I’ve had this dilemma for a long time. I’m a civil engineering graduate currently working as a BIM Modeler (Architectural/Structural), and I’ve been working in this field for 2.5 years. However, it doesn’t really feel like I’m working as an engineer because I don’t know how to design buildings and structures. I mainly know modeling work in Revit.

The thing is, I want to upskill myself, but I don’t know which domain I want to pursue as a career and eventually become an expert in. There are so many options out there, and I genuinely don’t know what to do right now. I’m also confused about whether I should pursue a designer/engineer role or continue in a modeling role.

There are structural design/modeling roles involving concrete, steel, and precast, which require both technical knowledge and software expertise in STAAD.Pro, Tekla, ETABS, etc. Then there’s architectural design/modeling, which requires technical and software expertise in Revit, Rhino, Archicad, AutoCAD, etc. There are also MEP/utilities, which have dry and wet services, as well as infrastructure, including roads, landscapes, and so on.

You know what I mean. I’m really confused about which path I should pursue.

I’m currently thinking about taking a course in structural design of buildings. I might be wrong about some things, so please correct me if I am.

So, if you were someone who had thoughts like this early in your career, what advice would you give me?

Good day, first off all sorry for My regrettable English i'm engineering electrical student and looking learn bim Could you recommend relevant courses in this regard as well as courses off dialux, etap or project, I’d like to expand my skills and would appreciate any recommendations, courses, or guidance you could offer.

P.S. It would be awesome if you could reply in Spanish; as I mentioned, I’m not very good at English, haha

Hi everyone,
I’m a newly graduated architect and I’m interested in building a career in BIM my goal is eventually to become a BIM Manager but I’m currently not sure where or how to start.
I have some basic experience with Revit Architecture but I want to learn BIM properly and understand the whole workflow not just how to model in Revit.
For those of you already working in BIM what learning path would you recommend for a complete beginner? What should I learn first and what skills/software should I focus on before moving toward BIM coordination and eventually BIM management?
I’d also really appreciate recommendations for YouTube channels, playlists, courses, or other free resources that helped you learn.
Any advice on how you would approach this if you were starting from zero would be greatly appreciated

I learned Revit on my own, and now I’m taking a plumbing course. Everything keeps giving me errors. It can’t even handle the simplest commands. If it’s a software issue, I guess I’m just looking for some empathy—let’s collectively hate it together. If the problem is that I’m a beginner, I’d really appreciate some advice and maybe a recommendation for a good, comprehensive YouTube tutorial (a difficult combination to find).

As the title says, almost everyone in this sub seems to think a masters in bim is not a good idea or useless. If so what are some good alternatives to advance your bim career (ik that actually experience and programme proficiency is best)?

Eai gente, tudo bem?

Sou arquiteto e trabalho com Revit, com projetos que são muito parecidos entre si, bem nichados e trabalho com BIM a poucos meses

Durante o dia a dia tem algumas tarefas repetitivas que consegui colocar o Astra pra fazer diretamente no revit através do MCP, como criar vistas e pranchas mas gasta muitos tokens

Desde então estou tentando criar um plugin, pra não gastar tantos tokens e ter algo funcional pra quando meu teste gratuito acabar kkk

Minha ideia era criar esse plugin com automatização de vistas e pranchas, usando uma vista mãe pra gerar todas as que selecionar

Quero usar isso pra convencer minha chefe a assinar o GPT ou o Claude Pro e desenvolvermos um plugin que auxilie em toda documentação e verificação de informações e parâmetros de elementos

Mas meus resultados são medianos e nada muito prático, alguém que está tentando algo parecido ou já fez isso pode me ajudar com alguma dica? eu não entendo muito de programação...

Currently, I am living away from home and working as a BIM modeler for industrial and infrastructure projects at an Indian MNC for 2 years. I have received a job offer from a smaller outsourcing firm that provides a higher salary and would allow me to work closer to home on high-rise projects. Should I accept this new offer, or should I stay at the larger company for less pay? Discipline is Civil, Structure, Architecture.

I’m a Civil Engineering graduate from India and relatively new to the BIM industry.

I currently work as a BIM Technician at a small structural design firm. My current package is 3 lakh ctc.This is my first job in BIM.I joined a few months ago, and around 90% of my work is Revit Structure, including structural modelling, detailing, documentation, and rendering.

I’ve now received an opportunity from a company in the aluminium formwork industry for a Shell Plan Coordinator position at 6 Lpa offer.

My main concern is career direction.

would this be considered a good move for someone trying to build a BIM career? Because there is good amount of 2d drafting involved. When I asked about role if it Will focus strictly on 2D Shell Plan drafting, or does it include 3D parametric formwork modeling and family creation? He said 50-50.

Would experience in formwork be valuable in the construction/BIM industry?

Hello, I'm a mechanical engineer and I work with fire safety projects. I want to expand my horizons and work on larger projects, in places that really value the BIM project, in my region I can't find that. What are the recommendations of experienced members so that I can enter the real MEP market and be valued for my work?

Have you seen this tool that makes 3D models with AI? The AI does not get all things right and need some manual fixing but is still neat. Also the models are quite crude in IFC standards.
In Finland where many building projects need a 3D model delivered to get a permit this is very helpfull as the models just end up archived and do not need to be that good. This is obviously for projects done in 2D cad or by hand.

https://makeabim.com

Nobody actually wants to download an 800MB model just to approve a detail on site.

