There was an interesting post recently over at practical BIM by Antony McPhee. If you are unsure about Level of Development and Level of Detail then you should have a read;
“To avoid confusion we all should always use the acronym LOD for Level of Development, and use some other term for level of detail. “Grade” is used by a few BIM guides, but it not very descriptive. To keep the metaphor going how about “Depth of Detail” (DOD), where each LOD is a level of certainty passing through the Depth of Detail.”
Between Level of Detail and Development, different people’s interpretation of them, and by the time you throw in a NATSPEC LOD table, it’s no surprise that some people find it confusing! I get frustrated when consultants start on about LOD, asking what level the project requires. For starters the model isn’t ever going to be consistently one LOD! Then different consultant models will have different requirements, etc.
LOD is a complex beast to deal with, but as long as it is driven by realistic requirements rather than an inexperienced BIM manager or a client’s idealistic expectations, it can be a very useful clarification when establishing your deliverables!
Clarity not complexity leads to a betterRevit and good BIM for all!
