Top 5 Directions Through Which Reality Capture Has Transformed The Construction Industry

By Author: BIMengus
Total Articles: 111
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But there are 5 crucial directions wherein reality capture has truly transformed the design and construction sector.
1. Accuracy Improvements
Present-day reality capture technology makes outdated 2D and manual measurements obsolete. Cutting down on numerous site visits to verify site measurements is replaced by terrestrial or drone scans to generate a Point Cloud in a blink of an eye enriched with the highest level of detail. Accuracy enhancements have set a higher expectation bar through lower rework and reduced timelines. This supports General Contractors (GCs) to streamline and improve business workflows. Turner Fleischer Architects adopted Reality Capture to record existing conditions which led to a significant reduction in issues and change orders.
2. Efficiency Acceleration
Significant reduction in site visits and accelerated data collection has led to enhanced project efficiency at multiple levels. A hospital project by Bates Architects using 3D laser scanning tools encouraged 50% cost reduction. Capturing identical information via traditional methods would have caused greater numbers of site ...
... visits and higher costs.
Marin Pastar, Bates Architects, Innovation Director quotes “The biggest savings was the time savings – this was probably the shortest time frame project of the largest scope which Reality Capture helped us deliver.”
3. Reduction in tedious manual activities
While traditional 2D CAD would involve tedious manual workflows, present-day Reality Capture manages to automate a myriad of design and construction activities. Stream of data from scanners or drones is directly fed into 3D models via various BIM software. Designs created through these 3D BIM models are fed into construction workflows leading to a reduction in tedious tasks and constructible plans. Reality Capture was deployed by McCarthy Building Companies for their construction projects and came up with a comparison vs traditional tool. Reality Capture deployed for the Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto recorded 155 scans in 13 hours (for beams, steel, and concrete floors) vs 64 hours to only scan steel camber beams via traditional methods. The comparison in survey and time savings was exponential reinforced with accurate calculations for dimensions to create RFIs.
4. Significant Collaboration
Easy to use Reality Capture tools and software have made it possible for global AEC firms to adopt this technology to utilize, change, share, and feed into design and construction processes. In a digital workspace, stakeholders across various project phases can record feedback, write notes, quantify site conditions, and reinforce them in existing workflows. Data streaming into 3D models in real-time makes the entire process collaborative for the entire project team.
5. Construction Validation
Validating design before actual construction begins is crucial for the preconstruction stage. Making sure the design intent aligns perfectly with actual construction reduces rework by identifying problems early on. It also ensures project progress stays aligned with planned expectations.
Wrapping it up.
Reality capture isn’t new, yet the equipment, processes, and tools are superior in the present scenario. Setting yourself on construction sites with Lens360 tracking to actionable insights, managing risks, track progress is key to achieving positive onsite outcomes.
iFieldSmart Technologies supports field personnel with a single dashboard to manage all their reality capture needs for improved project coordination.

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