Note: *Extensible Code.

M. B. SEO, K. B. JU

Open Access

Figure 1.

Linear modeling using Civil 3D.

Table 2.

Drawing list of electronic design document creation and supply guideline (road and river) of ministry of land, transport, and maritim e affairs.

Applicability 4-Point Score Related No.

No relation to BIM Impossible 1

While some forms can be used, they are closer t o the existing 2D work s. Negative 2

While they can be used for drawing, they require work in various stages. Weak positive 3

2D extract i on or measurement work is possible after the accomplishment of rel atively simple tasks. Positive 4

details A, B, C, and D. Among the details, detail A is not re-

lated to BIM while details B, C, and D are considered closer to

the existing 2D works. The fill-up drawing on the top, however,

can be used for drawing while requiring tasks in various stages.

Based on this, the results showed four negative items and one

positive item.

As such, the article analyzed the applicability of 2D drawings

based on the BIM model, which showed that 88 of the 3767

drawing items (2%) allow 2D extraction and measurement

work using BIM drawings after the accomplishment of rela-

tively simple tasks, and 2.461 items (65%), while applicable,

require tasks in various steps. When the 2D drawing applicabil-

ity of all t he items with we ak-positive scores based on the BIM

products were summed up, 67.67% of all the drawings were

shown to be used as alternatives after several task steps (Figure

2).

The analysis of the applicability of drawings by category

showed that general connection, earthwork, and amenities work

had over 95% applicability, making it easy to extract 2D draw-

ings of them from the BIM model, whereas structural work had

72% applicability and paving work had 34% - 35% applicabil-

ity. Common work, slope safety work, and drainage work,

however, showed very low applicability (Figure 3).

Results

This study examined how many 2D drawings can be extracted

from BIM drawings considering the current condition in South

Korea, where the number of BIM orders is increasing, resulting

in the coexistence of 2D and 3D drawings. The study results

M. B. SEO, K. B. JU

Open Access

Table 3.

Example of t he standard cross-section.

Drawing: Sta ndard Pla n/Standar d Cross-Se ct ion (1) Related No. Check (Quantities)

1 1

2 3

3 1

4 0

Total 5

Figure 2.

Number of drawing items by category.

Figure 3.

Applicability review results by drawing category.

showed that only 2% of the drawings can be used immediately.

After several work steps, about 67% of the drawings extracted

from BIM can be further used. This figure, however, includes

items with weak-positive scores and may lead to a higher error

rate depending on the project characteristics or type. What is

important is that 1218 of the 3767 drawing items (33%) in this

study were found not to have any relation to BIM and to neces-

sitate 2D work. This means that in constructing a BIM-based

product supply system, alternative drawings should be used, or

if alternatives are not available, these drawings should be de-

leted or the existing 2D drawings should continue to be re-

ceived. Furthermore, BIM modelers should keep this in mind

and should extract 2D drawings using the BIM model so that no

overlapping work will occur.

In addition, as it was shown by the survey results, it is be-

lieved that earthwork, structural work, or amenities work will

allow the extraction of 2D drawings, and thus, to minimize the

double work of designers and to make drawing management

effective, the overlapping drawing items in the order documents

or guidelines should be simplified or omitted. If the simplifica-

tion or omission of the existing 2D drawings is difficult, it is

better to extract 2D drawings from the BIM model. To do this,

the information required for 2D drawings should be included in

the BIM object data. The more the BIM object data are, the

higher the probability of having alternatives to the 2D drawings

and related products, but those who perform BIM modeling

will feel greater pressure. Therefore, rather than complete sub-

stitution, the role of both drawings should be established con-

sidering efficie ncy .

Conclusion

This study surveyed the extent to which the existing drawing

products should be substituted based on the BIM model, and

proposed a future development direction for the BIM product

supply system for road construction projects. Based on BIM-

based products, various documents, like 2D drawings, quantity

reports, and statements, can be extracted, making it ideal to

have all the products substituted using the BIM model. Consid-

ering the current conditions in South Korea, however, it has

been determined that it would be reasonable to maintain the

current system while using BIM products as references. Based

on the BIM model, 2D drawings for earthwork, structural work,

and amenities work are possible, and as such, to prevent task

overlapping, the related guidelines should clearly state the me-

thod or the target products so that the existing 2D drawings can

be extracted from the BIM model. It is believed that the results

of this study can be used as reference data for reviewing the

interrelation and applicability of alternatives to 2D drawings

when creating the BIM-based product supply system in the

M. B. SEO, K. B. JU

Open Access

future.

Acknowledgements

This study was conducted as part of the key projects (13 key

tasks) of the Development of Infra BIM Standard and Verifica-

tion Technology, KICT (Korea Institute of Construction Tech-

nology).

REFERENCES

Chae, K. S., & Lee, G. (2011). A study on the problems of and meas-

urements needed for improving the representations and drawing me-

thods of architectural drawings by adopting BIM. Proceedings of

Architectural Institute of Korea, Planning, 27, 67-74.

Kwon, O. C., & Jo, C. W. (2008). A study on the improvement of 2D

digital drawing standards considering the paradigm shift to BIM.

Proceedings of Architectural Institute of Korea, Planning, 24, 49-57.

Ministry of Land, Transport, and Maritime Affairs (2012). Electronic

design document creation and supply guideline (road and river).

South Korea: MLTM Press.

Oh, H. O., Jung, J. H., & Lee, J. C. (2013). A guideline for structural

drawings based on BIM. Proceedings of Architectural Institute of

Korea, Structure, 29, 39-46.

Seong, J. H., Chae, K. S., Choi, J. C., & Kim, K. C. (2009). A study on

extracting 2D drawings from the BIM model consid ering the Korean

standard for CAD drawings. In Conference Proceedings of Compu-

tational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea (pp. 573-577).

South Korea: Computational Structural Engineering Institute Press.