# BIM-Based Method for the Verification of Building Code Compliance
## 4 Discussion  
Using the BIM models created in Autodesk Revit, together with a personal template and the routine developed in Dynamo, it was possible to analyse and automate the verification of urban indexes compliance for different case studies in Brazil. The execution of the automated routine was significantly faster than the typical analysis process and has provided reliable results. Using the traditional index evaluation method, human errors were usual both in assessing building data and when performing the index calculations. Such issues were common among designers, which were required to guarantee the building compliance before project submission, but also for municipality evaluators, which must verify all the rules and indexes compliance (double work). Besides the considerable time required, such errors could also contribute to delaying all the process, creating a less efficient working method. The main advantages of the automated routine concern the precision, quickness and reliability of the results, leading to faster and more efficient analysis, both for designers and municipalities. Moreover, such a routine can also significantly support designers' decisions when creating innovative design options, as they can have real-time information about the project design compliance. The case study results have proved the method's applicability in different buildings and regions of Brazil. Both models have been successfully assessed. The SF building has not been approved to issue a building permit, as it failed in complying with the minimum window area requirements. Understanding this constraint during the project's early stages can support designers in selecting new solutions to comply with local and national regulations, with low efforts and costs. Verifying such issues near to project submission (traditional practice) would eventually lead to major changes in project design--updating architectural and engineering project documentation, client approval and material selection, among others--which entails higher costs and considerable time. The MF building has been quickly assessed and approved, only by updating the inputs for the Dynamo routine--Florianopolis index limits--as presented in Figure 11. The automated analysis has provided real-time compliance results, allowing to optimise resources and efforts and improve project efficiency. City hall experts would also have similar benefits, as well as reduced bureaucracy and faster project appraisal. Figure 10: Individual output analysis (SF building). The case studies have also demonstrated that the workflow created with Autodesk Revit and Dynamo must follow specific modelling rules, for a proper data collection from the BIM model. If the modelling stage does not follow such guidelines, specific errors may occur during the analysis. As an example, if the building roof is modelled under the \"Floor\" category, the Dynamo routine will not be able to assess the maximum building height index, as it considers the highest point of slabs modelled under the \"Rood\" category. Similar problems may happen if walls are not divided in their intersections, making unfeasible the identification of which walls are associated with each building room. In addition to the modelling guidelines, a personal template is also required, which has been characterised by a set of shared parameters and predefined schedules for facilitating and fostering data collection. The use of such a template is mandatory for the analysis, as the Dynamo routine specific uses the schedule data to perform the calculations. The template can be easily used and replicated, only by updating the building code indexes (Dynamo inputs), according to the project type and location. The template use can be avoided by creating a second Dynamo routine, which would perform the same actions, but would also create the need to run such a routine before the modelling stage.