I’d like to update you on progress we’re making with the AR|VR Toolkit by giving a customer example on how this can work.
As a quick reminder, check out the posts from Anurag and Joel that describe why we’re making the AR|VR Toolkit, and what it is from a fairly high level.
Employees at Vinci Construction France, a commercial construction firm based in Europe, usually work off paper blueprints or with digital models that they view on computers or iPads. But Vinci Construction Senior management wants to explore ways to streamline use of their digital content at all level in their organization – and ultimately connect all their employees to their digital IP. The main reason for this is to improve their processes, reaction time to issues, and match the digital model with the ‘what was really built’. iPads are great to transport the information almost anywhere on the field – Vinci using Autodesk Forge and 3rd party solutions built on Forge is already capable to use their digital content anywhere, but iPads not being a hand-free device which is crucial for workers makes is almost unusable on site; its size is also a problem – too small, we see nothing, too big, it is inhibiting. Also tablets are great for designer or engineers, but workers usually have to wear gloves for safety reason, which makes nonpractical the use of tablets on site. The idea of using pass thru AR glasses come naturally to compensate these issues, and stay connected…
Vinci Construction wants to explore the use of AR/VR in few areas. Namely:
- Safety and Training – to ensure the safety of workers on site.
- Execution and Planning – delivering on time to comply with customers’ needs and expectations
- Commissioning – delivering with high quality and within budget, while making sure that the project is accurate in implementation, and built to design intention.
There was a synergy between the customer challenge in addressing these three priorities and what Autodesk has been developing to work on a combined project.
Forge is highly important to Vinci Construction France’s processes, so AR/VR is as well. Forge provides a robust platform to support Vinci Construction France’s focus on connectivity and collaboration. It also allows them to build upon what Autodesk may bring into the market, and establish specific and custom solutions that Vinci Construction France will be able to develop and use as their needs/challenges evolve over time. In collaboration with Vinci, we think Forge and the AR|VR Toolkit tech preview will accelerate the path between design and reality, from the office to the construction site through immersive visualization tools.
Three benefits beyond the project will include:
- Integrated workflows with ERPs
- Flexibility of publishing information
- Interactions in real-time with their digital models
Vinci Construction France is building a new flagship campus which will function as their headquarters. The campus will host 4,000 people, and serves to unite the various Vinci subsidiaries under one roof. Vinci saw this as an opportunity to show how they can deliver innovative value to the market and apply new technologies in the construction process.
The AR|VR toolkit tech preview is a set of REST API which can prepare the data for different usage and game engine (Unity3D on this example). You can for example, filter data based on custom criteria or disciplines. We’re working to enable the service to massage the geometry in real-time to fit your target device based on the selection you made (this part is still under development and is not testable yet). The ‘data’ streamed down to the device stays up to date with the digital model on the cloud, and designers and workers can update each other’s in real-time. It is highly important for Vinci Construction to have the ability to organize orders, processes and work force based on the progress made on the field, and Forge can deliver the information. AR|VR will make this information accessible in a true contextual environment.
Sample of using the AR|VR toolkit will be available on the beta site as well as our Forge github account.
Come the Forge DevCon at this year’s AU to learn more