Constructible magazine

A Trimble Magazine - Design, Build and Operate Better - Issue 1, November 2018 - U.S. Edition

40 Years of Innovation at Work The Evolution of 3D Laser Scanning

How Augmented and Mixed Reality Are Transforming the Industry

What Blockchain Means to Construction

Preface

What Constructibility Means to Trimble MEP

It’s no secret that Trimble is one of the world’s largest building construction solution providers. To understand how we got where we are today, it’s important to remember how it all began.

Over 40 years ago, Trimble started innovating with the first-ever Global Positioning System, and our capabilities have expanded ever since. The Trimble MEP division has run the gamut from intelligent database and barcode scanning systems to estimating and change management solutions.

From 3D laser scanners, robotic total stations, and the Trimble HoloLens hard hat, our organization was founded upon transforming the way the world works.

Lawrence Smith General Manager, Trimble MEP Division

In the construction industry, 10% of materials are wasted, 40% of projects are over budget, and 30% of construction is rework. If that’s not enough, 90% of building projects are late. With all of these industry challenges, it’s our duty to enable organizations to stay on task and on budget.

Trimble MEP is looking to make the impossible, possible. High performance buildings are at the forefront of everything we do. It’s our goal to the serve the entire continuum of the construction process. By connecting hardware and software together, we can support customers with purpose-built solutions at every phase of a project.

The future of construction is constructibility — lean projects, prefabrication, automated workflows, reduced waste, and beyond.

From all of us at Trimble MEP, we hope you enjoy your voyage through the built environment.

Thanks for Building,

Lawrence Smith

This year, Trimble celebrates its 40th anniversary and the MEP division its 10th. A good time to reflect on how we as an industry got where we are today and to look forward to the future.

Read on to travel back in time and uncover the technological developments that have shaped construction, or flip to page 8 to discover 5 key tech trends that are already redefining the way the world works - today and tomorrow.

2

CONSTRUCTIBLE

Enjoy!

Table of Contents

6 8

The Trimble Constructible Process Whatever you can imagine, you can build

Looking Back

14 18

10 4

The CAD Revolution in Construction

6

The Evolution of 3D Laser Scanning

Looking Forward: 5 Future Tech Trends 8

Constructible Content

13

IoT (Internet of Things)

14

Blockchain and Smart Contracts

16

AI (Artificial Intelligence)

18

Augmented and Mixed Reality

Constructible Constructible is a magazine of

If you would like to get in touch or

Trimble MEP

contribute, contact the editorial

constructible.trimble.com

team: constructible@trimble.com.

Editors: Anne-Mieke Dekker,

Š 2018 Trimble, All rights reserved.

Sarah Lorek Design: Joost Knuit DESIGN, BUILD, AND OPERATE BETTER

3

Looking Back

The CAD Revolution in Construction

4

1950s

1960s

The introduction of Computer Aided Design (CAD) has led to an increase in productivity all over the world. The beginnings of CAD can be traced to the year 1957, when Dr. Patrick J. Hanratty developed PRONTO, the first commercial numerical-control programming system. In 1960, Ivan Sutherland MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory created SKETCHPAD, which demonstrated the basic principles and feasibility of computer technical drawing.

3D wireframe features were developed in the beginning of the sixties, and in 1969 MAGI released Syntha Vision, the first commercially available solid modeler program. Solid modeling further enhanced the 3D capabilities of CAD systems.

CONSTRUCTIBLE

1970s The step after 3D systems is BIM (Building Information Modelling), which has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years.

However, the concept of BIM is actually not new. The first document to describe a concept now

known as BIM was Charles M. Eastman’s description of a working prototype Building Description System, published in the AIA Journal in 1975. This was the first time that interactively defined elements were used, where information on matters like floor plan, facade, perspective, and section was contained in the same description of an element.

1980s The first time the term Building Modeling was used as we know it, was in an article by Robert Aish in 1986. Aish stated that in order for

The CAD Revolution in Construction

Over the past decades both design and manufacturing industries have been increasing their overall efficiency and productivity using computer technology. From pencil and paper to CAD and BIM - there’s no doubt things have rapidly changed.

