Mixed reality in 4D digital construction

Mixed reality, or augmented reality, is a technology that overlays digital images onto the real world. When Microsoft launched the latest HoloLens device just over a year ago, CEO Satya Nadella said: “This new medium is just the beginning of experiencing what’s possible when you connect the digital world to the physical world, to transform how we work, learn and play.”

The launch wasn’t without controversy, with Microsoft’s multi-million deal to sell its headsets to the US Army prompting a group of Microsoft employees to write an open letter saying they refused to create technology used for “warfare and oppression.” I don’t know whether those employees had ever visited a building site, but I’d say that makes it ideally suited to a lot of construction projects.

Microsoft also claimed the latest version is three times more comfortable than before. The international 1 (good) to 10 (bad) comfort scale is a bit vague but a score of 10 is defined as equivalent to “Kane’s feeling on the Nostromo shortly after reaching for the post-dinner Gaviscon.” Having tried the new HoloLens, I can say it easily scores a 2 or 3.

So how can construction teams can use Microsoft’s new HoloLens device to support 4D construction? Some people are using it as a BIM viewer - and it is a great way to view BIM models - but the HoloLens is much more than a model viewer. Mixed reality apps like SYNCHRO XR have an important part to play in supporting 4D best practice and helping teams to deliver better projects. Users can access trusted data, they can capture information on site, and they can communicate that information to the wider team - in real time - for them to use in their own workflows. A good 4D process can help you to manage risk more effectively, improve productivity on the job site, and work more safely.

Constructioneering the bigger picture

4D processes fit within an overall constructioneering environment, which uses technology to improve surveying, engineering and construction so that teams can create, manage and share data in near real-time. There are five enabling technology trends, illustrated in this diagram.

1. Next-generation BIM forms the foundation of a robust digital twin. It uses the latest BIM tools combined with best-practice common data environments built on ISO 19650.

2. Digital collaboration and mobility Cloud-based connected data environments transform projects by enabling real-time collaboration. Users can access trusted data from anywhere, at any time, on any device - and do that safely and securely.

3. Near-perfect surveying and geolocation Drones, phones and handheld scanners can produce accurate high-resolution 3D models in near real-time using GPS, LiDAR and photogrammetry.

4 Internet of Things (IoT) and advanced analytics Sensors can track real-time data from equipment, crews and materials. Cloud computing enables that data to be analysed in near real-time to support construction operations.

5 Autonomous navigation It’s no longer unusual to see self-driving trucks at mining projects or robotic dogs wandering around building sites. However, if you’re using an impressive new robotic digging machine on site, you need to ensure it’s digging the right hole in the right place at the right time, based on the right model.

“Why won’t people use this stuff?”

It’s a common question, and it can be a challenge for construction firms to catch up with, and use, the available technology. Academy programs, that combine classroom training with practical field work, are a proven way to educate, train and support teams to use technology and achieve better outcomes. They’re an effective way to capture feedback from the delivery team, benchmark project performance, and drive research and development.

4D process

Constructioneering is enabling construction teams to deliver projects more efficiently, more effectively and more safely, which means that the connected data environment – with its accurate, trusted data - is becoming more important. 4D construction and mixed reality operate within this technology environment.

The project portal contains all the information and data relevant to your project. It’s the single source of truth for everybody involved in construction: it stores and manages models, schedules, resource information and documents.

Project control teams can use data from the portal in desktop 4D applications to optimise the construction process.

Construction modelling apps enable contractors to produce constructible components. An example would be the concrete floor slab in a building: it’s designed as a single item in the BIM authoring tool, but it needs splitting into four sections to reflect how it will be poured on site. Data can be added to those components and quantity information can be extracted for estimating and procurement.

Project management is an area where digitisation can make big improvements in productivity, and apps manage real-time data that is high quality and in context. They use 4D content from the portal combined with automated workflows, geolocation services and data-driven dashboards.

Field management apps extend real-time trusted data into the job site. A site engineer can use a mobile device to raise an issue related to a drawing or 4D model that will be communicated to the right people for them to perform appropriate actions. The status of components on site can be updated and communicated to the team.

Information and data stored in the portal can be used by other parties in the supply chain. For example, the steelwork supplier could use the real-time status of steelwork on site to optimise the timing of future deliveries. Connectors can be built using APIs for exchanging data between different systems, and developers can build their own apps to use data from the portal.

Business intelligence tools, like Power BI, generate interactive data visualisations that provide valuable project insights, and can help to spot trends and issues early. A lot of the industry discussion on data is focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning, which have exciting potential. However, for the projects you’ll be working on in the next few years a greater competitive advantage will be gained from gathering data, translating it into meaningful insights, and then acting on those insights. Data without insight has little value, and insight without action is meaningless. A construction problem never costs less to fix than on the day it’s discovered, so the earlier you find a problem – and fix it - the better.

Finally, there’s ability to use mixed reality in this integrated technology environment. SYNCHRO XR lets users interact with models, schedules and construction information in new ways. 4D mixed reality is about much more than just viewing construction animations. It’s part of the constructioneering process, supporting 4D best practice.

How can you use mixed reality in 4D construction?

Pre construction review

You can view the model at table-top scale and interact very simply. When several team members use SYNCHRO XR for a multi-user construction review the process becomes highly immersive and intuitive. It creates an engaging space for collaboration, and a better understanding of the project.

4D schedule simulation

Using SYNCHRO PRO on the desktop it’s easy to create 4D content by matching your BIM model to your construction schedule and adding resource data. SYNCHRO XR lets you view the animated construction sequence in mixed reality. You’re using data from the project portal, so you know it’s current, and you can be confident using it for progress review meetings.

 Real-scale walkthrough

With a HoloLens you can magnify the model to a scale that suits the needs of your review – right up to life-size. If you’re at the job site, you can align the model exactly with real-world objects or place yourself at the correct 3D point using a QR code. With SYNCHRO XR you place one or more viewpoints in the model, then teleport into the real-scale model.

Digital rehearsal

Digital rehearsals can be performed easily on the desktop and the process can be extended up to real scale out on site. You can experience an animated simulation of planned work while looking at the physical space where the work will be done. It gives you a unique insight for planning and managing site logistics and safety. This example is from Balfour Beatty in the UK.

Risk and safety review

The 4D model is an effective way to identify and share information about risk and safety issues, and you can plan for hazards before starting work. Risk markers placed in the model become visible to other team members.

Construction statusing

During the building process you can review and record the status of construction components using the SYNCHRO model at 1:1 scale. Status updates are synchronised with the project portal, keeping the central model current for the whole team.

Asset data viewing

4D models contain a lot of data, and SYNCHRO XR lets you view that data in the mixed reality world.

Issues, RFIs, logs and observations

When you’re reviewing construction status out in the field it’s likely that you’ll want to record an issue or raise an RFI based on what you see. SYNCHRO XR lets you raise RFIs and issues and create logs and observations using the HoloLens. When a potential problem is identified early, there’s a better chance it will be fixed early – and at the lowest cost.

Delivering better projects

The HoloLens is much more than a BIM viewer. Apps like SYNCHRO XR have an important part to play in supporting 4D best practice: teams can access trusted, up-to-the-minute information from a connected data environment, they can capture information from site, and they can communicate that information to the wider team in real time for them to use in their own workflows. As an integrated part of a 4D project process, SYNCHRO and the HoloLens help to deliver better projects by helping you to manage risk more effectively, improve productivity on the job site, and work more safely.

Whether your project could benefit from a device suited to “warfare and oppression”, or if you just want to improve your chances of delivering a better project, then mixed reality can help.