AEISDefine the source of truth
AEIS starts from an approved BIM or IFC source, not from a parallel spreadsheet model of the structure. Treat the issued IFC, or the Revit-prepared export that produces it, as the engineering source of truth for geometry, identity, levels, and the attributes the selected product will consume.
Record the revision, issue status, coordinate basis, discipline scope, and the person responsible for approving the source before any automation begins. If the team cannot name those facts, the first run is not ready.
- Confirm revision, issue status, and intended AEIS product.
- Name the coordinate basis, units expectation, and model origin convention.
- Identify excluded disciplines, zones, towers, or element classes.
- Record who approved the source and when it was issued for engineering use.
Check geometry and attributes
A model that looks complete in a viewer can still be unsuitable for calculation. Inspect the geometry and properties the selected product consumes: identifiers, materials, section data, levels, storeys, and classification fields mapped into analysis or design.
Prefer explicit, stable element identity over display names alone. Resolve duplicate, missing, or ambiguous elements before execution so the first run fails for engineering reasons, not for source hygiene.
- Review element identity, naming stability, and duplicate or orphaned objects.
- Check required material, section, and type properties for the selected product.
- Confirm storeys, levels, and vertical stacking match the engineering intent.
- Flag geometry that is visual-only and not suitable as analysis idealisation.
Confirm levels, units, and coordinates
Level structure, unit systems, and coordinate placement are common silent failure modes. Confirm that storey definitions, elevation references, and unit conventions match the project basis of design before the model enters an AEIS build or design stage.
If the IFC was transformed, federated, or re-exported, re-check origin, rotation, and unit conversion. Do not assume a clean visual alignment implies a clean engineering coordinate basis.
- Verify length, force, and stress unit expectations for the selected calculation.
- Confirm level names and elevations against the approved project grid and storey schedule.
- Check model origin, true north or project north handling, and any known offsets.
Watch for common source failures
Many first-run failures start in the source. Incomplete properties, mixed units, unstable IDs after re-export, missing foundation or superstructure scope, and unstated exclusions waste engineering time.
Treat these as preflight defects. Fix or explicitly exclude them before authorizing a build, design check, or external-tool stage.
- Missing or placeholder materials and section properties.
- Elements re-exported with new IDs that break continuity with prior runs.
- Scope that includes non-structural clutter the selected product will misread.
- Foundation, ELS, or superstructure content split across uncoordinated files.
Record engineering assumptions
State assumptions that are not carried by the model itself: soil idealisation, load factors, design options, excluded load paths, temporary works, or any manual overrides the engineer intends to apply in AEIS.
Keep assumptions with the engineering-case brief so reviewers can distinguish authored BIM data from configuration. Unrecorded assumptions become invisible design decisions.
- Separate model facts from product configuration and engineer judgment.
- Write down defaults the team is willing to accept for the first controlled run.
- Note any temporary or construction-stage conditions outside the permanent model.
Validate before automation
Use BIM Source Review (IFC Viewer), and Revit Data Preparation (AEIS Revit Plugin) where applicable, to inspect geometry, properties, and validation findings before calculation begins. Validation is evidence that the source is fit for the selected product.
Capture validation messages, unresolved warnings, and the decisions taken against them. A clean visual model with open validation debt is not an accepted source.
- Load the issued IFC and inspect the elements the selected product will consume.
- Review validation findings and close or explicitly accept each open item.
- Confirm the Revit preparation and export path when the IFC originates from Revit 2026+.
Set an acceptance target
Define the output that will demonstrate a useful first run: a validated source package, a scoped design check, an external-tool input set, or a report package a qualified engineer can review. Without that target, the team cannot tell whether the preflight succeeded.
Keep the first acceptance target small and measurable. Prove one source-to-output case before expanding across towers, disciplines, or products.
- Name the product or delivery stage the source is intended to feed.
- Define the artifact or check result that counts as a successful first run.
- Identify who will accept, revise, or reject the outcome.
Hand off to the selected AEIS product
Once the source is approved, use the smallest AEIS product that can prove value: BIM Source Review for inspection, a Browser Design product for a focused calculation, or Connected Delivery when the licensed worker is ready.
Carry the revision identity, assumptions, exclusions, and acceptance target into the engineering-case brief. The handoff is complete only when the next engineer can restate the source, task, and evidence they expect to review.
- Link the approved IFC revision to the defined AEIS engineering case.
- Pass assumptions and exclusions with the run brief, not only in chat.
- Start with one controlled case rather than an organization-wide automation claim.