Introduction to STEP and EXPRESS

Instructor: Kim Jung, LocLab Consulting, DE

Schedule: Tuesday 8th December 09:00-10:30

Summary

To be able to develop an own approach in the digitization of the building industry, it is essential to acquire a knowledge of the digital basics. STEP and EXPRESS form the basis of the BIM format IFC (Industry Foundation Classes). To understand STEP and EXPRESS means to understand IFC.

For the manufacturer-independent exchange of product data, ISO standard 10303 ("Industrial automation systems and integration - Product data representation and exchange") represents a central industry standard, informally known as STEP ("Standard for the Exchange of Product model data"). A central component of the STEP standard is the EXPRESS meta language (ISO 10303-11) for data modeling, which defines all language components.

The lecture offers an introduction to the basics of STEP and EXPRESS, the fields of application and strengths, but also the limits and weaknesses of the standards.  As well it will explain why data modeling and the use of standard languages is essential for new formats like IFC.