Virtual reality, smart devices, and cloud technologies are finding their wide scope in the construction industry. Virtual reality environments have already established their purposes in various fields, such as gaming and other sectors, and construction being the latest industry to take the plunge and incorporate virtual dimensions in BIM (Building Information Modelling). Combination BIM with VR is going to pave a way for a digital transformation in the construction sector.
This outstanding combination proves to be advantageous in many ways. Some of the applications of virtual reality to construction are that the construction teams are able to verify space usage and coordination in advance, make capillary controls and reduce design errors before the actual installation of the construction project on the ground.
The introduction of VR in the construction industry offers the client the chance to experience the project while the project is still in the design phase, i.e., the project will appear to be more realistic which makes identification of the problems easier and can be resolved at an early stage.
The advantages of the interaction of BIM and VR can be:
- quick project approvals
- better relations with the customers and are able to meet their satisfaction
- less time consumption and minimized expenses
VR can be used at various stages of the designing process and at Different Levels of Detail (LOD).
ADOPTION OF VR
VR technology is rapidly evolving in the industry and in the last two years, it has established itself as one of the must-have technologies for completion of the project in less duration of time. Many companies are not aware of VR technology which provides a number of options that are available while experiencing VR. The tools in VR allow the architects, designers, and clients to have a 3D experience and enable them to examine the entire building virtually to extract the relevant information, monitoring expenses, meeting the deadlines, and ensuring that everything is proceeding according to the plan.
The most exciting feature of VR is that it captures motion in real-time, which allows the users to move around in an environment that is virtual. There is also a technology called Mixed reality (MR) that blends reality with images and holograms that are virtual. This technology is generally used in the BIM process. It helps in obtaining more information about the building construction and the internal components.
BIM AND VR CHALLENGES
One of the major issues is that the adoption of VR in the BIM sector is slowed down due to the potential cost of the technology. But recently, there has been a significant drop in the cost of VR technology, which is making it access
However, there is a significant drop in the price of VR technology. If it continues, this technology is expected to be more accessible for the companies throughout the construction cycle.
The most common applications of virtual reality in the construction industry start from a 3D model displaying a virtual environment for marketing and project communication purposes. Now, VR is being used to gather feedback from the designers and the clients, maintaining personnel throughout the designing process.
The most challenging thing about BIM in the construction industry is its slow adoption. Besides being an innovative technology, it represents a new approach to working. It has enhanced collaboration between the teams involved through software interoperability, integration between processes, and sustainability. The BIM model integrates the parametric information related to the building and its components such as geographical location, orientation, geometry, materials’ properties and technical elements, phases of construction, maintaining operations, etc. Through active participation, coordination, and access to up-to-date information created by a single model minimizes errors and inconsistencies which lowers the risk of redoing and reduces overall expenses.
If you want to improve your productivity and performance, you can contact Monarch Innovation for the efficient workflow of your construction project through its enhanced BIM and VR technologies.
