Augmented reality has moved past the phase of tantalizing pos- sibility to real-world applications. A Norwegian design firm put a new, low-cost, real-time 3D AR field solution into practice and reaped immediate benefits. Designers forAEC projects large and small face pressing questions such as: “How will all the elements fit together and look when completed?” And “how best can the designers anticipate potential conflicts and avoid costly change orders?” Digital twins and 3D augmented reality (AR) visualization are touted as the answer but are often difficult to implement. After several years of searching for a 3D AR solution, a major design firm found the right fit. Solution Sought ViaNova Plan og Trafikk AS (plan and traffic) in Sandvika, Nor- way, is a prominent, award-winning infrastructure design firm that has been on the leading edge of building information management (BIM) designs for 4D construction and asset information mod- elling to support post-construction operations. According to 3D Designer Andreas Haugbotn, ViaNova works in a fully 3D design environment. “We first build the 3D model, creating a digital twin of site and design, and then produce any required 2D drawings later.” Haugbotn and ViaNova have been looking at various 3DAR solu- tions for many years: hardware and software that can bring the 3D design model to the field and project it over the real-world view of existing terrain and structures—precisely geospatially registered, to scale, from any vantage point, and all in real time. ViaNova has not been alone in this quest. For many years geospatial profession- als have been intrigued by stunning demonstrations of When ViaNova was able to test and evaluate the Trimble SiteVi- sion 3D AR solution in 2018, they saw it as an opportunity to see if it would meet their application needs. ViaNova had seen demos for and evaluated a number of solutions in recent years—there are a number of excellent ready-to-deploy solutions already on the market. What was it about this type of solution, contrasted with others, that ViaNova found compelling enough to deploy for a current major project? Haugbotn found the system to be a sharp, but welcome departure from existing solutions he had explored. augmented reality. Solution Tested 3D Augmented Reality Solution Sought, Evaluated and Deployed By Jodie Hartnell
Image A: ViaNova road designer Johan Ivarsson (front) and bridge designer Bjørnar Hofstad (rear) at the Ringeriksbanen rail project bridge site—one of the initial deployments of their SiteVision 3D AR hand-hand units. Ivarsson is taking a low angle view of the transition between the existing roadway and the proposed bridge ramp, shown in image D.
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csengineermag.com
may 2020
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