Virtual Reality for BIM

After a lot of research I ended up using a combination of Revit, 3DS Max and Unity (with Google VR for Unity SDK) to produce a VR model for Android / iOS / Windows / Linux platforms of a BIM model.

The exercise was quite frustrating at times, especially getting the camera / person to move automatically without the usual controls (using a modified C# script of the standard assets). Google Cardboard provides only one button on the headset, and most VR devices that makes use of smart-phones are the same. This presents quite a challenge in allowing the viewer to navigate a model with multiple levels, but I'm getting there. Currently, using the single button on the Cardboard headset allows the viewer to move in the directions he / she is looking, or to stop moving. I'm thinking of adding in-model menu items that will allow "elevation teleporting" or something of the sort, in order to get access to elevated areas of the model (especially when working with multiple story buildings).

I also need to work a bit on better building material application and maybe some door open/closing animations & triggers, but for now I feel quite happy with the initial result. You are welcome to test my sample model out for yourself on Android (updated: Added some materials to building):

Soon after all this research and effort, I started to look into Autodesk Stingray, and I must say, it looks very promising, and quite cheap (not as cheap as the free Unity I was using) at AU$ 105 per quarter or AU$340 per annum:

and the promo video:

I'm planning on doing a more photo-realistic model for the next exercise, and to incorporate a bit of trigger-animated objects, but in the end - what a lot of fun!