BCF (BIM Collaboration Format) in AECOSIM

Is there a plan to make BCF exchange available in AECOSIM? It delivers largely the same functionality as Navigator does, but of course its cross platform so would facilitate work flows outside as well as inside platform. Its available in plug-in form for both the other major platforms Revit and ArchiCAD. In the UK where AECOSIM has a very small active user base we have to work with other software, there often simply the possibility of putting a single platform team together.

I'd be interested to hear others views on this.

  • Vectorworks, Tekla, DDS_CAD, Solbri, Navis also supports BCF's. It would make sense to provide a tool for Mstn / Navigator.

    I suppose that ProjectWise should suppport it at some point as well, along the lines of the way some Revit plugins keep a central list of 'BCF's communiques.

    Mstn/Navigator's use of a dgn as a container to store SV's of 'issues' could be extended to speak BCF. I suspect that this will still be the preferred route between Mstn users.

    Maybe the existing redlining tool could have a button that exports the 'issue' as a BCF. Another to convert all or a selection to BCF.

    The IFC exporter should have the option to convert the Navigator 'issues' SV's to BCF on export, and vice versa on import.

    BCF is pretty simple. Bentley has other sophisticated tools that could do with mainstreaming. I am thinking of things like Design Sync. Sending some 'rendezvous' invites via email is good, but the next step would be synching the changes to something like Navigator and sharing screens (Bentley also has this functionality in place for its LEARN services)... and recording the results as a 'fork' that can be rolled back using Design History / ISM. See also OnShape's microversions.

    PS: I believe BCF includes GUID's for the 'issue' elements in the zip. At some point, some one will ask for a way to index 'issues' in the parameter or attribute information associated with those elements. This raises the issue of GUID management across different authoring systems. I understand that IFC is not very good at this. Not sure how i-models handle this. If a wall is exported to an i-model, will it have the same GUID on the next export?

  • BCF Managers, BIMcollab plug-ins for all major BIM tools.
    Revit, Archicad, TEKLA, Vectorworks, DDS-CAD, MagiCAD, Navisworks, Solibri, ...
    Guess who's missing.
  • I have posted a request for this format in May 2015 to our local Bentley service. So far no reply other than asking whether this was still relevant this year. It would still facilitate my work.
    Although I would like to have its functionality in AECOsim the format itself is so basic that it could even be introduced to vanilla Microstation so that even Bentley's other building products might benefit from it. From browsing one of the BCF files in our office I could not find anything that could be considered AEC specific concerning the viewing software's capabilities.
  • I requested BCF support 3 years ago and, the response was "whats wrong with IFC?". I'll leave it to the more enlightened individuals amongst us to point out whats wrong with that reply. The same question was asked this year on the forum. Here's the response from Bentley:

    communities.bentley.com/.../123302

    Given that 3D coordination makes up roughly 50% of the design process and with the prevalence of Solibri and Navisworks, dismissing interoperability in this arena while suggesting Navigator Connect as the solution, (or worse, i-models) is nothing less than corporate suicide. Here it is from the horses mouth:

    www.bimplus.co.uk/.../what-bi4m-means-soft4ware-prov8ider

    On a more positive note, if you are looking to incorporate modern methods of design coordination within a BIM environment and have BCF as the mechanism for interoperability, there are many options. Basic workflows + free: Tekla BIMsight. Powerful BIM L2 capable solution: Solibri + BIMcollab / BIMTrack. Lets not get started on BIM authoring tools...

  • We are reviewing the BCF question.

    It would be helpful if those of you who are interested in this feature could file Service Requests that:

    1. confirm your interest.
    2. describe how you would like to use BCF and what features you would expect

    Please ask for the SR to be linked to enhancement 624943.

    Marc