From CAD and BIM to digital twins

A Digital Twin is a virtual model of a physical object or system that uses real-time data to simulate the behavior of its real counterpart. It can be a product, machine, building, or even an entire city. Digital modeling is a fundamental technology for creating Digital Twins, as it provides a methodology for representing physical objects in the virtual world. CAD (Computer-Aided Design) can be used to create the initial model of a Digital Twin. BIM (Building Information Modeling) is a specialized form of CAD that focuses on building projects incorporating more information than just geometry but also data on time, costs, operations, and maintenance. This paper examines how these technologies are increasingly integrated with each other, utilizing mathematical modeling that, through virtual computational experiments, provides an understanding of the complex functioning of objects and informed decision-making in various fields. The integration of Digital Twins and CAD is transforming the ways products are designed, modeled, and optimized in the industry. BIM models can serve as the basis for creating Digital Twins of buildings, which are then used to optimize energy consumption, maintenance, and repair. With the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT), Digital Twins are receiving more and more real data, making them even more accurate and useful for forecasting and optimization. The use of artificial intelligence to analyze data collected by digital twins allows predicting breakdowns, optimizing processes, and even automating the control of systems.