Unity Technologies is a company in Denmark best known for the development of Unity – a licensed game engine used to create video games and other applications.  Recently, it has further extended this widely used real-time 3D development platform for other industry, such has automobiles, transportation equipment, films, animation and architectural design.

Meanwhile, collaborating with Autodesk, which is a leading solution provider of BIM software, a new tool called Unity Reflect was released in December 2019, aiming for Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry.

 Unity Reflect = Unity for AEC

Unity Reflect integrates BIM data and supports collaborate workflow to let users to produce real-time immersive and interactive visualization with one click.

A building project involves different stakeholders, such as Architects, 3D Designers and Engineers.  During the design stage, it is very important that all change request of BIM model can be reflected immediately within the team and get feedback quickly.  Visualize the issues and changes can always facilitate the discussion and speed up the decision making.  However, to update the BIM data visually in a 3D model may require a complex process and take times. 

Unity Reflect was thus developed to provide solutions.  It allows users to seamlessly synchronize BIM data from any platform (Windows, Mac, smartphone), making it easy for the team to collaborate and proceed with the projects smoothly.

How can it help actually?

• Synchronize Data with one click

 As mentioned earlier, it is important to seamless syncing BIM data and review the 3D design in real-time.  It is because not everybody has experience or skilful enough to operate 3D model in real-time, thus having an ease of use platform like Unity Reflect can eliminate the need to create physically prototypes from blueprints or an optimized 3D model.

Moreover, Unity Reflect can show a 3D model with AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) content, to help visualizing the design issues earlier rather than only find it out in construction stage.

• BIM Filtering

BIM models always consist of different information from different aspects, such as Architecture Design, Building Construction, Electrical System, Mechanical System, Plumbing System (MEP) etc.  When viewing the models with Unity Reflect, user can select and filter which information they want see.

• AR and VR Viewer

Unity Reflect supports a wide range of AR and VR devices, hence it is possible to review a shared BIM model in a more immersive manner using xR technology which is an increasing trend and needs in AEC industry.

User can simply use the smartphone, tablet or AR glasses to display the 3D model at real-time at the actual construction site.  The Unity Reflect viewer can give a realistic experience, like walkthrough inside the model to check the appearance of the object, helping you to notify any problems that you may not aware by just viewing the model by the computer screen.

It supports the walkthrough mode, fly over model and able to review the 3D from different angle.  It gives users flexible to see the building in the design from a new perspective.

Windows viewer is available to allow user to view the 3D model, also in reduced sized, on the desktop computer at home.  Unity Reflect supports various type of viewers to let users to review any way that is in harmony with reality.

Both AR and VR supports BIM filtering, so user can decide how much data to view to suit for any purpose.

Possibility to create customized apps and reviewer

Unity Reflect provides various ways to view BIM model to serve different people needs.

For example, when some of the stakeholder do not well understand how to operate AR and VR, they can use a simpler browsing method, such as Windows viewer.   On the contrary, advanced user can 

make use of Unity Editor to build apps and customized app with advanced setting to meets their demand and special usage. 

How to start?

The annual subscription cost of a Unity Reflect license is USD690.  However, for users that need Viewer only is free of charge. 

There is also 14-day trial version, so you can try it for free before putting it into practical use.

For advanced users that are looking for customizable viewer and real-time BIM applications, they will need an additional license of Unity Pro as well.

Unity Reflect is currently available with the Native plugins for Revit, Navisworks, Rhino and SketchUp.  More plugins for other AEC solution will be coming soon.

More new editing features are also under development, such as cloud support, large model support and UI Redesign are on the roadmap.

Please stay tuned for the update and please free to submit your idea to Unity.

Want to learn more about Unity Reflect? Visit our product page:             http://www.forida.com.hk/index.php/products/unity-reflect

Cupix is a web-base creator for 3D models from photos taken with 360 degree camera. Cupix can be used to build virtual tours and floor plans for Real Estate, Museums, Hotels, Restaurants, Galleries, Construction Sites, Renovation Works and more. An intuitive tool to share a 3D tour and monitor your project progress.

Why Cupix?

• Fast and easy: Cloud solution, just need 360 degree camera
• Compare and Track Construction Site Progress
• Compare Construction Site/ As built with BIM model (Revit, Navisworks, SketchUp, IFC)
• Featuring tools to compare a better 3D tour, such as push pin, insert photo, video & hyperlink
• Support 3D tour publish to Google Map

Although the primary use of Cupix is capture a 3D space in reality, i.e. making use of panorama photo taken by 360 degree camera.

Actually Cupix also accept panorama photo produced by 3D design software or BIM software, that means we can produce a 3D tour for design stage.

Here let us demonstrate a workflow of a Cupix 3D tour creation from Revit and 3ds Max.

1. Revit →Enscape  →Cupix

Revit natively does not support panorama export, Through Enscape, we can render panorama photo from Revit model.

Enscape is a real-time rendering plug-in Revit (and for SketchUp, Rhino, ArchiCAD and Vectorworks as well) and support VR output.

