Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) is one of the new technologies being adopted in the construction industry, in this case to create and visualise the design of buildings prior to their actual physical construction. This virtual environment can be accessed through computers, mobile devices and virtual reality devices.
To get an idea of the advantage of working in the VDC environment, we only need to consider that estimates put the cost overruns in construction due to the need to fix errors or defects at 30%. Virtual design avoids precisely these cost overruns by producing a model in a virtual environment from the first view.
The Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodology is probably the most popular tool in this respect. It allows architects and engineers to create virtual models of the buildings they work on. The BIM industry is currently estimated to be worth approximately $8 billion.
In fact, the adoption rate of BIM technology is between 60% and 70%. Although the uptake of this new technology has been slow (over 35 years), the change has accelerated in the last decade. Several 2020 reports showed a figure of 73% of respondents using BIM methodology, compared to 50% who had never heard of it in 2011.
By Raúl Soriano, Senior Modeller in Amusement Logic’s Architecture Dept.
