23 Jul 2024

A/E/C Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Standard: Release 6.2

Abstract: The A/E/C Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Standard has been developed by the CAD/Building Information Modeling (BIM) Technology Center for Facilities, Infrastructure, and Environment to eliminate redundant CAD standardization efforts within DoD and the Federal Government. This manual is part of an initiative to develop a nonproprietary CAD standard that incorporates existing industry, national, and international standards and to develop data standards that address the entire life cycle of facilities within DoD. The material addressed in the A/E/C CAD Standard includes level/layer assignments, digital file naming, and standard symbology. The CAD/BIM Center’s primary goal is to develop a CAD standard that is generic enough to operate under various CAD software packages (such as Bentley’s MicroStation and Autodesk’s AutoCAD) while incorporating existing industry standards when possible. While this Standard encompasses many CAD concepts and practices, it is not intended to limit the capabilities of other advanced modeling software. Ultimately, a BIM / Civil Information Modeling standard will be developed to standardize the additional capabilities of other software.

17 Aug 2023

A/E/C Graphics Standard: Release 2.2

Abstract: The A/E/C Graphics Standard Release 2.2 has been developed by the Computer-Aided Design/Building Information Modeling Technology Center to document how proper hand-drafting practices can be achieved in advanced modeling. It is through the collection and documentation of these practices that consistent models and drawings shall be achieved throughout the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), as well as other federal agencies. In the collection of these practices, various historical USACE District drafting manuals were consulted and compared against practices contained in industry and national standards, with consideration toward whether software can achieve those practices. The documentation of these practices will help to achieve both clear and aesthetically pleasing construction documents.

10 Aug 2021

Record Package Guidance: Best Practices

Abstract: The CAD/BIM Technology Center receives numerous questions throughout the year regarding the development of a Record Package that shows as-built conditions. While the Center does produce Standards on the look and organization of CAD drawings that are used to show as-built conditions, users wanted guidance on the Record Package development. The Chicago District had undertaken the development of such guidance, but a formal document was never officially released. The CAD/BIM Community of Practice (CoP) Work Structure Committee finished this guidance and their efforts are reflected in this document.

1 Oct 2020

USACE BIM Object Library user guide: Release 1.0

Abstract: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is in need of a centralized repository of standardized Building Information Modeling (BIM) Objects. This repository is needed to serve as the BIM Object Library to be utilized by architects and engineers on architectural and engineering federal design projects. The U.S. has more than 109,000 registered architects and 820,000 licensed professional engineers that could potentially have access to this BIM Object Library. The CAD/BIM Technology Center has currently harvested more than 8,500 BIM Objects from USACE districts. It is expected that the USACE BIM Object Library will grow to more than 35,000 BIM Objects based on the existing content being managed by each individual USACE district. The CAD/BIM Technology Center’s research shows that the content management system solution needs to provide BIM objects that contain all the information required to design, find, locate, specify, interrogate, and analyze the represented product. The study also shows the solution should provide an intuitive interface which allows users to easily retrieve the BIM objects that meet a set of user defined criteria. Furthermore, the solution should verify the BIM Objects selected for inclusion into the USACE BIM Object Library comply with the advanced modeling object standard. Finally, the study shows that the solution should be capable of efficiently and effectively managing and querying at least 5 million parameters and associated values.