OpenBIM is a shared and open approach to working in Building Information Modeling, where digital data is created and exchanged through non-proprietary formats. OpenBIM is developed and maintained by buildingSMART International – the global authority for open digital standards in the built asset industry. This method allows different software systems and project participants to collaborate smoothly without being locked into a single platform. By using open standards like IFC, BCF, COBie and IDS, information can flow freely across stages, enabling teams to work together with greater accuracy and efficiency.
The built environment has become more complex as societies demand better buildings and infrastructure with fewer resources. Construction projects face the dual challenge of improving productivity while reducing financial and environmental impacts. OpenBIM answers this challenge by promoting transparency, interoperability, and sustainability across disciplines.
This article from ViBIM explains what is open BIM, highlights the key benefits of adopting it, and compares it with the traditional closed BIM approach. Readers can gain a clearer view of how openBIM supports collaboration in Scan to BIM projects and follow the detailed guide in the next section.
What is openBIM?
OpenBIM is an initiative promoted by buildingSMART that encourages the use of open standards in Building Information Modeling, enabling project data to be shared and understood across different software platforms and stakeholders. Information is created, stored, and exchanged through publicly available formats, which makes collaboration possible even when project members work in different locations or use different tools. This method supports transparent workflows, allowing digital data to remain consistent throughout the entire lifecycle of a building project.
The construction sector faces rising complexity and the need to build more with fewer resources. OpenBIM provides a practical answer by connecting people, processes, and technology through shared communication standards. By utilizing openBIM, organizations can enhance productivity and sustainability while minimizing financial waste and reducing their environmental impact on a global scale.
What are the benefits of using openBIM?
OpenBIM delivers four major benefits that reshape how construction and asset management teams collaborate, analyze data, and maintain long-term project value. Each benefit reinforces the others, building a continuous cycle of efficiency and shared understanding across disciplines.
- Optimizing decisions at the highest level: OpenBIM integrates information from multiple sources, providing a comprehensive and accurate overview of project options. Automated simulations based on shared data enable stakeholders to assess design alternatives, predict outcomes, and reduce carbon emissions, project time, and costs, thereby improving sustainability.
- Automation and smarter processes: Structured and standardized data formats enable information to be readable by both humans and machines. Software tools can analyze and act on this information, recommending actions or automating repetitive tasks, which keeps collaboration smooth across platforms and project teams.
- Process efficiency across the asset lifecycle: Consistent access to data throughout design, construction, and maintenance helps reduce risks, rework, and waste. This clarity enhances quality and saves time, while supporting a measurable increase in productivity across all project stages. OpenBIM also aligns with the ISO 19650 series, ensuring that information management practices remain consistent, structured, and interoperable across the entire asset lifecycle.
- Continuous innovation and global collaboration: OpenBIM welcomes new software tools and methods into existing workflows without disrupting data integrity. By maintaining shared access to project information across teams and geographies it fosters innovation and supports a sustainable built environment.
What are the differences between openBIM and closeBIM?
As discussed earlier, openBIM is a universal and collaborative method that utilizes shared standards and neutral file formats, enabling all stakeholders to exchange data freely across various software tools. This open structure connects designers, engineers, and contractors in a unified process, regardless of their preferred applications or geographic locations.
ClosedBIM, on the other hand, often called “proprietary” or “lonely BIM,” stores all data within a single vendor’s software ecosystem. Access and modifications can only be made using the same system, which provides companies with greater control and security over their data but limits collaboration and flexibility with external tools.
To give a clearer comparison, the following table outlines the key differences between openBIM and closedBIM across eight aspects of data handling, interoperability, and long-term project management:
| Aspect | openBIM | closedBIM |
| Data format | Uses open, commonly shared, non-proprietary formats (e.g., IFC, BCF) that can be accessed by different software tools. | Uses proprietary data formats that can only be opened and modified within the same software or vendor ecosystem. |
| Interoperability | Supports smooth data exchange across disciplines, organizations, and software platforms. | Restricts data use to one vendor’s tools, creating vendor lock-in. |
| Collaboration | Promotes transparent teamwork across departments and geographies through shared workflows. | Limits teamwork to those using the same software, often leading to isolated workflows (“lonely BIM”). |
| Flexibility | Allows easy adoption of new tools that follow open standards. | Depends on vendor updates, offering limited compatibility with external tools. |
| Sustainability & longevity | Maintains accessibility through ISO-certified standards like IFC, even if the original software becomes unavailable. | Data longevity relies on the vendor’s continued support; risk increases if the software becomes outdated. |
| Adoption trends | Expanding globally under BuildingSMART guidance, with more than 200 openBIM-compliant tools. | Still preferred by some large vendors and companies for its familiarity and integrated control. |
| Advantages | Offers transparency, improved communication, reduced risks, increased productivity, and sustainability. | Provides strong integration within one ecosystem and stable workflows if all users share the same platform. |
| Limitations | Faces occasional data loss or misalignment between IFC versions and varying tool support. | Creates vendor lock-in, higher costs, and limited flexibility for future changes. |
Both openBIM and closedBIM aim to achieve the same goal of efficient digital construction but differ in how they handle collaboration and data sharing. ClosedBIM provides tighter control and fewer coordination errors within one ecosystem, while openBIM supports greater interoperability, inclusivity, and long-term accessibility. Despite challenges like multiple IFC versions, the growing shift toward openBIM reflects the industry’s focus on global collaboration, transparency, and sustainable construction practices.
The article on what is open bim explained how shared standards and data formats create smooth collaboration among architects, engineers, and contractors. Each section described how openBIM supports interoperability, long-term data accessibility, and independence from proprietary systems, helping teams work more efficiently across different tools.
The discussion explored how adopting openBIM can address the issues of disconnected workflows and file incompatibility in Scan to BIM projects. ViBIM applies openBIM principles by exporting IFC models from Revit, ensuring data complies with open standards and can be shared across different software and stakeholders. while providing BIM Modeling services from Point Cloud data using Revit and the Autodesk platform for survey, as-built, and engineering stages. Contact ViBIM today to discuss your requirements and receive a complimentary quote.
Vietnam BIM Consultancy and Technology Application Company Limited (ViBIM)
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