LOD (Level of Development) defines what your BIM model actually contains: which elements are modelled, to what geometric accuracy and with what information attached. It determines what you will be able to do with the model: dimension, quantify, coordinate, or merely view. At Studio BIM the price question is settled in advance: the model is delivered at LOD 300, the standard for design phases, at the displayed price. LOD is not a pricing dial. What remains is the essential part: understanding what each level covers, and checking that 300 matches the use you have in mind.
Want to price your project straight away? The configurator gives you a price in 2 minutes, LOD 300 model included. To understand what you are buying, read on.
Where LOD comes from, and what it is not
The LOD 100–400 scale comes from the American BIMForum / AIA standard, which has become the de facto reference in French-speaking Switzerland too: tenders and BIM execution plans (in the sense of SIA technical bulletin 2051) refer to it. Two clarifications that avoid 80% of misunderstandings:
- LOD is not “visual level of detail”. The D stands for Development: it is the degree of reliability of the element. A LOD 300 wall is not “prettier” than a LOD 200 wall; it is positioned and dimensioned exactly, and can therefore be used for dimensioning, quantities and coordination.
- LOD is defined per element, not per model. A good BIM execution plan specifies “walls and slabs LOD 300, façades LOD 350, furniture LOD 100”. For an as-built survey, we speak of the dominant overall LOD as a simplification, but a serious quote lists the element families.
The table: what each level contains
| LOD | What is modelled | Concrete examples | Typical uses | At Studio BIM* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | Symbolic volumes and areas, no reliable thicknesses | Building mass, planning envelopes; in Revit: conceptual masses; in Archicad: morphs / zones | Feasibility study, urban massing, first estimates | Rarely delivered on its own; any LOD 300 model covers it by definition |
| 200 | Generic elements: correct position, approximate dimensions | “Generic 20 cm” wall, window in the right opening but standard joinery, simplified stair, no mouldings | Preliminary design, options, presentation files, portfolio management | On quotation, where the use justifies it (feasibility, heritage) |
| 300 | Exact geometry: dimensions, position, orientation, composition of elements | Walls at their real thicknesses, windows at surveyed dimensions (parametric Revit families / Archicad GDL objects), slabs with significant level differences | Building permit application, detailed design, tenders, SIA 416 areas | Standard deliverable, included in the displayed price |
| 350 | LOD 300 + interfaces between systems: connections, openings, supports | Penetrations and openings for services, structure/façade junctions, main cornices and mouldings (Archicad complex profiles, Revit sweeps) | Interdisciplinary coordination, major renovation with MEP, technical coordination | On quotation (often by zone: risers, technical ceiling voids) |
| 400 | Fabrication and assembly detail | Balustrade metalwork, timber roof joints, façade fixings, services with full support systems | Construction drawings, prefabrication, listed heritage | On quotation, scope defined family by family |
* At Studio BIM, LOD is not a price factor: the displayed price, the same as in the configurator, includes the LOD 300 model. LOD 200 or 350–400 is discussed at quote stage, with no hidden price grid per level. For amounts in CHF/m², see our article How much does a 3D survey cost in French-speaking Switzerland?. Benchmark: 850 m² in survey + LOD 300 model = CHF 5’350.
And LOD 500? In the original standard it does not describe a higher level of detail but a model verified on site (as-built). A scan-to-BIM survey produces, by definition, a model that matches the existing building: the term LOD 500 adds more confusion than information, and we do not use it in our offers.
Mapping to SIA 102 phases
In French-speaking Switzerland, the most reliable reflex is to start from the SIA 102 phase in which the model will be used:
| SIA 102 phase | Recommended LOD |
|---|---|
| 2: Preliminary studies (feasibility) | 100–200 |
| 31: Preliminary design | 200 |
| 32 / 33: Detailed design, building permit application | 200–300 |
| 41: Tender | 300 |
| 51 / 52: Construction documentation, construction | 350–400 |
| 6: Operation, portfolio management | 200 (geometry) + data |
The logic: LOD follows the accuracy the phase needs, not the other way round. A LOD 400 model at preliminary design stage brings nothing; the project is going to transform the surveyed building anyway. That is also why LOD 300 is our standard: it covers phases 32 to 41, where most as-built surveys are used.
