ITR/AP: Information Technology for Enabling Dynamic Immersive and Interactive Visualization of Construction Operations

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT Proposal: CMS-0113890 PI: Julio C. Martinez Institution: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Date: June 21, 2001 ABSTRACT CMS0113890 " ITR/AP: Information Technology for Enabling Dynamic Immersive and Interactive Visualization of Construction Operations." Construction operations are spatially and temporally complex and dynamic. Virtual dynamic environments that allow immersion in such operations are invaluable for understanding, and improving. In the case of operations that have been modeled using discrete-event simulation, virtual immersive environments promise significant improvements in their verification and validation, and are essential for their credibility and subsequent use in decision-making. A proper virtual environment of a construction operation must show, in addition to the evolving facility being built, the movements and transformations of the people, machines, and materials that carry out construction in a spatially and temporally accurate manner. While most of the dynamics in these environments are continuous in nature, they must be recreated from discrete and unevenly spaced chunks of information. In addition, this information must be simple and succinct so that it can be generated by end-user programmable operations planning tools such as discrete-event simulation languages. In order to allow the creation of these virtual and dynamic environments, this research will lead to the design of a spatially and temporally accurate straight-line animation language, and implementation of this language in a wide variety of hardware platforms. Success in the design and implementation of this language is necessary to enable environments that, in addition to being dynamic and immersive, are interactive. In these environments, objects under the control of simulation models will be aware of, and react to, humans and human controlled machines. The impacts to learning, operator training, and operations design will likely be significant. Benefits extend beyond construction into other fields such as transportation (especially aviation), shipbuilding, aerospace, manufacturing, and the service industries, wherein the necessity to effectively communicate simulations is as acute as in construction.