Bill Young, Windover superintendent, using the HoloLens to review a virtual 3D model of Endicott College’s New Academic Quad.
By Amr Raafat
Beverly, MA – Virtual Reality (VR) has given us a new perspective on storytelling, allowing both clients and project teams to be transported from any location to the inside of a future building. Many industries benefit from VR and construction is no exception. What is more, in construction we are witnessing new and novel advances in its application. These advances are revolutionizing the technology and changing how other industries use it. Adding realistic effects, linking VR to our schedules, integrating sound, and creating a fully immersive experience are just a few of the ways we are pioneering these advances at Windover Construction. We are unlocking the potential of VR daily as it is, without doubt, the gateway to the future of construction visualization.
The Role of VR in Planning and Preconstruction
Many face the challenge of visually translating 2D drawings and understanding what they will look like in real life. VR brings the architect’s vision to life and makes it possible for clients to visually translate proposed drawings and plans through high-definition 3D environments and realistic fly-through animations with the Oculus Rift. Autodesk 3ds Max and real-time engines like Unity and Unreal allow Windover to create 3D environments that can convey limitless ideas clearly and turn napkin sketches into viable and compelling 3D animations.
For our Athletic Field House project at Curry College in Milton, Mass., Windover’s Virtual Design & Construction team developed an animation that brought the vision of the project to life in a realistic and immersive environment. The animation has fostered a collaborative dialogue with our client and design team and has allowed us to quickly evaluate any potential design enhancements, such as swapping out different flooring materials or reconfiguring millwork, with the simple click of a mouse. The critical decisions we are making now in preconstruction will result in fewer if any, changes later in construction saving valuable time and money. This is just one of many examples of how VR is driving certainty for construction clients.
New VR Applications in the AEC World
For many years, the AEC industry only had access to generic platforms developed for use across many industries, however, the introduction of VR and Augmented Reality platforms such as Iris, Enscape, and Synchro Augmented Reality HoloLens app has changed this. In the industry today, we have access to new platforms developed specifically for application in the AEC world. In the construction industry alone, experts have developed their own VR experiences and gaming engine platforms. These will be influential in changing how other industries harness the use of VR for enhanced communication and collaboration. For example, at Windover Construction we are innovating with the development of our own VR safety training. Created in-house, this immersive VR experience augments on-site safety by visualizing OSHA infractions, complex logistics planning, and pre-installation sequences. This is just one example of an application that could become widespread and relevant across many other industries.
Mixed Reality Applications in the Construction Phase
The use of VR is not limited to pre-construction. At Windover Construction, we are mixing reality on-site utilizing the latest technology, Mixed Reality (MR) Microsoft HoloLens for construction applications. At Endicott College in Beverly, Mass., we are utilizing the HoloLens to mix 3D models and overlay a hologram of the college’s new academic building over existing site conditions. This is allowing our team and clients to “walk” the project, creating a spatial and visual experience mixed with a realistic setting. Here again, MR fills the gap between the traditional 2D set of drawings and BIM by making it possible to build directly from the 3D model. This process streamlines decision-making, highlights potential clashes or errors, and builds accuracy and certainty into the construction phase.
At Windover Construction, our VR/MR process engages all the project stakeholders in a highly-collaborative, streamlined environment in which we develop an information-rich BIM. Traditionally, each time a design change was made, the process would require modifications to 2D drawings, to be then converted to 3D, then printed as 2D sheets, to be then built as 3D buildings in the real world, and so on. This back and forth is eliminated by VR and MR as all data can be assimilated into one user-friendly model in the HoloLens that conveys both the technical and aesthetic components of the project in an easily interpretable format. Utilizing cloud-based platforms like Trimble Connect, the model can be collaboratively reviewed and modified by our construction teams, architect, engineers, trade partners, and clients alike.
The Future of VR and MR
While VR and MR are very much a part of the building process today, I see their usage greatly expanding in the next 2 to 5 years as the technology and implementation advances. We are embracing the technology at Windover Construction, regardless of project type or size, as our Virtual Design & Construction team tailors the full spectrum of our virtual technology offerings to support each project. Whether it is a visual schedule (4D Animation), VR tour, or realistic photomontage rendering, every project can benefit from the BIM process.
Looking ahead, here are a few of the current trends in VR and MR that are here to stay:
Headsets and hardhats: It is apparent that the use of MR will only progress year after year. We foresee construction workers and on-site managers foregoing the review of paper blueprints on the job and using the HoloLens instead. They’ll be a mainstay on the job; just as hardhats are today.
From months to one meeting: We foresee greater efficiencies in the preconstruction and planning process, especially as it relates to programming. With the power of VR and MR visualization, clients can make informed decisions more quickly. In a collaborative meeting with the owner, designer, and construction manager, we can make key programming decisions in far fewer sessions than we would see when working from conventional drawings.
3D Point Cloud Modeling: VR and MR are not limited to new construction and are changing the way we approach renovation work. We are taking 3D laser scans to a whole new level with Reality Modeling. As part of our Cushing Academy – Ashburnham House Renovation and Dining Hall Addition project in Ashburnham, Mass., we converted 3D point cloud models developed from laser scans into virtual models. We then overlaid the design models with the scan model for constructability review and VR tours using the Oculus. The 3D scan gives a precise read on existing conditions (within a quarter of an inch) and is a very powerful way to mitigate the surprises and unknowns that often accompany renovation projects.
4D animation: With the added dimension of time, we foresee 4D animation becoming an indispensable part of planning. For example, we implement visual schedule sequences into many of our projects in preconstruction. We also use the HoloLens to view 4D construction sequences with an integrated schedule module. This allows our clients to step into the job site virtually and see the construction of their building sequenced over time while having the capability to understand what the construction progress will be at any given moment.
Estimating in 5D: We can create 3D virtual models packed with BIM data, elevations, plans, real-world lighting and textures that are integrated with an interactive timeline linked to schedule (4D Data). From this, model-based estimates and animated cost projections can be created to visually show the progression of construction activities and related costs. After adding accumulated dimensions and data into the BIM, it becomes an information-rich, livable document that benefits capital campaigns as well as the construction planning phase through prefabrication and at turnover as an enhanced as-built.
Amr Raafat, is director of Windover Construction’s Virtual Design & Construction
