Skip to content

    BIM Object Libraries: How UK Designers Find and Check Objects

    By Faura ·

    BIM Object Libraries: How UK Designers Find and Check Objects

    A BIM object library is an online collection of digital product models that you load into design software such as Revit or Archicad. Each object carries geometry, product data and appearance, so a door, light fitting or basin behaves in the model as the real product would. In the UK, the NBS National BIM Library and manufacturer-specific libraries are the usual starting points, and the main skill is checking an object before it goes into a live project model.

    This guide is written for interior designers, architects, developers and contractors working on London projects. It covers what the objects contain, generic versus manufacturer objects, file formats, access, quality checks and how objects fit with specification.

    Faura
    Bring BIM Specifications Into Material Selection
    Faura brings product samples, technical files and a materials library together for trade designers specifying interiors in London.
    Visit

    TL;DR

    • A BIM object combines product information, geometry, visualisation and behavioural data, so it works as more than a 3D block.
    • Generic objects hold a place early in design. Manufacturer objects replace them once a product is specified.
    • UK libraries such as the NBS National BIM Library and Bimstore are free to download from, though registration is required.
    • Library quality varies. Check dimensions, properties, naming and file format against the NBS BIM Object Standard before use.
    • Your specification still has to match the real product, its finish and its technical file.

    Table of Contents

    What a BIM object library contains

    NBS describes a BIM object as a combination of product information, geometry, visualisation data and behavioural data. The behavioural part covers things like detection zones, which let the object be positioned or behave as the product itself would.

    A library groups these objects so you can search by type, manufacturer or system. NBS also separates two kinds of object:

    • Component objects have a fixed geometrical shape, such as a washbasin, a luminaire or a chair.
    • Layered objects have no fixed shape or size, such as a wall, floor or ceiling build-up.

    For interiors work, most of what you place by hand is component objects: furniture, sanitaryware, lighting, appliances and ironmongery. Layered objects matter when your partition, floor or ceiling build-up has to be coordinated with the architect’s model.

    Generic and manufacturer objects: when to use each

    The distinction is the most useful thing to understand about any library. NBS explains that generic objects, often called library objects, act as placeholders during initial design. Specific objects, often called manufacturer objects, represent a particular manufacturer’s products.

    The intended workflow is simple. NBS describes the idea that designers use generic objects early to document design intent. As the project progresses, they replace those generics with proprietary objects.

    NATSPEC’s guidance adds precision on what each should contain. A generic object should carry nominal values, while a manufacturer object should contain actual dimensions representing an obtainable product. It also states that a generic object suits stages where the final solution is not fully resolved.

    What this means for a London fit-out

    On a Westminster apartment or a Mayfair office floor, you rarely know the final sofa, pendant or taps at concept stage. A generic object lets the model carry a seat count, a fitting position or a sanitaryware zone. When the client signs off the scheme, you swap it for the specified item and the schedule updates from the object data.

    The swap only works if the specified product exists as an object, and that depends on the manufacturer. Many smaller European makers, common in high-end interiors, do not publish BIM content. In that case you either model the product to the technical drawing or keep a clearly labelled generic placeholder with the specification noted alongside.

    File formats and software support

    Objects are only useful if they open in your software. NBS states that BIM objects are available in formats for Revit Architecture, Bentley AECOsim, Nemetschek Vectorworks and Graphisoft ArchiCAD, and can also be supplied in open formats such as IFC. That matters because a project is worked on by designers on several platforms and then analysed by contractors, quantity surveyors and facilities managers, who may use others.

    A practical rule:

    1. Use the native format (for example RFA for Revit) when the whole team shares one platform.
    2. Use IFC when you exchange models across platforms or with a consultant on different software.
    3. Check the software version. An object built in a newer release will not open in an older one.

    NATSPEC’s list of UK object libraries notes that the NBS National BIM Library provides generic and proprietary objects in Archicad, Bentley, Revit and IFC, and also lists Bimstore.

    Where UK teams find BIM objects

    There are three broad types of source.

    National or independent libraries. The NBS National BIM Library launched at Ecobuild in 2012 as the UK’s first platform-neutral, free-to-use library of generic and proprietary objects. NBS said in 2014 it held over 10,000 objects, including generic mechanical and electrical objects and major building fabric systems. Its generic objects are, in NBS’s words, still freely available.

    Manufacturer-specific libraries. Bimstore describes itself as the UK’s largest manufacturer-specific library, founded in 2011. Its FAQs state it is 100% free to use for viewing and downloading, and that content is typically built to LOD4 (AIA LOD 300) in line with its own internal standard. Registration is required but there are no other subscriptions, according to its own history page.

    Manufacturers’ own websites. Many brands host files for download or supply them on request through their trade team. This is often the only route for specialist lighting, brassware or hardware.

    Do you need an account?

    Usually, yes. The NBS Revit plug-in is a free tool, but you must be logged in with an NBS account to download objects. Once logged in, you can search or browse inside the plug-in and add an object to the model with Add to model or by dragging and dropping it.

    The Autodesk App Store listing adds that where an object comes from a manufacturer, the plug-in can connect you to that organisation for technical support.

    How to check a BIM object before you use it

    Free to download does not mean fit for your project. NATSPEC cautions that numerous online libraries exist but quality varies enormously. Some are file-sharing sites with little visible quality control, and each site has its own modelling standards.

