Virtual Reality: How 3D Computing is Already Changing Construction

 

In the past 30 years, the construction industry has experienced a digital transformation. Computers are used in every aspect of the business from design to management to communications. It’s nearly impossible to be a contractor these days without at least basic digital literacy.

But technology is constantly evolving. You’re more likely to use a smartphone or a tablet today than a fax machine, let alone a typewriter. This technology has helped make construction more efficient and adaptable. And the next technological evolution will bring further change to the construction industry. For the first time ever, contractors and customers alike will be able to interact with digital versions of buildings, parts and equipment, as if they were real.

That’s right — construction is about to go virtual.

Virtual reality is a technology that convinces your brain on a fundamental level that you are in a simulated environment. This is usually done with a virtual reality headset that tracks the motion of your head and body and transforms the image on the screen in such a way that it feels like you’re looking around a digital environment.

The power of this technology is in the digital environment itself. Because the headset is doing the work of convincing your brain that the environment is real, anything you put in that environment feels real as well, including other people. Advanced virtual reality systems also allow you to reach out and interact with the environment, enhancing the sense of immersion. The combined effect is that you can essentially do anything, with anyone, anywhere you can imagine.

It’s easy to see the implications of this type of technology for entertainment, but how does it impact business? By adding that one one crucial aspect of virtual reality that distinguishes it from previous computing paradigms — the third dimension.

In virtual reality, the objects and environment appear in full 3D. You can look under, around and behind objects in the same way you would in the real world. This allows for digital interaction to more closely mimic real life.

A number of companies in construction and real estate are already using virtual reality. And this makes sense. Buildings are large, tangible objects that are hard to conceptualize before they’re done and impossible to move once they are. Virtual reality solves both problems.

One of the most popular applications of virtual reality is using it to view and edit CAD files. Virtual reality allows architects to constantly iterate on a design while also being able to see how it will look in the real world. It’s often easy to spot mistakes or necessary changes while virtually walking around inside the building itself.

This technology can also be used throughout the design process to make sure the entire team is on board. Customers and managers can see how the building evolves and make changes before construction begins.

Virtual reality is also being used extensively after construction has finished. 3D mapping technology allows any building to be scanned in extensive detail and converted into a 3D model. This means real estate agents can use virtual reality to walk potential buyers through buildings even if they’re on the other side of the world. With the globalization of the real estate market, this kind of edge is necessary to target the much larger pool of potential buyers.

But in many ways, the changes that virtual reality will bring to the construction industry are just beginning. 3D interaction, design and communications will only accelerate as the technology improves.

There are a number of early 3D communication systems that allow people to talk and interact with virtual versions of each other. In a few short years, these interactions will be nearly indistinguishable from real life. These 3D communication systems are already fantastic for collaboration and sales in virtual reality. Soon they could be the most common way people communicate across distance.

We’re also seeing the advent of augmented reality technology, which allows you to see virtual objects in the real world around you. This is incredibly useful in an industry where it’s often necessary to have both hands available. A virtual version of the design schematics built to scale can be pulled up at any time to check for issues or inconsistencies. If there are ever any questions, it’s easy to bring in another set of virtual eyes to take a look.

In many ways, virtual reality allows people to use the power of computers in a far more natural and intuitive way. Rather than having to interact with a screen when working with a 3D model or talking to another person, it can seem like that 3D model or person is in the same room. This fundamentally reduces distance and size as factors in many aspects of the construction process. And in a short time, a virtual or augmented reality headset will seem as crucial to the construction business as a computer.

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