Converting 2D Construction Documents into a Building Information Model (BIM) for Construction

New BIM in Construction Series

We have been hard at work getting ready to tell a lifecycle BIM in Construction story where a Building Information Model (BIM) created by Architects can be leveraged by applications like Navisworks and QTO (Quantity Takeoff) to assist with pre-construction efforts.  A few of our construction customers have asked about easy ways to convert a 2D set of drawings into 3D BIM for use in construction.  These construction customers are working on building projects not created with BIM tools like Revit, but the advantages that BIM extends to pre-construction with estimating, presentations, clash detection, and general constructibility analysis seem to warrant spending the time and money required to create a construction model for themselves. 

Well of course there is no 'easy' button to do this so I've decided to set off on a journey to try and accomplish this for myself.  I'll document what I find here on Connected in the Tips & Tricks Category. 

Converting DWF sheets to DWG
The first challenge is to find a way to convert DWF drawing sheets to DWG format so we can import and trace the sheets with Revit Architecture .  Here's an excellent post from JTB World that explains one simple way to do this.