Development of MR construction management application "holonica™" which superimposes BIM data over construction location data
We will use it in finishing inspections for smooth information sharing and efficient operations
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Building Construction
Using Mixed Reality (MR) technology, Obayashi Corporation has developed holonica, an application that increases efficiency in construction management work, such as confirming design information and recording inspection information, by displaying BIM data superimposed over actual visible construction location data. The technology has been shown to be effective in finishing inspection operations.
Every construction manager carries a tablet device on-site and performs all construction management works, from checking drawings to creating inspection records, without the use of paper. Obayashi is promoting digital transformation for the realization of centralized information management, with BIM data at its core. For construction management using tablet devices, it is important to link the digital space with the actual corresponding location with no discrepancies. The BIM data must be checked to confirm that the actual construction site matches the design, then construction management information such as status of progress and inspection records is entered into BIM data corresponding to the actual location. For large-scale buildings and infrastructure, however, the amount of information is large, making it difficult to find the corresponding locations within BIM data, and expediting access to information had been a challenge thus far.
The application developed by Obayashi, holonica, facilitates recording construction management information to the appropriate locations in digital space, along with supporting visual understanding of the design, by displaying attribute data held by BIM data, such as 3D shapes and specifications, superimposed over actual locations using MR technology. Cloud platform, mixpace® (*1), made available by HoloLab, Inc. (Head office: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Kaoru Nakamura) is used as the base, and since the same BIM data can be accessed from various devices such as wearable smart glasses and tablets, users can choose appropriate equipment based on their situation.
Efficacy of holonica has been verified through its application in duties involved in inspection for interior finishing work, for which referring to and recording information are complex due to slight differences in design that exist for each of the floors and rooms. We were able to confirm that miscommunication of necessary information could be prevented so that highly accurate construction management could be maintained, and that time required for finishing inspections could be shortened by approximately 30% compared to the conventional method using drawings on paper.
Features of holonica are described below.
Utilizes location information to enable superimposing BIM data over a wide range and with high precision
There is no need to look for the required information from among a massive amount of design documents, and differences between the design and actual object can be detected right away, because location information can be used to superimpose and display 3D shapes and attribute information of BIM data with desired transmittance on-site. The location information combines recognition of markers positioned at roughly 15 meters intervals from each other on floors, etc. on-site, and self-position recognition technology (*2), which estimates location position, pose, and the surrounding environment through changes in camera images, allowing measurements that are more wide-ranging and precise than conventional MR systems to be realized.
Enables sharing of inspection records among relevant parties to allow both high precision construction management and efficient operations
Inspection records can be shared by marking BIM data and storing them in the server for inspections records. Inspection records that are created contain 3D location information, and enable issues on-site to be identified at a glance by sharing the same BIM data. Inspection records also store recorders' viewpoint location and relevant components contained in BIM data, ensuring effective and reliable execution of corrections and verifications.
Enables easy utilization of MR
Through collaboration with mixpace® which provides conversion, management, and display functions necessary for MR conversion of BIM data, it is possible for MR to be used simply with a drag and drop of BIM data onto the web application on a device. It is possible for all attribute data, including not only 3D shapes, but also size, component code, and finishing method separately for each component, to be displayed on holonica.
It is anticipated that holonica will play a role in many situations, such as in consensus building for the construction design stage, confirming work performed on the framework, duties in maintenance work after completion of construction, etc. Obayashi will achieve centralization of on-site information management utilizing BIM data through the wide-ranging deployment of holonica, to aim for further increasing productivity and precision construction management.
- *1 mixpace®
Visualization solution developed by HoloLab, Inc. for the manufacturing and construction industries that automatically convert design data created with 3D modeling software and BIM software into data for MR - *2 Self-position recognition technology
Technology that estimates self-position using both images taken with a camera and various sensing information from accelerometers, etc. This technology is also used for the autonomous operation of robots