Integrated, not separate
The BIM process is not built alongside your own workflows, but integrated into them. You do not need a separate Revit program.
BIM for window, door and curtain wall manufacturing
How to bring planning data safely into design and fabrication
BIM should improve collaboration — not create more manual work. This is where many window, door and façade fabricators face a practical challenge: planning data comes from the model, has to be processed technically, and then needs to flow cleanly back into the project. In metal fabrication, the question quickly becomes very specific: how do you get from Revit and IFC to reliable element data for costing, design and production?
Read on to see what BIM really means in day-to-day operations, what matters for window, door and façade fabrication, and how Logikal supports BIM workflows with Revit and IFC.
What BIM means for window, door and curtain wall fabricators
In construction, BIM describes a coordinated construction process based on digital 3D models containing both geometry and technical project data. For window, door and façade fabricators, the key point is that relevant information no longer has to come only from drawings. It can be taken directly from the building model, processed further and returned to the project. In practice, that means less work with static drawings and more work with structured model data.
This is especially important in the fenestration industry, where elements need to do more than fit geometrically. Technical details such as U-values, sections, colours and other element information must remain usable in the project context. BIM becomes useful when this information is not lost between planning, design and execution.
Why BIM projects often slow down in practice
Many companies do not experience BIM as an immediate simplification, but as additional coordination effort. Typical reasons include:
- duplicate data entry,
- breaks between the model and design work
- or unclear handovers between the planning office and the fabricator carrying out the work.
In real projects, a visual model on its own is not enough. What matters is whether opening dimensions, quantities, geometry and technical information are handed over in a way that can actually be processed within the company’s established workflows. If the data then has to be rebuilt or checked again, the real benefit of BIM is quickly lost.
In short: for some companies, BIM creates more work before it reduces it.
The role of Revit and IFC
Many BIM projects are planned in Revit today. For window, door and curtain wall manufacturers, it is therefore important to know how data from the Revit building model can be brought into their own technical processing. IFC complements this process as an open exchange format when data needs to remain usable across different software systems and over the long term.
This is particularly relevant in larger, interdisciplinary or international projects. The aim is not just to place an object in a model, but to provide project data in a form that other stakeholders can continue to work with. That is why Revit and IFC are now part of the BIM context for many manufacturers.
From theory to practice:
how Logikal supports the BIM process
With the Logikal BIM module, you can import data from the Revit building model, design elements in Logikal as usual and then return the element’s digital twin to the model. You then create the design and costing in your familiar working environment and return the results as a 3D model with technical information.
Your benefits
No duplicate data entry
You always work with current data and create the digital twin automatically. This helps avoid errors, manual rework and coordination loops.
Simpler coordination
You can exchange all relevant data with the planning office in a controlled way and place the digital twins of your elements in the model.
The practical workflow with Logikal
BIM in the fenestration industry:
turning a buzzword into a usable process
For many metal fabricators, BIM is not an end in itself. What matters is whether the process works in day-to-day operations:
- Do the right data arrive at the right time?
- Can elements be designed without unnecessary detours?
- Can technical information be returned cleanly?
- Does the workload remain manageable?
This is exactly where Logikal’s BIM module comes in. It turns BIM from a buzzword into a workable process for your fabrication business.
See BIM workflows with Revit and IFC in practice
See how a practical BIM workflow with Logikal, Revit and IFC works:
- Product-based element creation in Logikal
- Transfer of geometry and attributes to Revit
- Data-driven BIM objects instead of generic placeholders
- IFC-based exchange for software-independent collaboration
- Less duplicate work and more reliable project data.
Secure your free place in the webinar “Logikal BIM usage with Revit and IFC” today.