Collaborate VR in Construction

1. Collaborative VR in construction
Jennifer Whyte, Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

3. Outline
1. Progress - 2nd edition of book "Virtual Reality and the
Built Environment”
2. Development of a 3D Mobile Visualization Environment
(3D-MOVE) to take collaborative VR out of the
University
3. Use of 3D-MOVE in 'Crossrail' project in London for
design review

4. Pre 1950s 1950-1970s 1970-1985 1986-1995 1996-2005 2006-2015
• Whirlwind – the
first real-time
computer
• Keyboards
• Cathode Ray
Tube (CRT)
displays
• Flight
simulation
• Light pens
• The mouse
• Head-mounted
displays
(HMDs)
• CG / HCI /
haptics
• Sketchpad –
the first CAD
application
• Sketchpad III –
the first 3D
CAD
application
• Advanced
rendering of 3D
objects (Gourand,
Phong shading
etc.)
• Networked
computing for
processing
complex graphics
• Walkthrough – the
first interactive
architectural
walkthrough
• First commercial VR -
SGI leads hardware
market and develops
3D APIs – Open GL,
Inventor and
Performer
• Commercial software
from Evans &
Sutherland, Multigen
Paradigm, WTK,
Division etc.
• Peripherals -treadmill,
BOOM and
Fakespace’s CAVE
and Immersadesk
1st Generation
High-end
computing in
VR research
laboratories
• Introduction of
mouse and joystick
• Gloves, active and
passive stereo, PC-
based graphics
cards
• PC-based VR
software e.g. VPL
Research, Virtuality
and Superscape
• Web-based 3D
• Multi-user worlds
• VRML 1.0
• Basic translation
from CAD to VR
• Motion capture
• Volume
visualization
• Auto-
stereoscopic
displays and
flexible ‘roll up’
screens
• 3D laser
scanning
• CAD to VR and
GIS to VR
translation
• PC-based
software
• VRML, Direct 3D,
Force feedback,
sketching devices,
tablets
2nd Generation
Desktop and
mobile
computing at
consumer
product prices
3rd Generation
HMDs, smart
phones and
computing at
consumer
product prices
2006-2015
Examples:
• Google glasses, google
cardboard, oculus rift, Daqri
• Unity and unreal gaming
engines
• CAVE 2, Mission Room,
igloo

6. Research on virtual reality and augmented reality in construction
Reconfiguring a 1990s ‘CAVE’ at University of Reading
to run Windows with MiddleVR and Unity

8. Crossrail – A £13bn railway across London

9. Crossrail – A £13bn railway across London
“Urban heart surgery”

11. Interdisciplinary Design Reviews using the 3D Mobile Visualization
Environment (3D-MOVE), Crossrail Innovate 18 Project
with Dr Laura Maftei, who took photo, and Dr Dragana Nikolic

12. Data Science Institute, Imperial College London

13. Close
1. Sought to make a case for collaborative VR for some
applications
2. Looking for ‘use cases’ of all types of AR/VR in the
planning, design, construction and operation of
buildings, infrastructure and cities
2nd Edition co-authored with Dragana
Nikolic in preparation
@vrandbe

14. Collaborative VR in construction
Jennifer Whyte, Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering