AR & VR in CONSTRUCTION
When it comes to the relevance of applying virtual and augmented reality technologies to business, the real estate sector is usually one of the first to be mentioned. The volume of the augmented reality (AR) market in 2020 is $12.56 billion. Such data was provided by analysts in August 2021. At the same time, they did not specify the dynamics compared to 2019, but stated that spending on AR solutions is increasing.
Today, it is more important than ever for engineers and architects to work in a single information environment when designing and constructing buildings. The technology already exists to ensure that all components function smoothly at every stage of the construction process.
Virtual and augmented reality device market volume dynamics, Source: CCS Insight
And while companies are just beginning to use technology in the construction process itself, virtual tours and user-engaging AR advertising applications have already made their way into our everyday lives. Every year, VR/AR technology is developing more and more actively, finding applications not only in marketing but also in sales, closing communication issues, solving the problem of remote clients and serving as a link between banks and construction companies.
OpenDatBIM has the following benefits for various parties involved in the construction business:
- Convert RVT and IFC files.
- Automatic grouping of geometry elements by any property of any element.
- DAE geometry in AR & VR application without any additional conversions.
The problem with data for AR and VR in construction has been the closed nature of project data in proprietary files and the lack of tools to group and filter geometry elements without using special expensive applications. With the OpenDataBIM converter it is possible to convert Revit and IFC projects into uniform geometry in the open DAE format – Collada. The OpenDataBIM converter establishes the relationship between the original model element and the block representing geometry of an element in a DAE file. This allows you to easily visualize groups and selections of elements. Thus you can easily get a DAE file containing only walls, only slabs or any other group of elements, using simple free tools. You can then open the resulting file in most free AR and VR applications without additional conversions.
Using AR, VR technologies, construction and design organizations can provide a whole new level of customer interaction with projects, immersing them in an entirely new environment. With the OpenDataBIM converter, Architects can create ready-made models in minutes that can be used on any mobile device or virtual or augmented reality devices. And design departments can quickly create individual item groups for their contractors who perform construction work on the site.
VR technology is already playing a major role in the digitisation of the shipbuilding industry, transforming heavy engineering processes into convenient, visual and profitable ones. One of the industry’s main challenges is to design ships while saving time and money. In this regard, the first solution related to virtual reality is to improve the quality of design reviews, allowing design errors to be corrected at an early stage.
VR stands for Virtual Reality. The term means a completely computer-generated digital world that is in no way tied to a location. To enter it, a helmet or virtual reality glasses are usually used. To interact with the objects of the computer universe you will also need special devices.
Unlike VR, AR – Augmented Reality – is the penetration of the digital world into the real world. It is still not tied, or more accurately not completely tied, to the terrain. But you can see it without disconnecting from the real world. Human interaction with augmented reality takes place using special glasses and the same VR sensors, or by using a touch screen.
BIM – Mixed Reality in Design
BIM technology makes it possible to integrate different project developers into one overall system. Integration with VR and AR makes it possible to build an digital model of the product at the design stage and due to this to see in advance all the shortcomings and errors, to make an accurate estimate of the implementation costs and in future to develop 3D scenes for presentations. Engineers have the opportunity to view in detail all parts of the object of interest, both interior and exterior, using special headsets. OpenDataBim creates models for AR and VR without Revit, Plugin, API, ODBC.
Since the introduction of VR technologies in production processes have been able to diversify their use cases: with a complete virtual prototype available at an early stage, it is possible to involve other skilled professionals involved in sales, procurement and construction in the project.
OPENDATABIM supports the principles of sustainability by applying a data-centric approach to all phases of civil, infrastructure and industrial construction. Based on the principle of data openness, we provide equal opportunities to all participants in the AEC industry to create new digital tools to improve the quality of the result.
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