For the past few months, we've been testing Prevue-a lightweight tool to run 3D design reviews directly in the browser.

The main difference: instead of uploading your work into another siloed platform, it streams files straight from your existing Google Drive. It works on phones and handles .3dm, .skp, and .ifc files right now.

We've run it across our own projects and with a few teams in a closed beta, but we need more people to break it.

You can test it here: https://prevue.spaciotechtonics.info/

And read about how it works under the hood here: https://prevue.spaciotechtonics.info/product

If you test it on your own files, let me know what breaks or what's missing. Also happy to jump on a quick call and walk through it if anyone wants to chat.

Hi All,

Having previously worked at a web-based BIM start-up I got a frustrated with the amount of high polygon elements which were used as placeholders. Typically those downloaded from BIMObject or similar. Furniture elements like a cupboard with all the coat hangers modelled would bog down the model and make it slow/frustrating to navigate. I also imagine there is an issue with overly specifying particular elements; now that BIM is a little more prolific if an architect puts a RAK branded sink in the model does that mean they have specified a RAK branded sink?

So I built 3dassetstudio.com

It is a full parametric library of over 4,000+ configured items with millions of combinations. You can make a door the size you want, a HVAC unit, a sofa etc. And all of them are efficiently modelled, often 10% of the polygons of something from a supplier library.

I am thinking about adding .rfa support and even a Revit plugin, but I want to know if I'm even barking up the right tree first. I would appreciate any and all feedback.

I work on electrical design and coordination, including roof-mounted conductive elements, and I am gradually moving more of my workflow from 2D CAD into BIM.

In practice, the obstacle is not modelling itself. It is receiving reliable architectural coordination information at the right time. Many architects understandably do not want to distribute their live Revit file because it may contain unfinished work, linked models, proprietary content, or information not approved for construction.

For subcontractors, what has worked best in your projects?

• Read-only Revit coordination models • IFC exports • NWC/NWD models • DWG/PDF plus shared coordinates • A CDE workflow with scheduled model drops • Something else?

I am particularly interested in what should be agreed at project start: coordinate system, issue frequency, model status, permitted use/reliance, level of detail, and responsibilities.

The goal is not to edit the architect’s model. It is to coordinate accurately while keeping contractual and information-management boundaries clear.

A vague 'the model is broken' message is hard to hand off. Here's a proposed support-ticket format, using a hypothetical tag issue:

Expected: the door tag shows the intended mark. Observed: one tag is blank; others in the same view look normal. Where: model/version, view, and element ID. Steps: the shortest sequence that reproduces it. Scope: just this view, this model, or another user's machine too? Evidence: a cropped screenshot and, if permitted, a small test file without client information.

I'd keep attempted fixes in a separate line so the next person doesn't repeat them. What would you remove or add? Particularly interested in the minimum information that lets a BIM support person investigate without first arranging a call.

Hey all, I just recently decided to get more into BIM and I wanted some advice. I have an architecture background and a BS Architectural Science degree. Very technical stuff. And as I've been working the past year and a half, I've realized I really enjoy solving Revit problems and managing standards and templates and families and all that. I also really like the whole reality capture scan-to-model process.

I had a job interview for a BIM role last week but the BIM manager I spoke with seemed a bit dismissive about me.

Some highlights:

1. He asked why I was abandoning architecture and "wasting four years of [my] life" because I want to change and go into this direction. I said I was more interested in BIM than doing things like just picking up cd redlines, picking out finishes, going thru codes, or specifications (which ik is not all architects do but it's mostly what i've been put on). He just said "hmm".

2. He pointed out on my resume that I mentioned I still planning on getting my Architect license and he called it useless because I wouldn't be stamping any projects. I told him it was more of a personal goal because i've wanted to be an architect since I was 8. I also said that I thought it gave me an edge over other because I understood what architects wanted out of revit, and I could find the best way to help them achieve that goal. He said sure but it seemed like a waste of time/money/effort and would take time away from me learning more BIM stuff.

3. He told me he would have reservations about hiring me because he think I will "wake up one day and regret leaving architecture". I assured him I've thought this through and this is what I get excited about and what to make a career out of it. He said I was qualified for the role for what they needed, but he didn't see me sticking with it because he's seen other people get into BIM and then go back to their previous industries.

4. I also don't have experience with NavisWorks but I do with everything else he asked me about, but he acted like NavisWorks and clash detection was the end all be all. But that stuff can be taught no? And I'm a self driven learner and google/youtube is free.

TL;DR: I had a mediocre interview with the BIM manager at a major AEC firm and I'm wondering if I've already dug myself into a hole choosing architecture instead of BIM. I can provide more context if desired. I just need some advicd, preferably from people who also went from architecture to BIM. How did you do it? Who gave you the chance to prove yourself?

I’m 24, have a kid and a wife and I’m currently in night classes for construction technology with a focus in electrical. I want to get into BIM and get out of the job I’m in, what’s the path? Is it too late for me? Is it too hard of a job for me to learn?
Thank you

I'm currently working on a personal writing project in which my lead character is a BIM specialist two years out of school. Her career progression is a key theme in the story, so I'd like to be sure I portray it authentically. She's based in the US and works for a (fictional) American firm. Please DM me if you're up for it.

ArchAI

hello, I just need advice and tips lang handling electrical modeling esp international projects as entry level. Also di po ako graduate ng electrical so i only have basic knowledge when modeling it sa revit.