Next phase of the Facility Lifecycle 3D Modeling Standard (FL3DMS) project
On the 26th of August and 2nd of September 2021 brainstorm sessions are planned with the members and partners of the Facility Lifecycle 3D Modeling Standard (FL3DMS) project. The goal of these brainstorm sessions is to develop the roadmap for the FL3DMS project for the years to come, but initially for the MVP 2 phase of the project.
Based on the insights of the participants in which topics are important to work on in the future an overview of these topics will be created. These topics will be grouped in categories. Based on voting the importance of the different topics will be established. The roadmap will then be created based on the ranking of the topics.
A number of potential roadmap topics have already been discussed during the first phase of the project. This includes items like a guidance document for 3D model implementation in projects, more detail on laser scanning and photogrammetry, integration of 3rd party 3D models, etc. Also further alignment with other standardization initiatives like CFIHOS and DEXPI, and incorporation of 3D model requirements from other initiatives like CII’s Advanced Work Packaging (AWP) are candidates to be put on the roadmap.
If you feel that 3D modeling is important to your company and you wish to be involved in the further development of FL3DMS, it is not too late to join the project. Please contact Martin te Lintelo ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) to get involved.
About the Facility Lifecycle 3D Modeling Standard (FL3DMS)
The journey towards digitalization of the process industries has gathered pace, both for the design, engineering and development of facilities and the operation of these facilities. This article provides you with an update on recent developments.
In 2020 USPI concluded an effective handover of the CFIHOS project to IOGP thanks to a strong collaboration between the two organizations. This was embodied in a recent MOU to facilitate RDL alignment at CFIHOS-Industry-ISO level, leveraging the envelope concept. The MOU will also ensure alignment of digitalization roadmaps and CFIHOS/FL3DMS – to enable concurrent use in projects & assets.
Standards related to 3D technology have been developed and are available for quite a while, but the focus of these standards is about the representation and interfacing of the 3D aspects of objects and not about the requirements of how to use the technology for the development and operation of facilities by defining requirements for the deliverables.
In April 2020 USPI kicked off a new industry standardization project – the Facilities Lifecycle 3D Model Standard (FL3DMS) - as basis for 3D model design integration, for creating Digital Twins and for enabling replication and reuse of 3D designs. The project has made excellent progress thanks to active participation of the companies involved under the leadership of Martin te Lintelo of USPI and Terje Maanum of Equinor. The project team is reviewing the final draft of the new 3D specification.
3D models are typically created during the project phases of a facility, but often poorly maintained and underutilized, particularly during operations, and companies therefore rarely extract the full value out of the 3D models. To address this problem, the FL3DMS team decided to also create a full catalogue of all the use cases for the 3D model across the asset lifecycle, to assess the business case for each use. Many use cases involve a reduction in effort or risk, that can help decrease the overall footprint of the process industry. Facility 3D models can also enable high value use-cases for the 3D model, such as advanced work planning during construction, or corrosion management. A condition is that the 3D model and associated data is configured in a particular way
Based on the business case assessments for the use cases an overall business case for the development and maintenance of facility 3D models has been developed. It was identified that 3D modelling is used throughout the lifecycle of the facility – in its development, operation and even in decommissioning. Details and aspects of the model change during the lifecycle, depending on the use cases for either the Owner Operator and/or the Contractor. The Owner Operators made clear that that one of their key targets is the more effective use of 3D models during the operate phase of the facility, either as part of a Digital Twin or for modification projects.
The objective of the first phase of the project is to create a better mutual understanding of the use cases and to define the associated 3D model requirements. With the use cases in mind the specification has been created using existing 3D model company standards and best practices of all the participants. It focuses on the technical and content requirements for the creation and handover of facility 3D models such that the facility 3D model can be used for the many different use cases during the lifecycle of a facility (from concept, through FEED and implementation in the project phase to operations and decommissioning).
The value of the first version of the specification will be that this is the first time a specification, which can be used as the basis for a project specification, is available and at the same time supported by a number of leading companies in the supply chain. This means that partners in the supply chain like EPCs, packaged unit suppliers and software suppliers don’t need to be faced with specifications that aren’t aligned anymore. They therefore are in a better position to justify the development of their offering into the direction that is supporting what is specified. This development will also help the wider industry in justifying the implementation of equivalent and related solutions as the investment barrier in them will be lowered. This again will lead to better performance of and lower risks in the industry, which are the typical benefits of having this kind of facility 3D models and the related Digital Twin solutions.
The membership of this standardization effort continues to grow, and includes Equinor, Shell, bp, ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, Chevron, McDermott, Technip Energies, Baker Hughes, Bentley, Aveva, Hexagon, TalentSwarm, Digital Construction Works, IOGP-CFIHOS and DEXPI. The members learn a lot from each other during the discussions and it is clear that there is value to the participants - both because participation gives them influence over and access to this new industry 3D standard, but also thanks to the shared learnings from their peers in the project.
Should you wish to learn more or participate in this effort, please reach out to Martin te Lintelo ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).