PLAXIS Interoperability: From Customization to BIM compliance

The demands and requirements of users of numerical analysis in the field of geotechnical engineering are changing. Engineers in the building industry are facing chal­lenging and inevitable topics like Industry 4.0 and Digitization. These issues are becom­ing increasingly significant. Still, geotechnical data is barely included in BIM models nowadays. The integration of 3D geotechnical modelling, including relevant structures, material data and properties, into the Building Information Modelling (BIM) process is topic of this paper. We describe our vision on how to provide a user-friendly and seam­less integration of geotechnical finite element modelling into a BIM workflow. Geotech­nical data integration has the potential to enhance the BIM process, and is necessary to make risk assessment more transparent. With DXF I STEP import facilities on the one hand and Customization services on the other hand, a first step was taken towards provid­ing a solution to incorporate geotechnics into the BIM strategy and to lower the barriers such that the geotechnical and structural engineering teams can work in a more integrated environment, but this is just the beginning of a new era.