BIM Mastery

Engineers can complete projects small or big, simple or complex with the beauty of BIM. BIM has evolved over the years and has helped successfully design many great structural engineering feats. It has taken engineers from novice to expert and continues to shape designs of the present and future.

We recently sat down with Bennett & Pless and BIM expert, Marty Herrin. Marty began working in the structural engineering world in 1982, experiencing changes as they come and go in drafting over the years. Starting out, Marty designed drawings on drawing boards using technical pens and drawing on mylar. Not too long after, conversations circulated about how computers would be taking over drafting. Eventually AutoCAD was born.

In 1998, Marty accepted a position with an architectural firm out of Key West, Florida where he crafted his expertise on compiling a presentable, complete, clear and accurate set of drawings. This caught the attention of Moe Bennett and Rex Pless, and in 2005 Marty was made Bennett & Pless’ CAD Manager. To create consistency throughout the offices, Marty designed Bennett & Pless’ set of CAD standards that are still used in each office today.

When we asked Marty what his most challenging BIM project has been to date, he spoke about a high school auditorium with a sloped seating area and sloped roof. It was difficult and tedious for him to get the auditorium floor and roof to fully appear on the same plan. Some projects present more challenges than others, however with patience and practice they can be mastered.

With the mastery of BIM, the expertise in the drawings shines through to clients and must always exceed expectations. With Marty’s CAD standards for Bennett & Pless, the structural engineers strive to present the best set of drawings the client has possibly ever seen.