Trends, Problems, and Solutions from Point Cloud via Non-Uniform Rational Basis Spline to Building Information Modelling: Bibliometric and Systematic Study

Abstract

Building Information Modelling (BIM) has found applications not only in the planning and designing of new buildings but also in project monitoring, record-keeping, and analyses of existing structures. In addition to its primary application, information modelling spreads to other areas, developing solutions for their specific uses. This study engaged a mixed-method literature review according to the extent of the pool of knowledge for two research steps between three concepts—from point cloud to NURBS and then from NURBS to BIM. In the first step, the keywords point cloud and NURBS were analysed using scientometric methods. In the second step, a systematic analysis of the content of works obtained with the keywords NURBS and BIM is presented, extracting problems and proposed solutions for information transfer technology. The results of a quantitative analysis identified major trends, (1) research is distributed in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary areas and historical (heritage) modelling is the highlighted one, (2) development of technologies for object surveying, and (3) the application of data in different engineering fields, while a qualitative analysis points at problems in (1) model building, (2) interoperability, and (3) automatization. Solutions such as mixed models, multi-layered models, a mix of formats, or bridging elements (semantics, proto-model) are proposed.