4D CAD and Visualization in Construction

Developments and Applications

Raymond Issa, I. Flood, W. O'Brien

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2003
• eBook ISBN: 9781135292751
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Civil Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

The construction enterprise is being transformed by visual modelling. Tools such as 3D/4D CAD and virtual reality are now in widespread use in construction. This book is both a survey of the changes being made in practice and a detailed guide to future directions for research and development. This book features a number of detailed case studies and

CLOSURE

R.R.A. Issa, I. Flood, W.J. O’Brien

M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Building Construction, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

CURRENT STATE OF 4D CAD

3D/4D CAD tools are in their second decade of use in the design and construction industry. From scattered early efforts in the late 1980s, the 1990s saw a proliferation of such tools in practice. Certain industries such as industrial construction now routinely design projects in 3D. In other areas, such as general building construction, there are owners, architects, contractors, subcontractors and vendors that have taken the lead in applying 3D/4D tools across their operations. Owners require 3D for design communication and decision-making and use the models for facilities management. Architects use 3D models to communicate with clients, render dramatic sculptural forms, and share these models with contractors and subcontractors to enable construction of these sculptural forms. Contractors use 3D models for coordination of building systems and materials procurement. Contractors use 4D models to ensure schedules are buildable and for trade coordination. Subcontractors use 3D and 4D tools for much the same purposes as contractors, but often use more detailed models to plan field production. Many vendors have developed 3D models of their offerings to allow architects and engineers to place them directly into their designs. Vendors also use 3D models to direct their internal production processes.

The 1990s also saw increased sophistication in software packages. At the high end, tools have grown more powerful in storing intelligence about building objects and their relationships (e.g. an object is a beam connected to a column; the beam has attributes of strength, material properties, a manufacturer and tracking number, etc.). An infrastructure of tools has been developed to support implementation of 3D/4D models. These tools include: libraries, global positioning systems for surveying linked to the 3D model objects, portable display devices, and data exchange standards. Collectively, these developments make possible the integrated application of 4D analysis across all stages of the project lifecycle (although an integrated offthe- shelf package does not yet exist, requiring investment on the part of project team members). Advanced software applications promising more integrated functionality are in the commercial product development pipeline.

Mid- and lower-level software applications have also seen increasing sophistication in their ability to manipulate 3D models. Mainstream commercial CAD packages now allow users to rapidly develop 3D models at different levels of detail. It is also possible to perform 4D analysis by linking the 3D models to scheduling packages and/or by manipulating the 3D objects using layer functions. 3D technology has also enhanced lower-end CAD systems, perhaps best evinced by the sub-US$100 home design CAD packages sold in...

Table of contents

• COVER PAGE
• TITLE PAGE
• COPYRIGHT PAGE
• FOREWORD
• BENEFITS OF 3D AND 4D MODELS FOR FACILITY MANAGERS AND AEC SERVICE PROVIDERS
• BEYOND SPHERELAND: 4D CAD IN CONSTRUCTION COMMUNICATIONS
• FULLY INTEGRATED AND AUTOMATED PROJECT PROCESS (FIAPP) FOR THE PROJECT MANAGER AND EXECUTIVE
• NEW CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT PRACTICE BASED ON THE VIRTUAL REALITY TECHNOLOGY
• 4D CAD AND DYNAMIC RESOURCE PLANNING FOR SUBCONTRACTORS: CASE STUDY AND ISSUES
• THE ROLE OF 4D MODELING IN TRADE SEQUENCING AND PRODUCTION PLANNING
• THE LINK BETWEEN DESIGN AND PROCESS: DYNAMIC PROCESS SIMULATION MODELS OF CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES
• ACKNOWLEDGING VARIABILITY AND UNCERTAINTY IN PRODUCT AND PROCESS DEVELOPMENT
• APPLICATION OF 4D CAD IN THE CONSTRUCTION WORKPLACE
• VIRTUALLY REAL CONSTRUCTION COMPONENTS AND PROCESSES FOR DESIGN-FOR-SAFETY-PROCESS (DFSP)
• THE POTENTIAL OF 4D CAD AS A TOOL FOR CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
• VIRTUAL REALITY: A SOLUTION TO SEAMLESS TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION IN THE AEC INDUSTRY?
• CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT PULL FOR nD CAD
• CLOSURE