Solibri Model Checker

Solibri Model Checker
Name	Solibri Model Checker
Developer	Solibri Oy
Released	1999
Latest release	(varies)
Operating system	Microsoft Windows
Genre	Building information modeling, quality assurance

Solibri Model Checker is a proprietary software application for quality assurance, compliance checking, and coordination of building information models in architecture, engineering, and construction workflows. The application integrates model validation, rule-based checking, clash detection, and issue management to support project delivery across stakeholders such as owners, contractors, architects, and consultants. Solibri Oy developed the tool to interact with common BIM formats and enterprise processes used by firms and institutions in the construction and infrastructure sectors.

Overview

Solibri Model Checker operates within ecosystems populated by firms like Autodesk, Bentley Systems, Trimble, Graphisoft, and Nemetschek Group, interfacing with standards and bodies such as buildingSMART International, International Organization for Standardization, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and major universities and research centers. The product is designed to complement authoring tools including Revit, ARCHICAD, MicroStation, Tekla Structures, and coordination platforms like Navisworks and BIM 360. Project delivery frameworks that reference the tool include workflows from Fédération Internationale des Ingénieurs-Conseils, World Bank financed projects, and large contractor organizations such as Bechtel, Skanska, ACS Group, and Vinci SA. Procurement and compliance processes in public agencies—mirrored by bodies like US General Services Administration and Transport for London—can leverage rule sets implemented in the application.

Features and Functionality

The product's core features encompass rule-based model checking, automated clash detection, quantity takeoff, classification auditing, and issue and report generation. Its Checking functionality supports rule catalogs used by standards organizations like ISO 19650, British Standards Institution, DIN committees, and national technical specifications such as those from Standards Australia or National Building Code of Canada. Solibri Model Checker provides reporting compatible with project management and collaboration systems from vendors including Procore Technologies, Aconex (Oracle), Trimble Connect, and enterprise platforms used by Siemens, General Electric, and Royal HaskoningDHV. It supports inspection workflows analogous to inspection regimes enforced by agencies like Environmental Protection Agency and Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the context of health and safety compliance.

Architecture and File Formats

Solibri Model Checker consumes and processes open and proprietary BIM formats, interoperating with Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), IFC4, IFC2x3, and exchange formats produced by authoring applications such as Revit, ARCHICAD, Tekla Structures, and MicroStation. The software’s architecture employs a desktop client optimized for Microsoft Windows environments and integrates with enterprise servers and cloud services from vendors like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform for storage and collaboration in large-scale projects. Data models and classification schemes used in the system can reference taxonomies from institutions such as OmniClass, UniFormat, and MasterFormat, and link to asset and facilities management systems like IBM Maximo and SAP.

Workflow and Use Cases

Common workflows center on design coordination, clash management, code compliance verification, quantity extraction for estimating, and handover to facilities management. Project teams combine Solibri Model Checker with design tools like Autodesk Revit, Rhino, and SketchUp for iterative validation, and with coordination platforms such as Navisworks for 4D simulation and scheduling alongside tools from Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project. Use cases include utilities and infrastructure projects involving clients like National Grid plc and Balfour Beatty, healthcare projects governed by standards from World Health Organization design guidance, and transportation projects with stakeholders like Transport for NSW and Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Development and Version History

The product originated in the late 1990s and evolved through multiple releases as BIM matured; developments paralleled industry milestones such as the proliferation of IFC and the formalization of digital construction standards by buildingSMART International and national bodies. Over time Solibri Oy expanded the application’s rule engines, reporting, and interoperability features to address needs identified by firms including AECOM, Arup, WSP Global, and Atkins. Corporate acquisitions and partnerships across the software and construction sectors, involving entities like Nemetschek Group and Trimble, have influenced commercial BIM toolchains and integration patterns that shaped feature roadmaps.

Licensing and Distribution

Solibri Model Checker is distributed under commercial licensing models targeted at enterprise, project, and subscription customers, with options for network licensing and named-user subscriptions used by global engineering firms such as SNC-Lavalin and Jacobs Engineering Group. Licensing arrangements are often negotiated alongside professional services sold by system integrators and channel partners including regional resellers and consultants who also provide training aligned with certification schemes run by institutions such as Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and industry bodies offering continuing professional development.

Adoption and Industry Impact

Adoption of Solibri Model Checker influenced coordination culture within large practices and public procurement that mandate BIM deliverables, affecting workflows in organizations like Skanska, Turner Construction Company, Lendlease, and government programs such as the UK Government's BIM mandate and initiatives in Finland and Singapore promoting digital construction. The tool contributed to reducing rework, improving constructability reviews, and supporting digital handover to facilities managers at organizations like HSBC and University College London hospitals. As BIM and digital twins converge, interactions with platforms developed by companies like Siemens, Dassault Systèmes, AVEVA, and Bentley Systems continue to shape cross-disciplinary integration.

Category:Building information modeling