For the public sector, communicating the value of AEC projects, driving consensus, and achieving stakeholder buy-in – whether from the public, legislators, or other authorities – is essential. And, in the past this has frequently taken the form of sharing static 2D blueprints or conceptual design images in PowerPoint. However, new innovations in virtual reality (VR) are making it easier for AEC developers to assemble visualizations such as interactive office walk-throughs and lifelike augmented reality (AR) models of actual building sites – at any stage of the project.
These new developments are the result of a teaming initiative between Autodesk and Unity, the creator of the world’s most widely used real-time 3D development platform. Announced at Autodesk University 2018 in Las Vegas, the collaboration marks the next phase of a strategic collaboration between the two companies (first announced in 2017) to ensure full data interoperability between many Autodesk products and Unity, including Revit and 3ds Max.
From the Unity blog: “More than ever, designers, engineers, creative and construction professionals can easily import massive amounts of CAD or BIM data into Unity to visualize environments, build interactive and virtual experiences, and connect all departments in a simultaneous, collaborative work environment. Our goal is to eliminate design friction among all customers so that you can unlock cost savings, increase efficiencies and better collaborate.”
In the past, importing a Revit model and all its BIM data into Unity was difficult and time-consuming with users relying on plug-ins which often lost some of the valuable data. With data flowing freely, users can easily import high-fidelity data to create Unity applications such as interactive architectural walkthroughs or collaborative AR construction solutions.
“This enhanced interoperability will power a more streamlined workflow for architects and construction companies; importing BIM data visualizations directly from Revit into their Unity projects will dramatically simplify creative iteration while keeping costs down,” Unity announced.
Images courtesy of Unity.