Three practical cases
Building permit application (phase 33). The file requires exact plans, sections and elevations at drawing level, not assembly details. A LOD 300 survey of the envelope and load-bearing elements is enough in the vast majority of cases; the interior can often stay at LOD 200 if the application concerns the envelope. Real example (anonymised): for a mansion in Geneva, an architecture practice ordered the interior at LOD 200 and the façades at LOD 300, a mix defined at quote stage that tailored the offer to the exact needs of the file without taking anything away from the permit.
Major renovation. Here LOD 300 is the floor: contractors will price and build from the model. If the project touches the building services (MEP), LOD 350 in the coordination zones (risers, substations, technical ceiling voids) avoids the clashes otherwise discovered with a breaker. The rest of the building can stay at LOD 300: it is this mix by zone, defined at quote stage, that tailors the model to the project.
Portfolio management. This is the most counter-intuitive case: a property management firm or an institutional owner needs little geometry (LOD 200 is more than enough) but a lot of data: areas by use, materials, renovation years, tenants. The value lies in the information attached to the elements and in the SIA 416 areas the model can calculate, not in the mouldings. Demanding LOD 350 for a property portfolio means ordering geometry that nobody will ever open.
The classic mistake: demanding LOD 400 when 200 would do
The information asymmetry always works the same way: the provider knows what each level means, the client does not. The result is two symmetrical drifts that we regularly see in tenders in French-speaking Switzerland:
- Overselling: proposing LOD 350–400 “to be safe” to a client preparing a preliminary design. Extra accuracy billed on top, obsolete as soon as the project starts.
- Vagueness: an offer for a “complete BIM model” with no LOD specified per element family. Impossible to compare two quotes, impossible to sign off the model.
Our answer is the same as on prices: everything is written down, nothing is hidden. At Studio BIM, LOD 300 is the standard, delivered at the displayed price; the configurator does not ask you to choose a level, because there is no hidden price grid behind it. If your project justifies something else (LOD 200 for a feasibility study, 350–400 for prefabrication or fine coordination), it is discussed at quote stage, and each offer then specifies the LOD per element family. You know what you are getting before you commit.
Revit or Archicad: is the LOD the same?
The LOD scale is independent of the software: it is the contract, not the tool. What changes is how you get there: in Revit, moving up the LOD scale means increasingly parametric families (a LOD 300 window is a family at surveyed dimensions, a LOD 400 one includes the joinery detail); in Archicad, GDL objects and complex profiles for cornices and mouldings. At equal LOD, the deliverables are equivalent and exportable to IFC. The real choice between the two is made elsewhere; we set it out in Scan-to-BIM: Revit or Archicad?
FAQ
Which LOD for a building permit application in French-speaking Switzerland? LOD 300 for the envelope and structure, LOD 200 possible inside depending on the scope of the application. This is the level that guarantees exact plans, sections and elevations for the permit file.
Does the LOD change the price at Studio BIM? No. The configurator price includes the LOD 300 model, our standard. LOD 200 (feasibility, heritage) or 350–400 (prefabrication, fine coordination) is discussed at quote stage; there is no hidden price grid per level.
What is the difference between LOD and survey accuracy? Scan accuracy (a few millimetres in the point cloud) describes the input data; LOD describes what is modelled from that data. The same cloud can produce a LOD 200 or a LOD 350 model: it is a modelling choice, to be fixed in the BIM execution plan and in the quote.
Can the LOD be increased after delivery? Yes, provided the point cloud is kept, which is our standard practice. We go back to the cloud to densify the zones concerned, without a new site visit in most cases. That is the argument for not over-specifying at the outset.
Can several LODs be mixed in the same model? Yes, and it is even recommended: façades LOD 350, interiors LOD 200, furniture LOD 100. The quote must specify it per element family.
Does LOD 500 exist? In the BIMForum standard, LOD 500 designates a model verified on site, not a level of detail above 400. A scan-to-BIM model matches the survey by nature; ask instead for a LOD per element and a modelling tolerance.
Price your model
Floor area, service (survey + model, modelling only, scan only), scope (furniture, MEP, SIA 416 report): the configurator calculates your price in 2 minutes, LOD 300 model included at the displayed price.