Information checks (validation)
Does each element carry the properties the project asked for, with the right values and units, in the right property set? This is BIM validation.
BIM model checking software
BIM model checking software that checks what you actually asked for
BIM model checking software tests every model against the project's requirements, so nobody has to open each one and tick a spreadsheet. Here's what validation, clash detection and QA tools each do, three ways to check models, and how Plannerly checks every version for you, unattended.
Free plan, no card. The 14-day Pro trial includes model checking.
app.plannerly.com
What BIM model checking software does
BIM model checking software tests a model against what the project asked for, so nobody has to open every model and tick a spreadsheet. "Checking the model" covers different jobs, and most projects need more than one tool:
Geometry checks (clash detection)
Do elements clash, keep their clearances and sit where they should? Coordination tools such as Navisworks, Revizto and BIMcollab do this.
Rule and code checks
Does the design meet rules such as escape distances or accessibility? Rule-based checkers such as Solibri check these.
Quality assurance
Is there a routine - who checks what, when, and how fixes are tracked - so quality doesn't depend on someone remembering? That's BIM quality assurance; each check is quality control.
Why checking models by hand doesn't work
A typical model has thousands of elements, each with a handful of required properties, and a new version arrives every week or two. By hand, someone samples a few elements, finds what they find and writes it up. The rest goes unchecked until handover, when it's expensive to fix.
- The requirements live in a PDF, so every checker reads them a little differently.
- Checks happen late, often only at a milestone or at handover.
- Nobody owns the fix: a list of failures in a report doesn't say which team has to act.
- There's no record of what was checked, so accepting a model is a matter of trust.
Three ways to check BIM models, compared
Most teams use one or more of these. They work best when they all check against the same requirements:
| Approach | What it checks | Who runs it, and when | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop rule-based checker (such as Solibri) | Information, geometry and design rules in IFC models, against rule sets | A specialist, on a downloaded copy, at set points | Detailed reviews and code checks |
| IDS check in the authoring or checking tool | Information, against a buildingSMART IDS file | Each author, on their own model, before they share it | Catching gaps before a model leaves the team |
| Automatic checking on a platform (Plannerly Verify) | Information, against the project's requirements, element by element | Nobody has to press a button: every new version is checked as it arrives | Unattended checking, tracking fixes and showing evidence to the client |
They fit together: write the requirements once in Plannerly, export them as an IDS file for the authors, and Verify checks the delivered model against the same rules.
Unattended BIM model checking
Unattended model checking means the checks run on every new model version without anyone starting them. In Plannerly, connect Autodesk Construction Cloud or BIM 360 and new versions come across by themselves; once the model's elements are linked to their tasks, every check runs automatically, the charts update and a PDF report can go out every week.
See it step by step in unattended BIM model checking: an automated workflow.
How to choose BIM validation and QA software
- It checks against your requirements, not a generic rule set: the property, its value, its unit and its property set, per element and milestone.
- It speaks IDS, the open buildingSMART standard, so authors can check their own models with the same rules.
- It reads your formats - IFC and Revit at least - and connects to your common data environment, so you check the version the team actually shared.
- It checks every version, not just the one before handover.
- It shows who owns each fix, and tracks it until it's done.
- It keeps a record of every check, as evidence of what was accepted and when.
For the quality side - requirements, a BEP and a checking routine - read BIM quality assurance and control software: 3 simple ideas. To coordinate who models what and by when, as well as checking it, see BIM coordination and project management software.
How it works in Plannerly
Automated model checking in four steps
-
Set the rules once
Write each property the project needs - name, rule, value, unit and property set - against the elements and milestones it applies to.
One set of rules for people and software -
Bring the models in
Upload IFC, Revit or any of over 60 formats, or connect Autodesk Construction Cloud and BIM 360 so new versions come across by themselves.
Every version in one place -
Check every element
Each linked element is checked automatically: the property is there, its value and unit meet the rule, and it sits in the right property set.
Correct, incorrect or missing -
Fix it and report it
Each team sees its failed checks as tasks on the Kanban board, the charts update as they fix them, and a PDF report can go out every week.
Evidence of who fixed what
Watch the overview
See a model checked against its requirements
In Plannerly Verify
Validation, QA and reporting in one place
Requirements as data
One set of requirements for every checker
Requirements in a PDF get skimmed once and forgotten. In Plannerly they live as data, per element and milestone, and you can export them as a buildingSMART IDS file, so authors check their own models with the same rules Verify uses on the delivered model.
- The property, rule, value, unit and property set
- Export as a buildingSMART IDS file
- One version of the truth for every checker
Quality you can see
Correct, incorrect or missing, at a glance
Add a chart to any document and it counts every requirement check on the linked model elements as correct, incorrect or missing. Filter it by milestone, team or work package, so each team sees the part it's accountable for.
Unattended
Fix the model, move the task, and the charts follow
When a team fixes what failed and moves its task across the Kanban board, the dashboard updates by itself. Nobody refreshes it or copies numbers into a spreadsheet, and the weekly report sends itself.
Your CDE
Check the version the team actually shared
Connect Autodesk Construction Cloud or BIM 360 once and link the models you need. New versions come across by themselves, and the permissions you already have in ACC still apply.
See how CDE Connect works
Case studies
Teams that check every model this way
A government agency that replaced 11,000 Excel rows with automated checks, a transport department checking its supply chain's models, and a consultancy bringing Plannerly and Solibri together.
