This relies mainly on the visualization of a BIM model, which can appear on different mediums. Visualization on mediums such as computer screens, lack some degrees of immersion which may prevent the full utilization of the model. Another problem with conventional collaboration methods such as BIM-Big room, is the need of physical presence of participants in a room.
Virtual Reality as the most immersive medium for visualizing a model, has the promise to become a regular part of construction industry.
Visualizing BIM models in virtual reality enhances all the possibilities your model has and optimizes its perception including important aspects such as depth, spatial sensation, amplitude perception and proportion between the different elements, impossible to achieve by working with a BIM model on a computer screen.
The generation of spaces in three dimensions allows you to immerse yourself in them and work on a 1:1 scale, as well as move freely within them.
You can just step inside your BIM models and identify in each construction step the possibilities to optimize costs and schedule.
A successful delivery based on BIM is interdependent on an efficient collaboration.
Site Walkthrough
Academic 2 HOD Office
Academic 2 Lab
Admin Dean Office
Some inconsistencies can’t be seen on 2D drawings, and might be too complex to be easily detected with just a 3D model. Moreover, it is critical to look for errors and clashes in the beginning of the project to avoid detecting them late in design or in the construction site. Undetected errors can leave your teams over budget and out schedule. Using BIM data and VR models is the best approach to foresee problems in your construction project.
The construction industry is very competitive, and it’s not just a matter of getting the job done. It’s about saving your margins, which is why digital transformation of the sector helps companies improve how they monitor their costs and schedule their operations. Virtual Reality offers you tools that will help you decrease your construction costs and avoid delays, because you can just step inside your BIM models and identify in each construction step the possibilities to optimize costs and schedule.
One of the biggest challenges of construction project, especially large project or complex ones, is the communication between stakeholders. You want to avoid creating silos of information for your project. With BIM and VR, you can share all the data needed by every team, and an environment that enables them to work together on a real-like building, even if they are not located at the same place.
Beyond showing the errors on the model to everyone involved, it also allows the different teams to coordinate the operations better.
BIM data in a virtual environment enables faster and more robust decision-making, as well as a better communication between stakeholders. Everyone collaborating better on the project, and better-thinking budget costs will raise the quality of the overall project. Better communication between teams leads to less errors, and leaves no margin to misinterpretations.
VR enhances the communication between the different participants of the project
and reduce rework:
• You don’t get delayed due to a lack of detail or an inaccuracy in the
plans.
• You get a quick access to the latest plans, including bookmarks and detected
issues.
• You can track daily activity, which will inform all the participants to the
project and make it possible to address issues earlier and more efficiently.
• You can identify the problem that caused rework on your project and avoid it
for the next ones.
The combination of BIM and VR gives the client access to information they traditionally didn’t have. They will be able to understand the estimate, the schedule and the construction steps easier by being immersed in virtual reality, than just with some documents and 2D plans. This will enable them to take decisions based on a better comprehension of your construction project.
With BIM data in VR, estimators can monitor if what they had planned matches with the information and ideas provided by the other participants. By being able to visualize and contextualize the BIM data with a VR simulation, each team involved can literally show their challenges and make them understood by other participants, making communication smoother and in the end, generating a significant reduction in lead-time and cost reduction opportunities.
