Taking a closer look at the transformation of the construction industry, you see two technologies taking their place at the forefront. AEC professionals are gladly embracing the convenience of virtual reality (VR) and building information modeling (“BIM”). Together, the solutions produce tremendous benefits, delivering a promising project even in its design phase. BIM and VR provide an impressive ROI.
The platforms have enabled all participants in a build to work around the project on the same page. Highlighting better communication and promoting a greater chance to achieve success without tripping over obstacles, BIM and VR streamline processes, generating better communication, reliability, productivity, and cost-effectiveness.
All builds have their complexity whether it’s a house or a stadium. But solutions like VR and its 3D capabilities offer the chance to explore a project in its entirety before buying a single material. Alongside BIM, you get improvement at every phase of the project.
Together, the one-two punch resources simplify all parties working as a team regardless of the project’s scale.
What Is BIM?
BIM has become a vital component in digital transformation. With the application of these integrations, architecture, engineering, and construction (“AEC”) industries are realizing better ways to build.
BIM is a holistic approach to developing and managing a built asset. BIM integrated multidisciplinary, structured data for creating digital presentations throughout a project’s planning, design, operations, and construction lifecycle.
What Is Virtual Reality?
From construction to video games, virtual reality is revolutionizing a range of industries.
Virtual reality is the development of an artificial environment. From walking through a building to the opportunity to play tennis on a full court, the technology creates life-like interaction, a stunning experience of sight and sound.
BIM and VR
Utilizing BIMs to create VR journeys is the ultimate way to wow clients and engage stakeholders. They are an invaluable asset for all project types.
Whether you’re building a co-op or an airline, a water plant, or a skyscraper, virtual reality construction software prepares your BIM models for live demonstrations. Demonstrations are ready for sharing on a variety of platforms, and it’s all possible without writing a line of code.
Benefits of Integrating VR with BIM
In 3D modeling, BIM and VR work together to give engineers and architects the ability to tackle spatial issues, design limitations, and collisions. The combo gives team members a platform for better collaboration and decision-making.
Here’s why.
1. You have every opportunity to detect glitches in the early stages of the project
Mishaps can occur because inconsistencies can be too complex to find in a 3D model. Yet, on the other hand, other missteps may be hard to spy on 2D images.
Still, it’s important to find errors, collisions, and clashes as early as possible to avoid finding them later, usually directly on-site. When that happens, teams scramble, budgets go loopy, and the schedule’s off-kilter. These are conflicts VR helps eliminate.
A solution like Revit will help visualize a 3D model at the start of a construction project, giving you plenty of opportunities to uncover problems and correct them early.
2. Stakeholders and on-site workers develop a better collaborative relationship
A big challenge in any project is communication between stakeholders sitting back in the boardroom and workers on the ground. That’s particularly true of large and complex projects.
VR and BIM minimize the possibility of creating information silos. With the right tech, you’re able to share all needed data with all project participants. It’s an ecosystem where everyone works together on a real-life build from remote places. You can present all the vitals to stakeholders for validation from the very beginning.
The process, besides unveiling errors, also improves the operations’ communication and coordination efforts between different teams.
3. All project members can optimize their time and expenses smartly
The industry is extremely competitive. So, it’s not merely a matter of getting a project done. You need to focus on saving your margins. That’s where digital transformation comes in. The application improves how teams monitor and manage costs and schedule operations.
Enscape is also valuable here. Virtual reality has tools that sidestep delays and decrease construction costs. It’s a platform that allows peeking inside BIM models and identifying optimized costs and schedules throughout the construction process.
4. BIM and VR increase quality delivery
For robust and faster decision-making and greater communication with stakeholders, you can’t beat BIM data in virtual ecosystems. With these presentations and collected information, collaboration gets maximized, and you manage budget costs. You severely minimize miscommunications and generate fewer errors. The overall health of the project is strengthened.
5. The projects are more accessible for clients
The VR and BIM combo gives your clients access to info normally not accessible to them. Traditionally, clients don’t have the opportunity to fully comprehend the schedules, estimates, and steps of the project. Immersed in virtual reality, clients are able to understand project decisions with a better grasp of the construction project’s executing processes and decisions.
6. Everyone avoids the unwanted need to conduct costly rework
Virtual reality brings different participants in the project to the table, putting everyone in a better position to manage:
• Quick Assess: All members of the project always have ready availability for the newest plans, including detected errors and bookmarks.
• Delays: Issues are caught and dealt with early. There are no stalls in production as a result of inaccuracy in the plans or lack of detail. Everyone’s always on point!
• Better tracking: You’re able to track project activity on a daily basis. This allows all participants to have a firmer grasp of the production. That makes it possible to address issues more efficiently and earlier.
• File info away: There is no better way to learn how to prepare and manage projects than through BIM and VR. Problems identified on a current project can be used to avoid the same issues that may pop up in future projects.
VR with BIM management enables all users to participate in the same project, sharing accurate data via laser scans into 3D models, all without losing crucial data, time, and money.
