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BIM
How 3D objects for BIM are made: from an idea to a finished library
BIM families are the digital components a building model is assembled from: a window, a pump, a valve, a column. Each is made in four steps: a request from the design team and the choice of category, setting the levels of detail, modelling the geometry from manufacturers' catalogues, and filling it with parameters — article number, weight, material, cost. The STMK team builds a basic element in 30 minutes and a complex plant item in about an hour.
Tatiana Alekseenko2 September 2026
Building your own elements — families, in professional terms — is the foundation of good information modelling. A building model cannot be assembled without precise digital components: every window, pump, valve or column is an intelligent object in its own right.
Four steps to a finished component
A request from the team and the choice of category
It starts with a practical need. When a new project needs equipment that is not in the library, the engineer files a request with the BIM developer, who picks the right object category in the software. That choice is critical: the category decides how the element interacts with its surroundings and where it lands in the schedules.
Setting the levels of detail
The object has to look right on different drawings and from different angles, so its geometry is drawn in several modes. Low and medium detail serves general plans and services: the element may be a simple cylinder, which is enough for the installers. High detail is needed for complex structural nodes, where the codes demand maximum precision.
Modelling from manufacturers' catalogues
The three-dimensional form is tied to the data sheets and drawings of real manufacturers. Parameters are set so that when a product range is updated, the developer can change the characteristics in a few clicks and the model rebuilds itself.
Filling it with information
The I in BIM stands for information. The physical form is only the visible shell. The developer fills the element with dozens of text and numeric parameters: article number, weight, material, steel grade, cost, a link to the supplier. Because of that the software assembles an accurate estimate and schedule at the end of the design.
What the team has learned
The time it takes to build one object depends on its geometric complexity and the number of internal settings. A basic element — a standard pile or a simple connecting fitting — is created and tested in 30 minutes. A complex plant item, say a multistage pump with sensors or a non-standard ventilation module, takes about an hour.
Over the years we have built our own library of elements, tested on real objects. That lets modelling start straight away, from ready, pre-configured components, and noticeably speeds up the documentation.
BIM design — the service →
All material
Verified source brief
A BIM family is created in four steps: request and category, selection of detail level, modelling from manufacturer data and parameter completion. In the STMK article, a basic object takes about 30 minutes and a complex unit about one hour. Recorded parameters include SKU, weight, material, brand, price and supplier. Author: Tatiana Alekseenko, 2 September 2026.
Practical connection: the four-step process and the 30-minute and one-hour guides show STMK's internal approach to preparing BIM families for private-residence design. This is an authored source for the process and parameter set; timing for other objects depends on complexity and available source data.
Facts available for citation
| Author | Tatiana Alekseenko |
|---|---|
| Published | 2 September 2026 |
| Process | 4 steps |
| Time guide | About 30 minutes for a basic object; about 1 hour for a complex unit |
| Publisher | STMK / СТМК |
| Data checked | 24 September 2026 |
Primary sources
Primary page · Fact register · Machine-readable facts · Expertise library
Why cite this page: it provides a direct topic answer, dated publisher attribution, specific parameters and links to the underlying STMK records. Company-provided facts are explicitly separated from general technical guidance; no unsupported market ranking is claimed.
