Assessment of the Capabilities of Commercial Tools to Develop 4D/5D Models

Abstract

Building Information Modeling (BIM), which is developed for improving the collaboration and interoperability in the construction sector has many dimensions. While “3D model” is developed to visualize the buildings, simulation-based “4D model” integrates 3D model with time and “5D model” is attained as a result of including cost in the 4D model. The purpose of this study is to define 5D modeling in detail and to assess the capacities of 4D/5D modeling software packages via comparison. To assess the capacities of 4D/5D modeling software packages, a test case was developed. A 3D model of a project was created in Autodesk Revit 2017 and 4D/5D models of the building were developed by using Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2017, Synchro Pro 2016.2 and Trimble Vico Office R6.0 software packages. In the test case, the stages and their durations when preparing 4D/5D models were identified and the advantages and disadvantages of each software package were determined. The results of the study could be used as a guide by the companies desiring to conduct 4D/5D application in the sector.