Related Links: BIM Masonry The masonry trades risk contributing to their own obsolescence by failing to get into step with building information modeling (BIM) — the 3D modeling and information laden process for building design and construction planning that is sweeping the industry. BIM, a process for designing and building that saves time and cost, improves estimation accuracy, reduces waste and avoids conflicts in the field, is not new to the construction industry. Yet the masonry trades lag well behind most others — including concrete placement and steel —in developing tools specifically designed to improve trade-specific planning and execution through BIM.