Immersive Visualisation of Construction Site Point Cloud Data, Meshes and Bim Models in a Vr Environment Using a Gaming Engine

Abstract

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> By adopting Building Information Modelling (BIM) software, the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry shifted from a two-dimensional approach to a three-dimensional one in the design phase of a building. However, a similar three-dimensional approach for the visualisation of the current state of the construction works is lacking. Currently, progress reports typically include numerous pictures of the construction site or elements, alongside the appropriate parts of the 3D as-design BIM model. If a proper transition to a <i>3D design versus 3D current state</i> were achieved, the evolved type of reports would become more comprehensible, resulting in more well-informed decision-making. This requires a single, unique software platform that is able to import, process, analyse and visualise both the as-design BIM model as well as the recorded data of the current construction state. At present however, the visualisation and interpretation of the different datasets alone requires already multiple software packages.</p><p>As a partial solution this work presents a platform to easily visualise and interpret various data sources such as point clouds, meshes and BIM models and analysis results. Recent advances of gaming engines focus on and allow for an excellent visualisation of mesh data. Therefore all of the aforementioned data sources are converted into mesh objects upon importing. Moreover, gaming engines provide the necessary tools to traverse the scene intuitively allowing construction site managers and other stakeholders to gain a more complete and better oversight of the construction project. Furthermore, these engines also provide the possibility to take the immersion to the next level: incorporating the 3D entities into a Virtual Reality (VR) environment makes the visualised data and the executed analyses even more comprehensible.</p><p>By means of a case study, the potential of the presented approach is showcased. The real-world construction site recordings, models and analyses are visualised and implemented in VR using the Unity gaming engine.</p>

As-built data acquisition for vision-based construction progress monitoring: A qualitative evaluation of factors

“…However, processing camera images using SfM have a relatively high computational cost if the images are not in sequence and also requires acceptable capturing conditions like lighting, distance, and adequate and obstacle-free field of view for accurate results (Reja, et al, 2022). (Braun, et al, 2020) Digital Images UAV Outdoor (Vincke, et al, 2019) Laser Scanning or Photogrammetry Manual Both (Han, et al, 2018) Photogrammetry/Laser Scanning UAV Both (Arif and Khan, 2021) Videography Fixed Both (Kim, Kim and Lee, 2020) Laser Scanning and Photogrammetry UAV Both (Wang, et al, 2021) Video Camera Fixed Outdoor (Kopsida and Brilakis, 2020) RGBD Camera Manual Indoor (Mahami, et al, 2019) Photogrammetry Manual Both (Maalek, et al, 2019) Laser Scanning Manual Both (Bognot, et al, 2018) Videogrammetry UAS Outdoor (Omar, et al, 2018) Photogrammetry Manual Outdoor (Pučko, et al, 2018) RGBD Camera Manual Both…”

Uso de modelos BIM em realidade virtual e aumentada: panorama de aplicações e ferramentas

“…A visualização é uma parte importante para a tomada de decisões no setor AEC, tanto para relatar o progresso da construção quanto para comunicar possíveis problemas e alterações, mostrando com eficiência a situação atual. O uso de AVI em RV/ RA permite um passo adiante na visualização, possibilitando a percepção tridimensional do espaço e proporcionando melhores subsídios para as tomadas de decisão [5].…”

Segmentation of Structural Elements from 3D Point Cloud Using Spatial Dependencies for Sustainability Studies

“…Three-dimensional point clouds generated from laser scanning, photogrammetry, and video-grammetry have shown great potential due to their high-detail and accurate geometrical representation of building components [ 8 , 9 ]. In the built environment, the application of point clouds can be summarized as twofold [ 8 ]: the 3D model reconstruction and quality inspection of geometry properties.…”