SEI OC - Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM) & Visualization

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Pizza will be served

SEI OC – Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM) & Visualization: Opportunities, Tools & Examples

Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been a crucial process in building planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance over the past few decades. While the vertical construction industry has seen long-term development and implementation of parametric modeling, the use of this type of modeling in the transportation / horizontal construction industry has only recently experienced massive adoption. The use of software like AutoCAD Civil3D is now heavily used (and often mandated) by agencies throughout California and other states. Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM) is now undergoing a massive revolution, and its adoption and use can often be daunting with so many options to choose from. The common goal of BrIM is for owners, consultants, contractors, and other project stakeholders to realize improved efficiencies and better communication through the use of a single model to design, analyze, draft, visualization, and manage bridge structures and other transportation structure assets.

For this SEI OC event, Eric Pheifer and Zac Dietrich (Biggs Cardosa Associates, Inc.) will discuss the various Autodesk and Bentley tools available for BrIM, their capabilities and limitations, and examples of their use on recent projects. They will discuss workflows with respect to the software packages, including developing contract documents using the parametric models, and exporting those models for use in renderings, photosimulations, animations, interactive web-based 3D models, and the emergence of video game engines for use in project visualization.

Eric Pheifer, PE | Biggs Cardosa Associates

Eric received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Master of Science in Structural Engineering from Tufts University. He has a variety of experience in the design of bridge structures, including railroad, roadway, and pedestrian bridges. Eric’s experience also includes design and analysis of specialized structures, including design of arch bridges, movable bridges, truss bridges, and bridges constructed using Accelerated Bridge Construction techniques. Along with management and design responsibilities, Eric developed and is responsible for the production of Biggs Cardosa’s in-house visualization group that produces renderings, photosimulations, animations, and interactive content. These accurate three-dimensional visualizations are used to communicate the engineering, safety, and aesthetic implications of a project to the stakeholders, and to assess and mitigate any potential conflicts prior to construction.

Zac Dietrich, PE | Biggs Cardosa Associates

Zac received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Master of Science in Civil Engineering (Structural Emphasis) from Iowa State University. Prior to joining Biggs Cardosa as a structural engineer, Zac worked for a civil engineering firm where he utilized programs like AutoCAD Civil 3D, Microstation (Geopak), and GIS (ArcMap). His experience with these civil engineering programs led him to explore new modeling, design, and analysis platforms in the structural engineering field. Along with the typical responsibilities of a structural engineer, Zac has been a key driver in the development of Biggs Cardosa’s BrIM capabilities, and has delivered projects for local and state agencies using Autodesk products like Infraworks and Revit, and Bentley products like OpenBridge.