openBIM is a universal approach that emphasizes open standards, collaboration and software interoperability across the entire lifecycle of construction projects and built assets. It extends the benefits of Building Information Modeling (BIM) by improving data accessibility, usability and long-term management.
The core principle of openBIM is vendor-neutrality enabled through open data standards. Unlike proprietary "closed" BIM systems tied to a single software, openBIM allows all project stakeholders to leverage the best tools for their respective workflows without being locked into one vendor's ecosystem.
Through this collaborative, open process, participants can access and share the BIM model data seamlessly across different software platforms and applications. Disparate BIM authoring tools and complementary systems can reliably communicate and exchange data with each other.
Interoperability is the key enabler that underpins openBIM. It ensures seamless integration and digital continuity of project information across diverse multidisciplinary teams, tools and asset phases. Open data standards establish a common "language" allowing this reliable cross-platform data exchange.
In essence, openBIM democratizes BIM processes by decoupling project data from proprietary constraints. It empowers stakeholders to optimize their software ecosystems while ensuring long-term data transparency, accessibility and exchange over the full asset lifecycle through open standards-based collaboration.
