Specialist Services
Building Information Modelling (BIM)

The future of modern engineering. Taking projects to a new interactive level using 3D design and analysis……

There are many different uses for building information modelling (BIM) within the civil and structural engineering industry. Within HOP, we are experienced users AutoCAD Civil 3D and Autodesk Revit Structure.  We link these with our analysis packages, Masterseries and FE (Finite Element) for structural analysis and MicroDrainage for civil analysis.

AutoCAD Civil 3D is a leading civil engineering design application that provides us with a more comprehensive surveying, designing, analytical, and documented solution. This enables us to complete land development, transportation and environmental projects faster and with improved accuracy. The main areas of our expertise are: Preliminary Design, Surveying, Surface, Grading, Parcel Layout, Corridor Modelling, Criteria-Based Road Design, Drainage, Mass Haul Diagrams.

See our 3D Ground Modelling page for further details.

Revit structure is the market leading 3D structural engineering design and detailing application and after implementing it 2 years ago has given us the following benefits:

  • Interactive Models (parametric models) - Being able to create a project and alter any part of it at any stage. This has good advantages when a scheme has been made, but not every fine detail has been decided. The model can still be made, taking generic assumptions, which can then be fine tuned later at a few clicks of a mouse.
  • Improved Design Team Collaboration - Important to the success of any project is communication of a teams work. Design packages such as Revit Structure makes this particularly easy, as it is one of 3 software packages in a family. The other two are for Architects and MEP Engineers.
  • More Efficient Designs - Seeing and creating a 3D model with Revit Structure enables you to visualise and understand complex geometry far easier than with previous drafting methods. This in turn makes BIM Designs:
    • More accurate
    • Greater at saving time
    • Easier for solving complications (such as complex ground levels, that can be imported from Civil 3D models)
  • Ideal for presentation - Particularly in early phases of a project, it is often beneficial to have a good clear understanding of how something will look. By creating a 3D model, those early phases can be seen quickly, and with rendering capabilities, results are generally rather impressive.

HOP gives practical, economic engineering solutions on time and with attention to detail.

We work throughout the UK and nearby Europe and we pride ourselves on our learning and training opportunities within the organisation.

We are happy to give early, often informal involvement and respond quickly... Why not get in touch...

T: 0044 (0)1273 223 900
E: ask@hop.uk.com
M/ 24 hr : 0044 (0)7770 720484


What is Building Information Modelling (BIM)?

This is a term that is becoming very popular, and most people have heard of it, but what does it actually mean?

Any software package that works in three dimensions, and is interactive is a BIM application. Their files are databases, filled with information that the software then translates into a visual 3D model. This is why so many options can be altered in a model, as making visual changes is merely translating back to alter values in the database.

What are the true advantages of this? As well as the obvious factor of having interactive (often described as parametric) models, BIM files are also very compatible from one software application to the next. Having this compatibility means processes such as structural analysis, can be produced easier, quicker and more accurately from an already created 3D model design.