    The NBS BIM Object Standard gives you a benchmark. NBS says it defines requirements for information, geometry, behaviour and presentation, and offers reassurance of consistent quality across multiple authors.

    A six-point object check

    1. Dimensions. Compare the object to the manufacturer’s technical drawing. NATSPEC’s open standard states that proprietary objects shall have accurate critical dimensions and metadata.
    2. Properties. The NBS standard says an object shall have completed values where known and no unset values, with “n/a” where information is unknown or not applicable. Open the properties and look for blanks.
    3. Naming. NBS requires consistently named properties and unique object and file names, which avoids duplicated information and helps export.
    4. Compatibility with handover data. The same NBS standard recommends compatibility with COBie, the structure used to pass information to facilities management.
    5. File weight. Heavy objects slow a model. Prefer objects that show the product accurately without excess detail.
    6. Provenance. Know who made the object and whether it carries a revision date.

    The Institution of Structural Engineers makes a related point from the engineering side: BIM does not remove the need for thorough checking and quality procedures on any deliverable. It also advises against manually adding information to objects, because it is slow and prone to error. If an object needs heavy manual editing, that is a signal to look for a better source.

    UK standards that shape how you use objects

    On public work, BIM is not optional. The Institution of Structural Engineers notes that the UK Government mandated BIM at Level 2 on all public projects by 2016. It also notes that BS EN ISO 19650 now defines maturity in stages, and that the Exchange Information Requirements (EIR) and BIM Execution Plan (BEP) are the two key documents for aligning with stage 2.

    For your objects, that means reading the EIR before you choose any. It will tell you the information the client or lead appointed party expects each object to carry, and the BEP will set how your team delivers it. Private residential and hospitality projects may not impose these, but developers and contractors often ask for the same discipline.

    NBS also publishes family templates and a shared parameter file used by its authoring team, covering generic, face-based, floor-based, line-based, wall-based, ceiling-based and roof-based objects, with a project template that has preloaded IFC property sets. If you build your own objects, working from a recognised template keeps them consistent with the rest of the model.

    If your practice has a firm information standard, apply it uniformly. Mixed naming and parameters across objects are the most common reason a schedule will not export cleanly.

    UK standards that shape how you use objects

    From placeholder to specification

    A BIM object does not replace a specification. It supports one. The object holds geometry and data, but finish, colour, fabric, stone batch and fixing method still sit in your schedule and technical files.

    A workable sequence for a London scheme:

    • Concept: place generic objects for furniture zones, fittings and sanitaryware.
    • Developed design: shortlist products by viewing and handling them, then request technical files and objects from the makers.
    • Specification: swap generics for manufacturer objects where they exist, and record the finish and variant in the schedule.
    • Procurement: issue the schedule, with the technical file attached to each line, to whoever is ordering.

    Our guides on writing FF&E specifications and on sourcing products in six steps cover the specification side in more depth.

    Perspective

    Digital objects are good at geometry and data. They cannot show you how a bronze finish reads under warm light, how a veneer feels at the edge or whether a fabric hangs as the sample suggested. Designers still need to see and handle the product before it goes into a schedule.

    That is why we built the Faura residency around finished interiors, a materials library and technical files in one Westminster base. You can see a specified item in a room, check its data sheet, and then reflect it accurately in your model. Where a brand supplies BIM content, you can pursue it with confidence that the object matches what you have actually looked at.

    Our view is simple: the model and the showroom do different jobs, and the best-documented projects use both. Trade terms are agreed individually with each approved account, and our team handles procurement, logistics and delivery once the specification is settled.

    Faura Editorial

    Using a showroom alongside your BIM workflow

    For a designer or architect, the showroom visit slots into the specification stage. You confirm the product in person, take the technical file, and then update the generic object in your model. A materials library supports the same step for finishes: samples and cuttings sit beside the data, so what you model matches what you showed the client.

    Faura is a trade-only showroom and residency in Westminster, open by appointment Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18:00. Designers can specify from over 200 brands across furniture, lighting, stone and surfaces, bathrooms, textiles, paint and architectural hardware. Architects and developers can look at specification support and FF&E procurement, and designers can read about the residency and trade account. For a view of the whole space, see our London interior design showroom.

    If you want one team to order, deliver and invoice once the specification is final, trade access at Faura is the place to start.

    FAQ

    What is the difference between a BIM object and a CAD block?

    A CAD block is mainly geometry. A BIM object also carries product information, visualisation data and behavioural data, according to NBS. That extra data lets the model produce schedules and support analysis.

    Are BIM objects free to download in the UK?

    Many are. The NBS National BIM Library describes itself as free to use, and Bimstore states it does not charge for viewing or downloading. Both ask you to register, so budget a few minutes for an account.

    Can I use a generic object in a final specification?

    Generic objects are intended as placeholders for stages when the solution is not fully resolved. For a specified product, use the manufacturer’s object where one exists, or record the exact product in your schedule alongside the placeholder.

    Which file format should I choose?

    Use your software’s native format when the team shares a platform, and IFC when exchanging between platforms. Check the software version before downloading.

    Does a BIM object tell me whether a product suits my London project?

    No. It describes geometry and data. Finish, performance and compliance, including fire performance where relevant, need checking against the technical file and confirming with the relevant adviser or manufacturer.

    Sources

    Related on Faura

    More from the journal