Designing in 2D is expensive

Designing using 2D technologies, such as Autocad, ZW-CAD, NANO-CAD, etc., is more expensive, because modern BIM design technologies allow you to work much faster, saving time. Time, on the other hand, is money.

Recently, the myth that working with BIM technologies is more time-consuming than working with conventional methods has been quite common. Going deeper, we come to the conclusion that such a myth is circulating among those who work in 2D and do not fully understand the possibilities of modern 3D (BIM) technologies. In short, the myth does not correspond to the truth.

This situation is not new. Relatively recently, designers moved from pencil drawing to computer graphics, known as 2D technologies. And then, as now, designers defended their ability to quickly draw by hand, claiming that it was faster and that computer graphics were time-consuming. To some extent, you can already agree that you can draw faster by hand, but the advantages of computer graphics to create layers, copies, changes and corrections make the process significantly more efficient. The same is happening now, when there is a transition from traditional 2D technologies to modern 3D (BIM) tools.

The main difference between traditional 2D and modern 3D (BIM) technology is that drawing a line takes the same amount of time as an engineer, but a line in 2D is just a line. The best an engineer can get from a line is its length and the layer it belongs to. When drawing a line in 3D (BIM) software, the line is not a line, but a specific building element with its own characteristics, cross-section and volume, which the program allows to generate drawings (plan, section, assembly, etc.), display dimensions and automatically remove volumes. In addition, often the engineer does not need to draw lines at all, because the building frame can be imported from calculation software, from which the 3D (BIM) tool obtains the corresponding profiles and cross-sections of building element calculations.If we compare with the usual 2D working environment, it can be seen that, although in terms of engineer’s working hours, one line in 2D costs as much as one line in 3D, in a 3D (BIM) environment, the value of this “one line” is incomparably higher.

Another major benefit of 3D (BIM) technology is change. If it is necessary to make changes to the model, for example, you need to move a couple of columns, then drawings, specifications and marks for the places of changes are generated automatically. With traditional tools, the engineer must do this manually, often with risks of error. This, in turn, creates additional costs – both manual changes, inspections, and sometimes also error prevention already at the construction stage, which in terms of costs can reach quite large amounts.

Considering the fact that today’s 3D (BIM) technology developers pay a lot of attention to the user interface, the tools themselves are easier to use, allowing the engineer to work more conveniently, faster and safer.

Of course, technology is not free, but 3D tools are also becoming more affordable in terms of cost. For example, the most popular 3D (BIM) program among engineers in Latvia – Tekla Structures – will cost you only 175 EUR per month, or +1 EUR/h for an engineering lesson. Learning this tool will not be expensive either, as co-financing from EU funds is available and the cost of 3-day training is from 162 EUR, depending on the amount of co-financing available to the company.

If you are still not sure, we invite you to watch the recording of the seminar. One must be aware of one’s time as a value, use professional and modern tools.

And yes, designing in 2D is expensive.