5 ways 3D modeling benefits the construction industry

It’s no surprise that many people have started to incorporate 3D technology even within their homes in the form of 3D televisions. 3D printers are becoming more common by the day and we have some companies that are even trying to make it an everyday household item. Since this technology holds great promise, it’s worthy for large corporations and industries to take a look into it as well. One such industry is the construction industry.

But the question is, how can 3D technology benefit construction? The construction industry contributes to the growth of other industries (such as manufacturing); therefore, a lot of thought has to go into what can possibly make it the most efficient industry.

3D modeling is one way the construction industry can benefit from 3D technology greatly. It involves the process of creating a mathematical representation of any object or surface in three-dimensional spaces using specialized software. It basically brings 2D, flat ideas to life.

This technique is already extensively employed in the gaming, film, and even the medical industry. Interestingly, 3D modeling is on the rise in the construction industry as well for visualizing graphic designs and creating simulations.

The most common of 3D modeling techniques include simple polygons. Shapes made using these simple polygons, are referred to as 3-D primitives, and include shapes such as pyramids, spheres, cubes, cylinders, cones, and so on. Another popular technique, on the more complex and technical side, is NURBS: non-uniform rational b-spline, which are smooth shapes defined by bezel curves.

Professionals in construction are being asked to get the most out of 3D technology. Everything we use or encounter is made through automatic machinery. Construction is one of the few jobs that are still done a lot by hand rather than automation. It involves a lot of waste materials as well, is costly. In fact, manual construction techniques often go way over the assigned budget.

So how can 3D modeling bring about a change in the construction industry and reduce all these issues to some extent? Let’s explore the 5 ways 3D modeling benefits the construction industry:

1. Allowing more creative room

Tasks are getting easier by the day with technological advancements. Since architects don’t have to worry so much about the technicalities with easier 3D modeling techniques coming up every day, it means they can put in more focus on the creativity of their design.

Coming up with unique architectural designs is easier with 3D modeling as it saves you a lot of time drawing blueprints. Besides, it also makes it easier to visualize whatever ideas that may previously have been discarded because it was not certain how they’d turn out in the earlier times. Therefore, they’re allowed to be more experimental with what they present as the potential design.

2. Easily shareable designs

As technology embeds itself deeper into the construction industry, it has become exponentially easier to share designs remotely and get immediate feedback. No longer do architects have to roll out blueprints and explain all the technicalities in layman terms so that the blueprint can make sense to the CEO who has little knowledge of the blueprint language.

3. Identifying problems earlier

With the potential ease of 3D modeling, not only do architects have more time to play around and experiment with the design, they’re also able to identify potential problems with their designs before they become realities that will cost the company many dollars to fix. You can rotate the model to get the view from all sides and designers can get everyone, even those without an engineering background, to view it so that even more people can identify problems that may be fixed.

3D modeling presents a reality-based face of the complete building by bringing it to life for all to observe without even getting started on the actual building part! This allows construction companies to achieve more in a much lesser cost as errors are reduced.

4. Making greater team collaboration possible

When a building is being created, multiple teams at once are expected to collaborate on the project and come up with the best product. Of course, the assigned tasks of each team member are in some way interlinked so it’s essential that everyone is up to date on the changes being made especially with regards to the design of the building. 3D modeling makes this easier.

For instance, the finance team would need to know the exact materials required, and for that, they need to be updated real-time in case of any changes necessary to the design. In fact, they’d have a say in the final designing as well to keep the building as cost-effective as possible.

3D modeling enables construction companies to have full-fledged and efficient collaboration between teams as it becomes easier to keep the design in front of everyone responsible for the end-product and get their valuable input.

Read also: The future of construction – BIM

One such 3D modeling software that allows companies to take the above-mentioned advantages of 3D technology is PhotoModeler. This software is widely used in today’s construction industry. It’s extensively used for providing input to Building Information Modeling (BIM). BIM is the data that helps with the design, construction, and management of modern buildings.

BIM enables the preservation and conservation of old architectural pieces by measuring them accurately and documenting what area of the structure needs to be preserved and how.

Furthermore, PhotoModeler can generate 3D models to help visualize your designs and even create elevation drawings of already existing buildings. It can even aid in producing realistic walkthroughs discussed above and allow for surveying existing buildings for any construction issues.

PhotoModeler scanner allows for capturing of details such as texture and complex shapes that cannot be easily created by designers themselves. This is why construction professionals should look into how PhotoModeler works and the steps it requires to make 3D modeling easier.

5. Experiencing the building before it’s built

We have seen many 3D movies being released and even virtual reality devices to allow us to explore so many universes. Thus, 3D modeling can allow architects to even animate a virtual reality experience of walking through the actual building.

This will give clients a chance to view how the building will look on the inside as well before finalizing the design. They can make suggestions based on this to avoid future disagreements. 3D modeling makes it possible for them to spend a good amount of time in the building. This also allows you to see how other people are in it before anything starts.

Through this technology, clients can make changes to the minutest of details, such as the texture of a tile. They can make upgrades to the surroundings based on window-views, for example, adding landscaping to the grounds or installing fountains.

Even lighting is an area that can be determined beforehand! Realistic lighting allows the company to show the client where natural light will be coming from and where artificial lighting will be required. Similarly, appropriate furniture or décor choices can be made prior to the overall investment, to allow the client to fully explore their options.

This realism is something simple 2D images and the imagination cannot provide.