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Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology provides broad-ranging support of AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) industry needs. The inclusion of a web display provides increased support to BIM users and it is desirable that global CAD (computer-aided design) and BIM design software should provide increased access to building prod...
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This study develops a novel drilling 3D visualization solution based on WebGL, termed as WebDrillingViz, and introduces the system architecture design and software programming implementation. The software is part of the Engineering Technology Internet of Things (IoT) System, interfacing with other software, and also capable of direct hardware inter...
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... The increasing acceptance of BIM servers enables the provision of a web-based framework for accessing and visualizing IFC models via WebGL (an open-source, completely free, cross-platform standard for 3D accelerated graphics rendering on the web) and compatibility with other technologies [37]. Xu et al. [38] attempted to develop IFC-driven transformation systems capable of converting IFC into a geometry definition file (OBJ). However, direct transformation is more efficient for online exchange and sharing of IFC-format BIM models, accomplished via a web browser without installing client-side plugins. ...
... Although the display of BIM content within web browsers has been accomplished using APIs in numerous previous studies, few are currently limited to specific browsers or require the installation of plugin components in web browsers [38]. For instance, the BIM-Server use a plugin to convert Autodesk Revit native file into their server and display it in the web browser; and Tekla Structures use a plugin to upload a model directly into Trimble Connect, due to Tekla Structures native files saved as a folder instead of a binary file. ...
Virtual reality (VR) has been studied extensively in the construction industry, particularly for safety training, as it is capable of simulating the hazardous areas of a construction site in a virtual environment that enables workers to visualize the real scenario before being introduced to job sites. However, at present, VR safety training requires specialized hardware and software, thus limiting worker access as only a few workers can participate in each training session. Therefore, this paper proposes a cross-platform framework based on Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) and WebXR (Immersive Web) for conveniently accessible VR safety training (CPVR) in the construction industry. Workers can access VR safety training sessions using their mobile device or desktop with the aid of the recommended framework. Furthermore, they can interact and communicate with other participants in real-time. A prototype based on the CPVR framework was developed, and its practicality and effectiveness for safety training were validated by senior students, managers, site engineers, and workers in the construction field. The proposed framework would help improve employees, particularly the worker, accessibility to VR safety training, which enables them to receive training at any time and from any location to enhance their awareness and knowledge. Furthermore, it could generate collaboration among employees and help assist managers in assessing employees' safety knowledge.
... We still render interactively in under 16 ms on smartphones. We found that progressive rendering with workload distribution reduces rendering time for the first frame (Xu et al., 2016). ...
The environment of the World Wide Web is increasingly becoming more significant for incorporating three-dimensional content. Since the introduction of WebGL to the present day, many solutions (including libraries, middleware, and apps) have been developed, encouraging the development of 3D data as a kind of practical online media. Because of the rapid advancement of 3D technology and other associated web-based resources, it isn't easy to recognize and correctly comprehend the most recent trends and open questions in the industry. This survey analyzes the current state of the art of 3D web publishing, reviews the possibilities provided by the primary current approaches, and categorizes the features supported by existing solutions, and cross-maps these with the requirements of a few main application domains. The survey begins with these premises and examines the state of the art of 3D web publishing. The findings of this investigation help define the technical features required to construct an efficient and effective 3D data presentation while considering the various application settings.
... WebGL has often been used to render 3D graphics of building elements in BIM applications. A WebGL-based IFC visualization method was proposed to convert the IFC text into an object file (with the format of OBJ), including the IFC attributes, create 3D visualizations using JavaScript programming, and visualize the IFC file in a web browser (Xu, Zhang, and Xu 2016). Based on the conversion of IFC into 3D tiles using caesium, Xu et al. proposed a data integration approach to visualize the BIM in a web browser via Node.js, which was available for IFC files with a large size ). ...
Existing model checkers of building information modeling (BIM) can open industry foundation classes (IFC) files and perform clash detection between mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) and architectural as well as structural models. However, there are few applications of IFC data in MEP engineering, specifically in interactive visualization between calculation results and BIM models. This study focuses on the systematic analysis of a BIM model and interactive visualization of IFC data for MEP engineering. First, the systematic analysis method for a ventilation system is proposed using the critical path class. Second, referring to the IFC relationship of connections between duct elements, elements in the same system are sorted into different levels of critical paths. Furthermore, ifcPressureViewer is developed based on the interactive visualization methodology by connecting Three.js, a JavaScript 3D library, with Echarts, a JavaScript visualization library, which is applicable for desktop computers and mobile tablets. This is followed by a case study that demonstrates the application of the interactive visualization process. Finally, the conclusions of this study are summarized, and directions for future research are discussed.
... Many similar studies have been published on this topic. Zhao et al. (2017) and Xu et al. (2016) proposed a method that combines the IFC and WebGL technology to create a 3D visualization in a web environment. Lu et al. (2020a) extracted building data from computer-aided design (CAD) drawings using optical recognition technology, extended and complemented building information using neural fuzzy system and an image processing program, and developed semantic /parametric model based on IFC that can be applied to the creation of a DT virtual model. ...
