VR lets you really understand your BIM-model
Why view 3D-models in construction or infrastructure projects on a 2D-surface when VR lets you fly through it?
Philippe Acas,
Chief Business Officer
Worked in tech-companies for the last 25 years, lately within the openBIM ecosystem, and now one step further with Vrex.
I realised this after having worked with BIM models for years and navigating on a 2D screen with a mouse. When I put the VR headset on, it was like – aha, now we’re talking! In Virtual Reality (VR) you can really fly inside the model.
Vrex is a functional working tool, a powerful solution for construction and infrastructure projects that utilizes openBIM. This makes data and information flow seamless between the platforms.
“Why are you analysing 3D-models on a 2D-screen with a mouse?” is something I often ask people who work with BIM. Virtual Reality makes you understand what you are seeing much better. You need to be in a 3D environment to really understand your model. It gives an amazing perspective and you feel how it will be to work and use the construction you are helping to create, compared to simply viewing it at a distance!
Get the full potential of using BIM
When you work with your BIM-model in VR, you really get the full potential of using BIM. Being able to use IFC is a great advantage. You can have meetings in the model with BCF discussions – and all the files are automatically synchronized with your BIM platform. This saves time, money and travel. It also makes it easier to communicate with stake holders and across the team to get better and more confident decisions.
Detect mistakes early
Many potential mistakes in design and engineering are found earlier in the projects when the team sees the full context in a 1:1 scale and are able to discuss it with each other across disciplines in the model. It is a new way to do coordination meetings. See what really matters: avoid the most expensive and complicated pitfalls. Inspecting the 3D-model from within makes it possible to find issues that would not be found using clash-detection, screens, or paper. Because you are inside the model, in real size, the viewpoints and volumes are getting real. There is no way you can get this level of perception with mouse navigation and screen space. Clear communications across multidisciplinary teams
Two electrical experts talking to each other understand each other without any special tools. But the further apart they are in their field of expertise, the more important clear cross-disciplinary communication becomes. VR is a democratic way to view and discuss a 3D-model since it is a more intuitive tool. You can walk around, turn your head, point, and talk to each other. 70% of people trying VR report that they understand the model better in VR. Stop the confusing e-mails that lead to misunderstandings.
«Skype on steroids»
When someone on your team says: Hi, let’s meet inside the model in five minutes – you will bee inside the building, with a complete focus on where you are and what you are supposed to do. You are disconnected from the real world. No phone calls or distractions possible like in a regular conference call. It’s very efficient. We have had so many confusing project meetings on Skype. But with Vrex, you just go inside the model and remove all confusion. It is true that VR is like «Skype on steroids»!
2020 is certainly a year of remote work. But instead of just watching the model on the screen, you can meet at the construction site. VR is a better way to meet, and to detect issues in a much more intuitive and user-friendly way. Even the most computer scared users rate it as easy to use.
Personally, I have been skydiving many years ago. It is hard to explain how it feels to jump out of a plane, and it is not possible to experience the feeling without trying. So jump in and just try VR. Seeing is believing!
