What is the BuildingSmart IDS standard?

The BuildingSmart International open IDS-standard (Information Delivery Specification) can be non-officially translated Specification for the Delivery of Information content. Technically, it is close to the EIR/PIR (Employer Information Requirements/Project Information Requirements) definitions of the ISO-19650 standard series. The idea has been to develop an open way for the project initiator or building owner or authority to communicate the BIM model content requirements to the design software and also to check that they have been met.

How does Archicad work with IDS files?

In Archicad (28 and later), IDS definitions can be used to import property sets (Pset) defined for different parts of the model (e.g. windows, walls, project, etc.) and classifications, and can even be used to create IFC translator pre-definitions (which are parts of the translator). The IDS file can thus be used to add on the fly to an Archicad project or template the data fields required by a client or, for example, a regulatory authority.

Since the built-in template supplied with Archicad (the settings are inherited for new projects from the template) provides a wide range of IFC translators optimised for different parties, creating your own optimiced translators is quick and efficient. From Archicad's point of view, an IDS file can even be described as a "template" distributed by a project owner, construction company or authority, which makes it efficient for the designer to fill in or take into account the data fields, classifications, translator settings, etc. that needs to be filled to his designs.

How do the BuildingSmart standards relate to each other?

BuildingSmart standards include for example IFC, IDS, bsDD and BCF.

• IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) is a data structure according to ISO 16739 that defines typical building elements (= types) and their hierarchies and structure. Prior to IFC 4.3, these described mainly elements of building (house parts) construction, and with 4.3, alignments, bridges, viaducts, piers and other infrastructure construction definitions were added. This version will be a long-term plateau in the development of the standard, and the next steps in the standard will be defined as an interoperable structure (IFC5).
• IDS is a way of applying the above in the form of a content definition. This can be used as a "shopping and/or checklist for an authority or owner".
• bsDD (BuildingSmart Data Dictionary) is a data dictionary - a service that defines data structures for a particular application. For example, it can be a data compatibility definition for a national actor, product manufacturer or other stakeholder. The purpose is therefore to complement the basic level of the IFC standard in a way that supports interoperability. The libraries distributed in bsDD format are defined by a wide variety of parties - BuildingSMART itself, software and product manufacturers, national standards organisations and so on.
• BCF (BIM Collaboration Format) is typically a file-formatted message linking to the BIM model content, a bit like the Archicad Teamwork message, but between different softwares. Concept of "BCF" was invented in Finland. In addition to the file format, it can also work dynamically between different software/participants via a (BCF) server connection. In this way it acts as a control and communication tool between the different actors in the process.

All of the above have new potential applications in the upcoming IFC5 era, which has already started. In this context, information will be more granular (i.e. in smaller, defined subsets) and different parties will need to be able to use or enrich the 'parts of the same built element instance' simultaneously. This requires a server in the cloud (CDE - Common data environment) that can manage the simultaneous and collaborative processing of data, processes and the needs of users and different stages. This makes processes more efficient and improves the content and quality of outputs.

The future and status quo

Currently, from the point of view of the content of the design work, these standards can be seen as a connected triangle, where IFC is the "standard/minimum" of the design, IDS the requirements of the other parties and bsDD the additions of the suppliers or standard bodies. At present, however, most software do not yet support IDS and bsDD standards. It will be interesting to see how the issue moves forward with the ISO product information standards and the EU Digital product passport project - or if it does. Both IDS and bsDD content can be distributed as "cloud-based library servers", where they are dynamically read by the parties involved. This would be an elegant way to distribute data model requirements, and information contents, the linked data would always remain up-to-date, and it would be easy to filter only the data that is needed at any given time.

Commercial solutions available

Many of the issues defined by BuildingSmart can be handled by API-interfaces between software, either in a closed system or in a partially open system. An example of such an implementation is the Cobuilder-Archicad extension implemented by Nordic BIM Group, which enables similar functionality to IDS, bringing the requirements directly to the Archicad user from the database. The idea behind the IFC5 standard version of BuildingSMART is to move from file-based communication to such direct interface (API's) links or extensions between actors, on the cloud. Add-Ons are the best, most agile solution when both parties need to solve a common problem, taking into account both needs and responsibilities, without slow and in many ways error-prone file access.

If you represent a party that needs a solution to a collaboration, data sharing or standardisation challenge, please contact us. Nordic BIM Group's application development team has been solving and helping a wide range of clients improve various processes and develop solutions for years.