These two terms seem to be almost identical, but they describe two completely different things.
What is BIM?
BIM stands for Building Information Modeling. This term describes the process and method of creating and maintaining a digital building model as a virtual copy of a real construction project.
The building model as a whole consists of various superimposed specialist models created by all disciplines involved in the project. Each of these specialist models contains the information required for the discipline in question. Being not only the information tool but also the data platform for all project-specific parameters and characteristics, the building model acts as a decision-making basis for all project participants. Consequently, the building model is at the center of BIM-compliant planning.
Project participants create and maintain the building model during the planning phase and the construction phase. These maintenance steps form a cyclic workflow, steadily increasing information density, level of detail, and reliability of planning data.
At regular intervals laid down in the BIM schedule, the project participants combine the specialist models into coordination models and check, discuss, and adjust the information quality and planning quality of these models. The responsible disciplines then work through the resulting corrections, additions, or changes. After this, they make the updated planning data available again.
What is Bimplus?
Bimplus is a service offered by ALLPLAN GmbH. By means of this service, you can combine all project-specific planning data created by various disciplines and simultaneously provide all project participants with the planning data. In doing so, you are not limited to a particular product.
After you have registered, you can access the openBIM platform Bimplus, which is hosted by ALLPLAN GmbH, from Allplan or from the BIMPLUS web portal. By inviting other planning partners to Bimplus, you grant them direct access to the data of the current planning state.
But that is not all: The BIMPLUS web portal provides you with all features you need to superimpose specialist models created by various disciplines and to check the specialist models for planning errors and overlapping geometries (= clashes). In addition, you can inform your planning partners of problems and assign issues for solving these problems.
The program logs all uploads and downloads so that you can always keep track of who uploaded, downloaded, or changed which data and when.
As you can see, Bimplus is an indispensable tool for creating and maintaining a digital building model, thus helping you to control and handle projects based on the BIM method.