Technology has advanced tremendously, and everything has gone digital today. Over the past few years, the terms digital twin and BIM (Building Information Modelling) have gained popularity across several industries. A digital twin is defined as the replica of any physical asset in digital format. BIM is the management of the digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a facility. Digital twin gives the digital footprint of the desired product/asset from the drawing board stage through the deployment phase and the BIM model helps managers and technicians in a facility to view the hidden assets in 3D augmented view.
Though BIM and digital twin technology are built solely for increasing efficiency, easy maintenance, and asset visibility, they both are unique in their ways.
What is a digital twin and how does it work?
Digital Twin mainly applies to a digital replica of physical assets, processes, and systems such as buildings, automobiles, aerospace manufacturing, healthcare, and more. In a nutshell, a digital twin is a computer program that uses real-world data to create simulations to help predict future outcomes. enhance the output, the Digital twin integrates with the internet of things (Industry 4.0), artificial intelligence, and software analytics.
All the information collected is integrated with AI algorithms to form a virtual model-digital twin. And in the building context, a digital twin not only generates a 3D replica of merely the building but also all assets installed within, the current data against each asset – regular asset information, live data from the sensors, list of open calls, list of open work orders & their history, etc. are displayed. Users can also navigate through the digital twin sitting in front of a computer.
What is BIM and how does it work?
The BIM model is a digital twin of a facility. This model contains three-dimensional geometric content and is also supplemented with necessary relevant information. BIM applies all the related information to the tangible aspects of a building. Layers of the building i.e. mechanical, electrical, plumbing, infrastructure, architecture, and more are arranged in an order to form this BIM model.
BIM model helps in 3D visualization of how exactly the building would look in reality and even helps conduct a walk-through/navigate throughout the building sitting anywhere in the world. Hence BIM consists of every sub-part of the building/facility and it helps the managers, and engineers with all the necessary information making it easily accessible and understood.
Digital Twin vs BIM
| DIGITAL TWIN | BIM |
|---|---|
| Has wide scope and is used for various purposes apart from building management | Solely used to manage a facility/edifice/building |
| Expensive | Comparatively cheaper than Digital Twin |
| It is descriptive | It is perspective |
| Focus on people and their behavioral patterns | Focuses on buildings and tools |
| Reports and analyses the performance of the asset | The performance of the asset can be seen and identified |
| All the details can be viewed and necessary changes can be made using Digital Twin | All the details of the asset can only be questioned and viewed |
Choosing the right solution for your facility/building/commercial place, and more is always necessary and important. BIM is the key data input required for any Digital Twin. Digital Twin is expensive and unwieldy for any facility/building, facility managers & technicians. BIM is cost-effective and perfectly suitable for any facility/building. But the problem that arises here is, that it is hard to maintain many application/software systems for various purposes, and at the same time you can’t take the risk of choosing anything, so we at eFACiLiTY® provide you with Integrated workplace management & facility management with BIM integration. It ensures that all the required modules are covered in one place.
BIM integration with eFACiLiTY® will put things in perspective for your facilities managers & technicians in a 3D model visual format with hidden assets, that helps them make clear decisions on various aspects of buildings lifecycle, such as maintenance, space use, floor planning, and more.
With eFACiLiTY® facility managers can easily integrate their facility’s BIM models with the installed BMS/Sensors/IoT devices etc. to create an advanced digital twin. eFACiLiTY® IWMS/CAFM plays a key role in transforming BIM data to Digital Twin helping manage critical, large, and complex buildings effortlessly.