-
Singapore
95% faster
Model validation time
From 11,000 Excel rows to automated checks
JTC Corporation · Government agency
Eliminated 11,000 Excel rows and automated compliance checks across 2,000+ object types and 27 model categories with Plannerly's Verify module.
Before Plannerly, it took weeks to do model checks. Now we do it in hours.
John Kiong, Director · JTC Corporation -
Australia
Government QA
Model data checked against information requirements
Government model checking for transport infrastructure
Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads · Government owner
Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads uses Plannerly Verify to check supply-chain model data against defined information requirements, giving the team more certainty that model deliverables contain the information they expect.
It highlights the need for due diligence when pulling all of the pieces of the puzzle together.
Bryan McSweeney, Manager - Special Projects · TMR -
Southeast Asia
3 countries · Plannerly + Solibri
Singapore, Malaysia & Indonesia
Bringing government BIM compliance to Southeast Asia
AdRem IT Solutions · BIM services
Integrated Plannerly with Solibri's Accessibility Code Checker for automated CORENET X compliance in Singapore, and now rolling out ISO 19650 certification across Malaysia and Indonesia.
Plannerly is critical to our information compliance standards and now with the tracking reports built in, we can spend more time ensuring better quality deliverables and less time collecting compliance statistics with screenshots.
Voon Lok, Managing Director · AdRem IT Solutions
See all case studiesOwners, design teams, contractors, consultants and educators - filter them by your kind of organisation.
What teams say
On checking models in Verify
5 out of 5
Compliance checks used to be a black box. Now, every requirement is traceable and auditable.
John KiongDirector, Future of Building & Infrastructure · JTC Corporation 5 out of 5
Plannerly cut the time we spent tracking scope and verifying models by 60%.
Jonathan GriffithsSenior VDC Engineer · reiSource 5 out of 5
When you're helping governments go digital, you need a platform teams actually understand. That's Plannerly.
Voon LokManaging Director · AdRem IT Solutions 5 out of 5
Verify's integration with Autodesk Construction Cloud helps make BIM management more seamless for customers.
James CookHead of Integrations · Autodesk
Free download
Check your first model this week: a starter project and three free PDFs
Free download
Model Checking Survival Kit: a starter project and 3 PDFs
Everything to check models the way this page does: a starter project with example requirements ready to check, the IDS checking guide, the model checking slides from BIM Boot Camp and the ISO 19650 tracking and compliance step.
- 1 starter project
- 3 PDFs
- Free
Model checking starter project
Example requirements in Scope, ready to export as an IDS file and to check your first model in Verify.
Open in Plannerly (opens in a new tab)
Free account, no card needed.
Read more
Model checking, validation and QA, explained
Plannerly Verify
The model checking software behind this page: every model checked against your own requirements.
ProductModel checking with IDS
Set the requirements once, and teams check before they share.
Use caseUnattended model checking
Every new model version checked automatically, with no one pressing a button.
GuideBIM quality assurance and control
Three simple ideas for getting the model you need.
GuideBIM checking, step by step
The four kinds of check, who checks what and when, and a checklist.
GuideThe 10 best BIM software
Where model checking fits beside design, coordination and CDE tools.
ComparisonQuestions
BIM model checking software: your questions, answered
What is BIM model checking software?
Software that checks whether a BIM model contains what the project asked for. Some tools check geometry (clash detection), some check design rules, and some - like Plannerly Verify - check the information in the model: each element's properties, values, units and property sets, against the project's own requirements.
What's the difference between BIM model checking, validation and clash detection?
Model checking is the umbrella term. Validation checks the information: is every required property there, with an allowed value, in the right property set? Clash detection checks the geometry: do elements collide or break clearances? Most projects need both, often in different tools. Four kinds of BIM check explains each.
What is BIM quality assurance software?
Software that makes checking a routine rather than a rescue: it holds the requirements as data, checks every model version against them, shows each team what to fix and keeps a record of every check. Quality assurance is the process; each check is quality control. BIM quality assurance and control, simply.
Can BIM model checking run unattended?
Yes, once the rules are set. In Plannerly, models from Autodesk Construction Cloud or BIM 360 come across by themselves, each version is checked automatically and the charts update, with a weekly PDF report if you want one. How unattended checking works.
Which file formats can be checked?
Verify reads over 60 model file formats, IFC and Revit among them, and can bring models in from Autodesk Construction Cloud and BIM 360. How long processing takes.
Do I need IDS to check BIM models?
Not to check models in Plannerly - the requirements you write in Scope are the checks. IDS helps when other tools check too: export your requirements as an IDS file and authors check their own models in tools such as Solibri or Archicad before they submit. The complete guide to IDS.
Does Plannerly replace Solibri or Navisworks?
No - it works alongside them. Navisworks finds clashes and Solibri runs detailed rule checks; Plannerly checks every model version against your information requirements automatically and tracks who fixes what. Export the same requirements as IDS for Solibri, so every tool checks against one set of rules.
Can I try BIM model checking for free?
Yes. On the Free plan you can write your requirements and explore Verify. Checking your own models is part of Pro, and the 14-day Pro trial includes model checking, with no card. See pricing, or book a meeting and we'll show you on a real model.
Stop checking models by hand
Set the requirements once and let every model version be checked against them automatically. Start free, or book a meeting and we'll show you on a real model.
Free plan · No card · The 14-day Pro trial includes model checking