If you already do this for a living: Status and revision in names, and code lists nobody owns. Both break automatic checking long before anyone notices.
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- In BIMpedia
Open any shared folder on a project without a naming convention and you will find final_v3_NEW.rvt, Model (2).ifc and Copy of drawings.pdf. Nobody knows which is current, and nobody can automate anything. A naming convention fixes that.
Two engineers export Structure_final.ifc on the same day, one from each office. The coordinator federates the older one, and a week of clash work is done against a model that no longer exists.
Each model has one ID, P2026014-STR-ZZ-XX-M3-S-0001, and its revision and status live in the CDE. The coordinator sees P05 is the latest shared revision, uses it, and writes it on the meeting agenda.
Every file is an information container
ISO 19650 calls each file, model, drawing or document an information container. Each container gets a unique ID, built from a set of fields agreed for the project. The ID never changes during the container's life, even as the content is revised.
The fields
The ISO 19650 pattern combines a few short codes, separated by a hyphen:
| Field | Answers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Project | Which project? | P2026014 |
| Originator | Which organisation produced it? | NDP |
| Volume / system | Which part of the project? | ZZ (all) |
| Level / location | Which level or area? | 02 |
| Type | What kind of information? | M3 (3D model) |
| Role | Which discipline? | S (structural) |
| Number | Which one of its kind? | 0001 |
Put together: P2026014-NDP-ZZ-02-M3-S-0001.
Countries publish national annexes with recommended code lists; your project's information standard sets the final lists.
- ✓ Only letters and numbers inside each field
- ✓ Every field filled
- ✓ Number is 4 to 6 digits, padded with zeros
- ✓ Level is two characters (e.g. 01, B1, ZZ for several, XX for none)
- ✓ Role is one or two letters
Each field answers one question: whose, where, what kind, which one. If every team fills them the same way, anyone can find a file without opening it, and the Naming Validator can check thousands at once.
- P2026014Project
- NDPOriginator
- ZZVolume / system
- 02Level / location
- M3Type
- SRole
- 0001Number
What does not belong in the name
Status (for example "suitable for coordination") and revision (P01, P02…) change as the container moves through the CDE. They belong in the CDE's metadata, not in the name. Some teams still append them to exported file names for convenience — if you allow that, agree on the format.
Make it checkable
Because each field uses codes from a fixed list, names can be checked automatically. A misspelt originator, a lowercase project code or a three-digit number is caught in seconds instead of at the end of a stage when the CDE is full of them.
Key takeaways
- Every file, model or drawing is an information container and needs a unique ID that follows the project convention.
- The ISO 19650 pattern combines fields: project, originator, volume or system, level or location, type, role and number.
- Each field uses short codes from an agreed list, so names can be checked automatically.
- Status and revision are metadata in the CDE, not part of the container name.
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Related tool
Check file and container names against your project's naming convention, field by field.
Open ISO 19650 Naming Validator →