A Quick Steps:

1. Open Revit and start Enscape
2. Locate spots to take panorama in Enscape
3. Render enough photos and save them
4. Upload to cupix

Now, we go back to Cupix and

Upload the panorama photos to create a 3D tour (same for any 360 photo)

1. Create new 3D tour in Cupix workspace
2. Set tour name and no. of sections in the tour
3. Select panorama photos for each section
4. Confirm the setting and upload the tour
5. An email will be sent to you when your tour is ready

       2. 3ds Max →Cupix

Here is a workflow demonstration of 3Ds Max to Cupix

Like working on Revit, we need first render the panorama photo from 3ds Max and this time we use the Autodesk rendering solution – Arnold (free use for 3ds Max subscriber)

Steps:

1. Open 3DsMax
2. Set camera type to Arnold, select VR camera and set camera name, select stock lenses
3. Locate camera and set mode, look around and verify camera position
4. Open rendering environment setting, set up Physical Camera Exposure control and Exposure value
5. Open Render setup, set the renderer and select camera to be rendered and set up the output size
6. Finished rendering, save file for the panorama output

By using Arnold and 3Ds Max, it can easily to create 3D tours in Cupix without taking any photos from the site. You can also create the preview tours at design stages.

Want to learn more about Cupix? Visit our product page: 

http://www.forida.com.hk/index.php/products/cupix

Check out about The Construction Innovation and Technology Fund (CITF)?

http://www.forida.com.hk/index.php/solutions/bim-fundings

CITAC is striving for the improvement of the productivity, safety and sustainability of the Hong Kong construction industry by promoting innovation adoption. Webinars on construction technologies are organised to promulgate technology solutions to the industry via our online platform.

Manual checking of the BIM model is a time-consuming and cost-consuming process as it always requires an experienced professional to do repetitive work. In this webinar, which is jointly organised by CIC and CITAC, Forida will present how digital tools such as Solibri Model Checker can help practitioners to do quality checking automatically to meet the BIM project requirements. 

Webinar Details

Topic : BIM Model Checking and Quality Assurance
Date :  21 April 2020 (Tuesday)
Time : 10:00 am 
Language : Cantonese
Fee : Free of Charge
Format : Webinar
Speaker : Ms Helen CHEUNG, Application Consultant of Forida Limited

Webinar Highlights

• Digital Solution for BIM Model Checking and Quality Assurance
• Open BIM and Model Checking Workflow
• Real-time demonstration on BIM Model Checking & Quantity Takeoff

Do you ever think of how to ensure Quality Assurance for your BIM projects?  Do the BIM models produced following the BIM standard you have set?

Without a proper tool, you would need to check the model manually for the Clash Detection but also the correct Naming Convention and Required Properties.  That is time-consuming and requires an experienced professional to do so.

Here we introduce Solibri Model Checker that allows users to define how QA/ QC tasks are performed.  It is a software developed by a Finnish company and fully adopted to the Open BIM methodology, which refers to IFC models and BCF format.

It is also available with a free viewer called Solibri Anywhere (previously named Solibri Model Viewer)

Quick Overview

Let’s start with the User Interface.

There are 5 tab

• FILE: for document operation, such as open file, save file and setting
• MODEL: for models reviewing, such as IFC, DWG or SMC file and visualizing the model in different views
• CHECKING: checking a model/ design by a collection of Rulesets  (the core feature of Solibri)
• COMMUNICATION: generate a slideshow to present the checking result and issue list
• INFORMATION TAKEOFF: full information quantity takeoff

The Three Core Concepts

Before we go into the functions of Solibri, we should first understand some basic concepts in Solibri.

They are Role, Rules and Rulesets, and Classification. Most of the BIM workflow applies to this concept as well.

What is a Role in Solibri?

• A Role (or professional function) is essentially to call on a grouping of resources.
• An example of Role is BIM Validation could be Architectural or Quantity Takeoff.
• Grouping of resources refers to Rulesets, Classifications, and Information Takeoff Definitions (ITO)
• It helps users to perform their tasks by focusing on their Role only.

What are Rules and Rulesets?

• Rules and Rulesets are the criteria (of a requirement or regulation) used for checking the BIM model or Information Takeoff.
• It should include all required checkpoints, such as the information contained in the BIM model, for both geometry and non-geometry components.
• Solibri comes with more than 50 out-of-the Rulesets that are ready for use.
• Users can create their own custom Rulesets as well, either from scratch or by adding to, removing from, and/or modifying the parameters of an existing Rulesets.

What is Classification?

• Classification in Solibri allows users to classify or categorize elements or spaces.
• Model checking and Information Takeoff would be performed based on the Classification

Model Checking

Finally, let’s see how Solibri checks your model.

• Firstly, open the model
• And then, select the Discipline such as Architectural (it is important to choose the Discipline right, as the Ruleset in Solibri is classified by Discipline)
• Next, select the Rulesets (Ruleset is another important concept in Solibri that is the “standard” used for the model checking. It can be easier setup and created by medication from the sample Rulesets provided.)
• The Issue report will be easily generated and categorized into different Severity (Critical, Moderate, Low) and the user can review and decide the issues if they are Rejected Results or Accepted Results.

• Lastly, the users can create a report into a PDF or Excel file.

Solibri Model Checker is now a pre-approved CITF product.

Solibri 5 min demonstration video: https://youtu.be/pUMsElKEKZ4

Want to learn more about Solibri? Visit our product page: http://www.forida.com.hk/index.php/products/solibri

Check out about The Construction Innovation and Technology Fund (CITF)? http://www.forida.com.hk/index.php/solutions/bim-fundings