Introduction

As representatives of leading architectural, design, engineering and construction firms across our region, we write with a clear and united message:

The availability of high-quality Building Information Modelling (BIM) content is now a critical element to engaging successfully with the design and construction industry.

Across Australia and New Zealand, our workflows are evolving rapidly, and the expectations placed on Building Product Manufacturers (BPMs) are evolving in step.

This letter brings together voices from leading design practices to explain why well-made BIM content is no longer a “nice to have”, but a fundamental resource for modern project delivery. Our goal is to provide practical insight into how manufacturers can stay connected, competitive, and relevant in a digital-first industry.

The Standard

BIM is now firmly embedded as the standard method for designing, documenting, and delivering building and infrastructure projects.

Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operations (AECO) professionals are using BIM on their projects, without any requirement for a Government-led industry mandate, as it is a more efficient and effective way of working.

Whilst there are many BIM software tools and technologies available in market, the signatories to this letter utilise Autodesk Revit as a primary model authoring software, and subsequently, providing high-quality Revit content should be a critical consideration for Manufacturers seeking to collaborate with our firms.

Why High-Quality BIM Content Matters

Project delivery is more complex.

As market and client expectations continue to evolve, the industry continues to further leverage BIM technology and workflows as it provides opportunities to use the data in models for project planning, design, construction, asset management and various other purposes across the supply chain.

BIM is about collaboration – not just between architects, engineers and other consultants, but also in how design ideas are communicated to clients. Today’s clients expect clarity and certainty throughout the design process. They want to see detailed 3D models, realistic visualisations, and reliable data that show exactly what they’ll be getting.  That’s why designers rely on BIM to design, coordinate, and communicate with accuracy and confidence.

If your goal is to have your products considered for specification in our projects, supporting BIM workflows and providing BIM content – specifically in the Revit format – is an increasingly important factor.

Although the specific preferences of each design firm will vary when it comes to their ‘Revit Content Standard’, as a design community, our Revit baseline requirements are clear:

• Lightweight, well-structured, Revit families that perform across all project stages
• Clean, natively developed geometry – accurate, but not over-modelled
• Developed with consistency and logic
• The right data: identifiers, materials, dimensions, connections, and classification codes
• A smooth, consistent experience – from file to file, and product to product
• Maintained appropriately to ensure currency and accuracy of product data
• Fast, frictionless access to the content, when and where we need it

The quality of content embedded in our BIM models has a direct impact on the efficiency, accuracy, and overall success of our projects.

As a way of safeguarding the quality of our project models and ensuring our design teams have access to prebuilt, approved project design assets, design firms typically maintain tightly curated Revit libraries internally to ensure consistency across teams, projects and deliverables.

We do not rely on chance. All BIM content acquired from external sources is assessed through internal review processes before it’s used in our projects. If it doesn’t meet our standards, it won’t be used. Unfortunately, whilst a lot of manufacturer and BIM content aggregation websites promote the availability of BIM content, a lot of it isn’t suitable to use in real-world projects. Importantly, the absence of negative feedback shouldn’t be taken as a sign of quality. In most cases, if content isn’t suitable, largely due to time constraints, designers will simply delete it and move on, rather than provide feedback.

On the other hand, high quality Revit content provided by manufacturers often becomes part of our core internal libraries, which are routinely used by our design teams.

The Way Forward

As a collective, we are not just asking for ‘more BIM content.’ We are asking for good quality BIM content that supports our work, integrates with our project design tools, improves collaboration processes with product suppliers, saves time, and reduces risk.

To maximise the likelihood of your products being utilised in BIM-enabled projects, it’s highly advantageous to provide high-quality Revit content that streamlines our project delivery processes.

Creating Revit content that meets our quality requirements isn’t easy. It’s a specialised and often underestimated niche skillset. It takes more than 3D modelling experience, and it’s certainly not just a case of ‘converting a CAD file into a Revit file’. It requires:

• Understanding of how Revit libraries and project models are managed
• Technical knowledge of how Revit families and associated asset types function within the Revit project environment
• Familiarity with real-world construction, coordination, and project deliverables
• Understanding of A/NZ Revit Standards, NATSPEC OBOS, and common project data requirements
• An appreciation for the roles of both BIM admins and designers who are often needing to deliver under pressure

What next?

We strongly recommend manufacturers engage experts who understand both Revit and the realities of project design and delivery for architects, consultants and contractors.

There are a lot of BIM (Revit) content creators who promote their products and services to manufacturers. However, their capabilities and the quality of their work varies significantly. Acknowledging it can be difficult for manufacturers to assess the capabilities of prospective partners, as a collective, we can recommend – without commercial endorsement – IGS Group and the BIMcontent.com platform.

IGS Group are Revit content creation specialists with an extensive background in the industry. They are actively involved in industry initiatives and consistently engage with the design community to understand our evolving workflows and nuances of what constitutes high quality BIM content. They are known for producing high-performing, reliable content that aligns with the way we work.

BIMcontent.com – created by IGS Group – is a locally developed platform that has become a first port of call for many design teams seeking BIM content to use in their projects. Whilst we are aware there are other BIM content aggregation platforms and companies engaging AUS/NZ product suppliers, it is our observation there are several key differences. These platforms do not uphold the same level of quality and consistency of Revit content as the libraries hosted on BIMcontent.com, which are underpinned by a clearly defined, strictly enforced Revit Content Quality Standard. BIMcontent.com also prioritises end-user privacy which is appreciated by design practices and is a reliable source of free, easy access for manufacturer-based BIM content when we need it, without sharing our personal data.

All libraries are actively kept up to date by BIMcontent.com, with streamlined automatic notifications alerting users when changes are made – a feature BIM Admins and designers value for keeping their Revit libraries current, and their projects coordinated.

Importantly, whereas other BIM content aggregation platforms are primarily developed overseas, BIMcontent.com maintains a strong, ongoing commitment to both AUS/NZ brands and to the local design community, ensuring a high representation of relevant content and reinvestment in our local industry.

While we may accept manufacturer BIM content from other sources, having it available on BIMcontent.com gives us greater confidence in the quality, simplifies access, protects our privacy, and improves the overall user experience, which is why it’s the preferred platform for many of our teams.

Final Words

Manufacturers who make it easy to access reliable BIM content, and who show a genuine intent to support the way designers work, have a clear edge when it comes to having their products specified. We encourage you to take a considered approach to your BIM strategy, not just as a technical requirement, but as a key part of how you collaborate with us on our projects.

— Signed by the undersigned design and BIM leaders across Australia and New Zealand

Disclaimer: This letter represents a collective industry viewpoint and does not constitute a commercial agreement, endorsement, or commitment.