The ABC’s of XR in AEC
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The pandemic had wide-ranging effects on the AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) industry. Travel restrictions limited construction, inspections, and other vital portions of the process. And around the world, construction supply and demand has shifted drastically, some markets increasing and others decreasing.
Industry leaders have turned to augmented reality and other immersive technologies to try to catch up from COVID setbacks and make long-overdue improvements to how AEC projects are moved from concept to completion.
Part of the reason AR adoption has been slow in AEC is because the tangential technologies haven’t been there. 5G networks are just now launching and hardware can’t always handle the data processing loads required for large-scale AEC projects.
When done well, augmented reality (AR) is extremely helpful in AEC—data overlays on development sites; immersive building tours; interactive prototyping, design, and engineering; and an overall decrease in mental workload by using 3D instead of 2D renderings.
Nox Innovations uses AR for building information modeling (BIM), which uses computer modeling to plan and engineer before the construction phase. Architects and engineers can identify issues early (and virtually) and can try many solutions in renderings before deciding on the best route.
AR can also help once construction begins. On-site contractors can visualize and execute the plan developed during engineering and development, reducing discrepancies between plan and implementation.
Nox reported a 21% increase in productivity and a 14% reduction in fabrication errors in the field after implementing HoloLens, Azure tools, and other Microsoft technology throughout the AEC process.
If you can’t see the future of AR in AEC in your imagination, maybe try previewing it in AR.
