Papers
Interactive Virtual Construction – A Case Study Of Building Component Assembly Towards The Adoption Of Bim And Vr In Business And Training
Hassan Anifowose Texas A&M University
Wei Yan Texas A&M University
Manish Dixit Texas A&M University
Present day building product manufacturers face difficulties in scaling businesses. Key decisions surrounding technology adoption are typically measured against feasibility of use and long-term profit. Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Virtual Reality (VR) provide the potential for teaching building product assembly to architects in design phases as well as employees and construction contractors. This eliminates the need for deploying training personnel to job sites and reduces manufacturing costs of product samples required for employee training. VR content development is difficult and performance within VR applications must be near reality in order to improve adoption of such technology through training. This exploratory study investigates important factors that enhance adoption in business cases through training. We developed a BIM+VR prototype for SwiftWall, highlighting rigorous processes for in-house BIM anatomy and VR development. A step-by-step approach to replicate the prototype in a business environment is provided. The prototype was tested in several demonstration sessions. The approximate time to install 40 linear feet of SwiftWall is 30-minutes at the simplest level. An equivalent and efficient task assemblage timing for 28 linear feet was achieved under 21-minutes for the BIM+VR prototype demonstration. The matching timing results show a significant potential for adoption in business and training from a time and cost-efficient standpoint. Concerns and key issues from development to deployment are discussed in detail. The BIM+VR virtual construction prototype provides adoption potential for training remote partners thereby increasing possibilities of SwiftWall scaling to distributors and product carriers across a larger geographic region.
Keywords: Bim, Building Information Modeling, Virtual Reality, Unity, Training, Game Design, Construction Assemblage, Construction Material, Virtual Construction