SMARTBIM and Vizerra launched their new collaborative software project, VIMTrek, at the Greenbuild Exposition and Conference in Toronto. The VIMTrek software can convert a fully BIM detailed standard Revit design file into an immersive collaborative 3D environment in under five minutes while retaining the BIM data.
The application is able to rapidly convert Autodesk Revit designs into immersive and interactive environments and then share these over the Internet.
The idea came from advanced technologies in the video gaming industry where hyper?fast rendering algorithms are required to produce the immersive and highly detailed environments. The industry standard architectural rendering techniques, which convert design drafts into photorealistic visuals, typically involve a laborious and time?consuming process that can take 15 hours or more to complete and requires a high degree of expertise and computing power. The results of these traditional renderings produce visually stunning but static images, allowing no interactive or, more important, collaborative capabilities because of the large file size.
The software can convert the same Revit design file into an immersive 3D environment in less than five minutes with no extra training or experience required. The new rendering process utilizes unique compression technology that makes the file one?tenth the size of a traditional render and is completely interactive, allowing designers, architects, contractors, and their clients to navigate the environment and experience the building as though they were moving through a video game. BD+C
Related Stories
| Sep 11, 2014
Cintas invites public to vote for 'America's best restroom'
For the 13th consecutive year, Cintas Corporation is back with its popular America’s Best Restroom Contest. A team of survey editors once again scanned the country for the most creative and clean public restrooms and produced a crop of nominees sure to please.
| Sep 10, 2014
Ranked: Top transit facility sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Leo A Daly, URS, and Skanska head BD+C's rankings of the largest transit facility sector design and construction firms, based on the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Sep 10, 2014
Must See: Shape-shifting architecture that responds to heat
Students in Barcelona have created a composite material using shape memory polymers that can deform and return to their original state when activated by cues like heat, humidity, and light.
| Sep 10, 2014
Lessons for the shore: Bolstering resilience of the built environment
Nearly 32 million people, or 28% of the East Coast's population, live in areas lying within a mile of a shore line. The good news is that municipalities are starting to take action, writes Sasaki Associates.
| Sep 9, 2014
Using Facebook to transform workplace design
As part of our ongoing studies of how building design influences human behavior in today’s social media-driven world, HOK’s workplace strategists had an idea: Leverage the power of social media to collect data about how people feel about their workplaces and the type of spaces they need to succeed.
| Sep 9, 2014
Ranked: Top religious sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Brasfield & Gorrie, Gensler, and Jacobs top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest religious sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Sep 9, 2014
Take a look at the hardhat of the future
A Los Angeles-based startup added augmented reality technology to a hardhat, creating a smart helmet.
| Sep 9, 2014
Frank Lloyd Wright's Annie Pfeiffer Chapel brought back to life using 3D printing
Restoration of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed chapel was made possible (and affordable) thanks to 3D printing.
| Sep 8, 2014
First Look: Foster + Partners, Fernando Romero win competition for Mexico City's newest international airport
Designed to be the world’s most sustainable airport, the plan uses a single, compact terminal scheme in lieu of a cluster of buildings, offering shorter walking distances and fewer level changes, and eliminating the need for trains and tunnels.
| Sep 8, 2014
Trimble acquires Gehry Technologies, aims to create tools for linking office and job site
Trimble and Frank Gehry announced that they have entered into a strategic alliance to collaborate to transform the construction industry by further connecting the office to on-site construction technologies. As part of the alliance, Trimble has acquired Gehry Technologies.