Combining BIM and Augmented Reality with Trimble Quadri and SiteVision

 

Trimble Quadri and SiteVision

One of the challenges with using AR in the field is how to combine data from disparate sources into a single model for viewing and use on projects from the initial planning phase through the design and construction phase and on to the operation and maintenance phase.

Typical examples may include combining sub-surface utility data from multiple utility providers and detailed design information for your new design.

One way Trimble has addressed this challenge is with the Trimble Quadri cloud-based BIM server and collaboration platform. Quadri enables all civil engineers and stakeholders to share a central seamless project model – facilitating tight teamwork between planners, designers, contractors and the project owner, from the initial concept phase through to the operations and maintenance of the asset. 

Supporting open industry formats like LandXML, GML and IFC, in addition to plug-ins to leading design software, Trimble Quadri provides a standardized, multi-discipline and concurrent work environment, taking full control of the complete result. The civil design project team members are working within the same process, sharing and receiving each other’s work continuously to substantially increase productivity and quality. Quadri’s Easy Access is accessed through web browsers to make it easy to access Quadri BIM models stored in the cloud. With just a few clicks you can access your models, even if they reside on many servers, anywhere and anytime. No software installation. No training. Simply log in and start working.

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With SiteVision, you can access the Quadri model for use in the field at any point in the process.

In the example below, we demonstrate planning for a revised transportation plan in a major city using data from the Quadri database. After the construction, all the assets as-built were stored in a national database for managing on-going operations and maintenance. Before the refurbishment project team started their planning, they created and tested a Quadri model of the as-built and shared it easily with SiteVision. As shown below SiteVision allows you to view and confirm the accuracy of the model.

Examples of different views of the digital twin

Sectioning through the digital twin also allows you to see the associated sub-surface data.

The images above illustrate the accuracy of the digital twin model viewed in SiteVision. The Dronning Eufemias model is over 10 years old. This demonstrates the value working with a model-based approach and maintaining the as-built model. With SiteVision we can accurately locate the sub-surface services based on the as-built model.

A second challenge is how to recreate the current surroundings with the BIM model. This can be a time-consuming task for Civil Engineers and Designers. A new approach that the early adopters of SiteVision have taken is to bring the BIM model to the field with SiteVision and capture the surroundings that way with in context images or videos.

This approach also allows for a much broader engagement across the project team than the traditional design reviews in the office. With SiteVision in the field the engineer, designers and contractors can walk through details at a true-life scale and review the constructability of the design.

One example of where this has been applied is a project under construction in Sandvika, Norway. The E16 Industriveien project was designed by Vianova Plan og Trafikk and is being constructed by Statens Vegvesen. Here SiteVision is used to visualize a model from the Quadri database that includes the existing infrastructure and the new design in the context of the site, during the construction process.

To use the live Quadri model with SiteVision you simply create a 3D presentation task in Quadri and populate Trimble Connect (Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W16__9kHe9Q), then select the model in SiteVision on site. The rich data model with objects from road signs to services are available to visualize with colours, textures and attributes. Any design changes can flow through to site in minutes for visualization and communication to the construction company.

Taking a section through the model exposes a view of all the subsurface utilities, newly designed and existing.

Using the layers within the model, SiteVision exposes the complex detail below the surface in an easy to understand view.

Adjust the transparency of the model allows you to visually inspect progress with a full understanding of the design.

Quadri is more than just a digital twin, it is an open environment for combining and collaborating around information to improve productivity through the whole lifecycle of a project. SiteVision is the tool to leverage that collaborative environment and its integrated data model in the field, maximizing the benefit from investing in a BIM based workflow across the whole lifecycle of the asset, from conception through the whole of life maintenance and operation.