The alliance published the National BIM Standard-United States® (NBIMS-US™) Version 2 (V2), said to be the first consensus-based standard governing building information modeling (BIM) for use in the United States, in spring 2012 as a free, online standard. With this new release as an eBook, the alliance said it is making the standard easier to reference anytime, anywhere.

The eBook contains the content of NBIMS-US V2, as well as Internet-accessible links to reference supporting material online. NBIMS-US V2 covers the full life cycle of buildings — from planning, design, and construction to operations and sustainment. Part of an international effort, the standard is serving as the kick-off point for a number of other countries around the world to adopt as their own BIM standard, as well as the basis of NBIMS-US V3, which is currently under development here in the United States.

NBIMS-US V2 follows an open consensus process set by rules of governance established by the institute. The standard is arranged into three main categories: reference standards, information exchange standards (which are built upon the reference standards), and best practice guidelines that support users in their implementation of open BIM standards-based deliverables.

The alliance, which is both a council of the institute and the North American chapter of buildingSMART International, is working with several other nations on BIM standard development. The United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand are all using NBIMS-US V2 as the basis for their own standards.

The NBIMS-US V2 eBook is compatible with Mac and PC devices, Android tablets, Kindle and Nook eReaders, and related formats. The application is available online through the institute’s store for $4.99. The NBIMS-US V2 eBook can be downloaded here.

Publication date: 11/11/2013

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