Information checks
Does each element carry the properties the project asked for, with the right values and units, in the right property set?
Model checking
BIM checking: how to check a model against your requirements
BIM checking means testing a model against what the project asked for: the information each element must carry, how it's modelled and named, and whether anything clashes. Done by eye, it's slow and patchy. Done against requirements written as data, every element is checked, every time.
Free plan, no card. Check your own models on the 14-day Pro trial.
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Four kinds of BIM check
"Check the model" can mean very different things. Most projects need all four, often from different tools:
Geometry checks
Do elements clash, keep their clearances and sit where they should? This is clash detection.
Standards checks
Do the files, models and elements follow the naming, classification and coordinates in the project's information standard?
Rule and code checks
Does the design meet rules such as accessibility or escape distances? Tools such as Solibri check these.
Who checks, and when
Under ISO 19650 everyone in the chain checks, against the same requirements:
| Who | When | What they check |
|---|---|---|
| The task team | Before sharing in the CDE | Its own models, against the requirements for that milestone |
| The lead appointed party | Before each information exchange | Every task team's models, before authorising them |
| The appointing party (the client) | At each information exchange | What's been delivered, before accepting it |
ISO 19650-4 covers how information is exchanged, and our Help Center explains when to submit a model for review.
A worked example
Here's one requirement, as it's set up in Plannerly Scope:
| Element | Basic wall |
|---|---|
| Milestone | Preconstruction |
| Property | AcousticRating |
| Property set | Pset_WallCommon |
| Rule | A number between 30 and 40 dB |
When the model is checked, every wall linked to that task gets one of three results:
- Correct: the property is there, in Pset_WallCommon, with a value between 30 and 40.
- Incorrect: it's there, but the value is outside the range.
- Missing: it isn't there at all, or it's in another property set, because checking follows the structure your project defined.
Names must match exactly: a trailing space or a lowercase l for a capital I is enough to fail a check. That's what Queensland's transport department found.
Your model checking checklist
- Requirements are written as data (the property, property set, rule, value and unit), not as prose in a PDF.
- Each requirement is set per element and per milestone.
- Every task team has the same requirements, for example as an IDS file.
- Authors check their own models before they share them.
- File naming, the IFC version and coordinates are agreed in the BIM execution plan.
- Someone is accountable for fixing each failed check.
- Results are kept, so you can show what was accepted, and when.
In Plannerly Verify
Every element checked, every time a model comes in
Set the rules
Write each requirement once
In Plannerly Scope, set each requirement against the elements and milestones it applies to: the property, its property set, the rule, the value and the unit. The same requirement goes to your authors as an IDS file and becomes the check Verify runs.
Set the information requirements
See the results
Correct, incorrect or missing, at a glance
Link the model's elements to their tasks and every check runs automatically. A dashboard in Docs counts the results by milestone, team or work package, and it updates as teams fix what failed and move their tasks on.
- Over 60 model file formats, IFC and Revit included
- Connect Autodesk Construction Cloud on Pro
- Dashboards that update themselves
Look closer
Watch a model checked against its requirements
Free lessons
Learn model checking free, one short lesson at a time
Level 1 lesson - start here
Model checking intro
What Verify checks, and how a model is checked against requirements you've already written.
Level 1 lesson - check every element
Linking models for auto-checking
Link model elements to their tasks, so every element is checked automatically.
Level 2 lesson - verification
Part 5: Model Verification and Quality Assurance
Checking models before handover, so there are no surprises at the end.
Level 1 - free certificate
BIM Management Basics
Docs, Scope and Verify, from the first requirement to the first model check, with a free certificate.
Free download
Try it on a real model: 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, explained
Plannerly Verify
The model checking software behind this page: what it checks, file formats, ACC and pricing.
ProductCheck every model with IDS
The whole job, step by step, with a free starter project.
Use caseModel checking, simplified
Define the requirements, link the model, and every version is checked.
GuideBIM quality control, simply
Three ideas for getting the BIM you asked for.
GuideHow JTC checks models at scale
A government agency in Singapore that replaced 11,000 Excel rows with automated checks.
Case studyClash avoidance or clash detection?
When to stop clashes happening, and when to find them.
GuideFrom the blog
Every post about BIM checking
EnglishSimplifying BIM Model Checking with Automation and Autonomy
Curious to discover the easiest way to inspect your BIM models? Dive into this article (and video) where we walk you through setting up your model checking process to guarantee precision in every detail.
EnglishBoost Your BIM Model Quality with Plannerly's Verify Module: A Step-by-Step Journey
Enhance the quality of your BIM model with Plannerly's Verify Module. Streamline your BIM checks, identify issues effortlessly, foster collaboration, track progress, and achieve remarkable project outcomes!
BIM execution planThe Complete BIM Management Workflow: A Guide to Using Plannerly
Discover how Plannerly simplifies BIM management by providing a comprehensive web-based solution. Streamline your workflow and improve collaboration with these powerful BIM tools.
EnglishThe Power of Automated BIM Checks: How This Company Eliminated the Need for Quality Checking Teams
This company eliminated traditional BIM QC roles, saving between 2 and 3 team members on each BIM project. Learn about their enhanced BIM workflows and how they achieve optimal quality and cost efficiency for their AEC industry clients.
Questions
BIM checking questions, answered
What is BIM checking?
Testing a model against what the project asked for. That can mean information checks (properties and values), geometry checks (clashes and clearances), standards checks (naming, classification and coordinates) or rule and code checks. Plannerly Verify does information checks, element by element, against your own requirements.
What's the difference between model checking and clash detection?
Clash detection finds geometry that collides. Model checking, in the sense most information requirements mean it, checks the data: whether each element carries the properties, values and units it should. A model can be free of clashes and still be no use at handover if its data is missing. Clash avoidance or clash detection?.
Who should check BIM models?
Everyone in the chain, against the same requirements: the task team checks its own models before sharing them, the lead appointed party before authorising them, and the client before accepting them. An IDS file gives each of them the same rules. IDS explained.
Can model checking be automated?
The information checks can. Once requirements are written as data and the model's elements are linked to their tasks, Verify checks every element automatically, and checks again when a new version arrives. Geometry still needs a reviewer, or a clash detection tool. Linking models for auto-checking, a free lesson.
Which file formats can be checked?
Verify reads over 60 model file formats, IFC, Revit, DWG and DWF among them, and connects to Autodesk Construction Cloud and BIM 360 on Pro. What processing does, and how long it takes.
Can I try BIM 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 it, with no card. Start free or compare the plans.
Check every model against what you asked for
Start free, write your requirements once, and check your first model on the 14-day Pro trial. No card needed.
Free plan · No card · The Pro trial includes model checking