Natural hazards, which have the potential to cause catastrophic damage and loss to infrastructure, have increased significantly in recent decades. Thus, the construction demand for disaster prevention and mitigation for infrastructure (DPMI) systems is increasing. Many studies have applied intelligence technologies to solve key aspects of infrastructure, such as design, construction, disaster prevention and mitigation, and rescue and recovery; however, systematic construction is still lacking. Digital twin (DT) is one of the most promising technologies for multi-stage management which has great potential to solve the above challenges. This paper initially puts forward a scientific concept, in which DT drives the construction of intelligent disaster prevention and mitigation for infrastructure (IDPMI) systematically. To begin with, a scientific review of DT and IDPMI is performed, where the development of DT is summarized and a DT-based life cycle of infrastructures is defined. In addition, the intelligence technologies used in disaster management are key reviewed and their relative merits are illustrated. Furthermore, the development and technical feasibility of DT-driven IDPMI are illustrated by reviewing the relevant practice of DT in infrastructure. In conclusion, a scientific framework of DT-IDPMI is programmed, which not only provides some guidance for the deep integration between DT and IDPMI but also identifies the challenges that inspire the professional community to advance these techniques to address them in future research.
... Building information modeling (BIM) technology is widely used for data sharing and information integration management in all phases of projects in the architecture, engineering & construction and facilities management (AEC/FM) industry [1] , with its characteristics of serving the whole life cycle of buildings. The core value of BIM technology is to use the BIM server as the storage carrier for information, so as to interact with multiple clients of the project [2] . With the volume of engineering projects increasing year by year, the difficulty of managing large volume 3D models and data gradually increases, so it is especially important to ensure the complete information display of BIM models and meet the user's convenient access under different operating devices. ...
In view of the fact that most of the existing building information modeling (BIM) platforms are based on the Client/Server (C/S) mode of client-side applications, which brings about problems such as weak data interoperability, poor model semantic integrity and bad user-friendliness, this paper proposed an IFC-JSON and IFC-glTF model file format conversion process based on WebGL and an improved Draco algorithm that can further lighten glTF files. The experimental results showed that this option can effectively reduce data redundancy, then combined IoT (Internet of Things) as well as sensor technology in project practice to collect and transmit building-related O&M data, and finally visualised the equipment status of the building on the Web based on WebGL technology, providing a new application way for the combination of BIM technology and IOT technology in the browser/server mode.
... which was a WebGL framework, provided strong feature support for web clients through well-crafted interactive functions (Zhang and Hu 2011). Utilizing the integration of industry foundation classes (IFC) and WebGL has created a lightweight solution for real-time visualization of large-scale BIM scenes based on Web-3D (Liu et al. 2016;Xu et al. 2016). In the field of engineering, 3D presentation and analysis of the structure quality based upon BIM and WebGL plays an important role, and there should be more research in this area. ...
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is well-known for improving the efficiency of the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industries. Currently, the support for web displays using Web Graphics Library (WebGL) technology in BIM has gained popularity. To address the issues of insufficient display for the airport pavement by two-dimensional method and huge amount of data storage requirement for large-scale BIM scenes, this paper presents a visualization method for differential expressions for airport pavement quality on web-based 3D models combined with Revit and Three.js software. An airport is used as an example to discuss the effects of quality displays by integrating BIM and WebGL. The results indicate that Revit software has good adaptability in establishing an airport pavement model, and the BIM browser can display the quality of the airport pavement intuitively, displaying such parameters as Pavement Condition Index (PCI), cracking and patching. These findings provide compelling evidence for the 3D displaying and rendering of quality conditions for transportation infrastructure. Moreover, this research suggests that this approach is effective in improving the informatization and intelligence levels of the Airport Pavement Management System (APMS).
... The most usual use cases of BIM, GIS, and Web integration can be highlighted as project management [8][9][10] and analysis [11,12]. However, such integration faces a large number of obstacles because BIM and GIS have dissimilarities, such as the different scales of the information, differing development stages, and varying semantic and geometric information [13]. These differences bring many challenges for researchers focusing on integrating these fields, and the biggest problem is a lack of standards, technological solutions, and methods [6]. ...
... The interaction of BIM and GIS environments became a hot topic in the construction field in the last decade, in the same way that each field's individual development has moved towards new technological solutions and methodologies. The main obstacles arising in BIM and GIS integration are the different scales of their environments, their various coordinate systems, unique semantic and attributive information, individual geometric information and particular approaches to information storage, and dissimilar methods of information management and access [13]. In the last decade, researchers have investigated this field and developed several main concepts of BIM and GIS interaction within the Web environment. ...
The integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) within the Web environment is a promising approach that greatly enhances the capabilities of the aforementioned environments through the wide range of technology solutions used on the Web. This paper aims to reveal the trends of research in BIM, GIS, and Web integration and discuss the challenges and potential opportunities of such integration in terms of the most common uses in construction. The bibliometric analysis used as the method, compared to conventional literature reviews, reduces the likelihood of subjective judgments. The methodology used is based on a set of five research questions. To answer these, bibliographic coupling is used to analyze the publications datasets, specifically, co-citation networks, co-authorship networks, and the co-occurrence map of keywords. This review contributes to the field in raising awareness of the knowledge composition of BIM, GIS, and Web integration in the last decade, dominant research topics, the most recent trends, and the most pressing issues and use cases analyzed in the current studies related to BIM, GIS, and Web integration, thus identifying gaps and defining future research areas on the topic. The research shows that the number of developments focusing on BIM, GIS and Web integration has been continuously growing with a sudden increase after 2016. The study also revealed that the research work in this area consists of disjointed and fragmented research studies and has been conducted mainly in isolated clusters. Gaps and critical areas for future research include BIM, GIS, and Web interoperability solutions, standardization, BIM model processing and performance optimization, data exchange and storage.
... In this regard, they presented a conceptual framework consisting of various elements, including BIM institutional environment, BIM workflow, BIM model chain, BIM information flow, and BIM-based project management information system. Xu et al. (2016) offered a method respecting the 3D BIM model visualization on the web by integrating exported IFC files through web technology. This method was developed based on a conversion of IFC text into an object file (OBJ) and a subsequent OBJ compilation in the web. ...
Building maintenance includes actions that aim to ensure the components of a building are in acceptable conditions. In traditional maintenance methods, as-built drawings and maintenance manuals are regarded as essential documents for the operation and maintenance of buildings. In this method, the time and cost of facilities management are increased due to managing a large number of documents. Thus, the necessity of creating a range of fields from the information generation to the development of automation systems is evident in the maintenance services from the technological perspective. This research presents a computerized system that integrates the building information model objects in industry foundation classes and radio-frequency identification to improve building maintenance performance. The computerized system is successfully applied to the building of a soccer stadium via the proposed research methodology using a qualitative and practical approach. The main contribution of this research is to provide an innovative framework for the implementation of the proposed system with a step-by-step approach, and also to evaluate the maintenance methods to help different building maintenance stakeholders decide on the appropriate method. The research indicates that with a slight effort on the implementation of the proposed system, a significant improvement of overall maintenance performance can be achieved compared to the traditional method in terms of time, cost, and functionality. It is also hoped that the proposed system can join with other new technologies to promote the system’s value in the field of building maintenance.
... Management process reengineering was based on BIM technology for reengineering information transmission paths at various stages and parties, to make up for the deficiencies of traditional business processes and improve workflow conversion efficiency. As BIM technology provides the possibility of some work steps' combination and some participants' cooperation in the process of reporting, reviewing and issuing construction changes [17]. Therefore, the construction change management process and the participants' relationship in the BIM mode can be optimized to the form shown in the figure below, where the information goes on in a more effective way of putting forward, examine, issuing, updating and archiving the information. ...
Construction change management is an important part of construction project management. Previous studies usually focus on the various steps of construction change control: analyzing the causes of change, avoiding the risk of change, tracking the process of change, management and feedback of change. This study focused on improving the information flow and organizational relationship of the participants in the process of construction change management, which was reengineered with the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology for better information integration. As BIM technology provides technical means for information transaction and management, a reengineered construction change management process based on BIM technology was proposed to form a more effective way of putting forward, examine, issuing, updating and archiving the information. Both the workflow and the organizational units involved in each work step were reengineered to improve the information flow. To verify the effect of process reengineering, Uncinet, a visual analysis tool for Social network analysis (SNA) was applied to quantitatively analyze and compare the traditional and BIM based organizational structure. The research results demonstrated that BIM was helpful to strengthen organizational coordination and information exchange in construction change management process.
... The conversions from 2D to 3D and from exterior to interior of a building outline were explored by Vouzounaras et al. [32]. Additionally, Xu et al. [34] explained how to visualize these 3D outputs using building information models based on IFC and WebGL integrations. ...
Efforts to discover the logic of unfreezing the music in architecture started with Vitruvius (80–15 BC) and were continued in the modern era by Iannis Xenakis, among many others. Through these efforts, a process for unfreezing the architecture in music has gradually been constructed. Initially, rhythm, texture, harmony, geometry, proportion and dynamics were considered as the basis of complimentary aural and visual formats used to evolve aural parameters and their corresponding visual parameters. These parameters, which are involved in both visual (architecture) and aural (music) formats form the logic used to decipher music from architecture and vice versa. Using scaled axes as a basis for both aural and visual parameters, a comparison emerged. Thus, aural parameters can be extracted from a grid (the visual parameters in the axes) to compose music as well as the reverse process—visual parameters can be extracted from the grid (the aural parameters in the axes) to arrive at an architectural design. This approach resulted in the development of logic.