CAD to be effective in multidisciplinary teams, information should be represented in an appropriate way, for example in a 3D view.

An integrated CAD system was proposed as a solution to facilitate the coordination and consistency of design information.

1990s From Building Modeling, it was just a small step to Building Information Modeling, which was used for the first time in a piece ‘Automation in Construction’ from 1992 by G.A. van Nederveen and F. Tolman. This paper presented an approach in

which aspect models from different participants in a building project together made up a building reference model.

2000s In 2000, Revit revolutionized the world of Building Information Modeling by utilizing a visual programming environment for creating parametric families and capturing the relationships between components in the model.

DESIGN, BUILD, AND OPERATE BETTER

5

Looking Back

The Evolution of 3D Laser Scanning

In the past, 3D Laser scanning was an idea only made possible by our imaginations. Now, we use 3D laser scanning to collect data, model, and detail. Here’s how a powerful set of hardware and software have reached that optimal balance between science fiction and reality: things have rapidly changed.

6

CONSTRUCTIBLE

The Evolution of 3D Laser Scanning

1950s

1960s

1970s

In 1953, the U.S. military began experimenting with an optical measuring device using light and high-speed shutters, called LIDAR. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, the Ferranti Company of Scotland released an electronic probing machine for precise measurement called a Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM). These two projects form the technological basis of 3D laser scanning.

Building off the invention of the laser early in the 60s, the U.S. Military upgraded the LIDAR system to integrate lasers for precise distance measurement in topographical and investigative scenarios, including portable and airborne devices. Meanwhile, DEA in Italy had designed a new 3-axis CMM which offered a more robust coordinate measuring system for physical objects.

Students and professors at the University of Utah’s Computer Science department developed wholly new algorithms to allow a computer to effectively translate 3D models based on real world data. They then manually plotted and measured points and lines across the surface of a 1968 VW Beetle in 1972: the first 3D model of a physical object ever.

1980s

1990s

2000s

In 1984, a great milestone came when Cyberware Laboratories of Los Angeles, released their “Head Scanner,” a stripe-based laser scanner designed to create a 3D computer image of the human head to be used for animation purposes in the entertainment industry.

In the 90’s, scanners became more sophisticated in terms of speed and accuracy and made their way to the construction industry. In 1992, the French company MENSI (a Trimble company), introduced the S-series 3D laser scanners, primarily used in industrial applications and in 1993, Cyra Technologies produced the first 3D scanner widely adopted by surveyors and engineers.

In 2005, Trimble released the GX-series; the first laser scanner that offered a true surveying workflow. In 2007, low level scanning technology was combined into a standard robotic total station with the Trimble VX. This was followed in 2016 with the Trimble SX10 that combined powerful scanning, imaging, and total station technology into one instrument, making a true transitioning for everyday use of scanning for surveyors.

DESIGN, BUILD, AND OPERATE BETTER

7

Looking Forward

Tech Trend 1: Constructible Content Content is essential for BIM and VDC projects.

Content in BIM (Building Information Modeling), is a 3D representation enriched with information such as size, height, weight, article number, labor and material pricing, and more.

C

ontent becomes constructible content when it consists of technical information and geometric parameters that form the external characteristics of a product.

The components, or content, come together to form a 3D building model that directly translates to the actual world and can be built into reality.

A Constructible Model can be defined by 3 Features: • Content-Enabled • Connected • Constructibility / Buildability Constructible content enhances the value of 3D models in BIM and VDC processes. To explain constructible content in more specific terms, we’ll start at the beginning.

8

CONSTRUCTIBLE

The Constructible Content Lifecycle Every single building starts with an idea, and that idea is brought to life with a 3D model. In the model, there is content— lots of content.

All of the content in the 3D model is made up of components, and each component is filled with information (the ‘I’ in BIM). As previously mentioned, the data in the constructible content includes information like height, weight, labor and material pricing, part number, and more. When all of the components come together and form the model or system, it can be built in the real world.

However, manufacturer data changes regularly, so the information in every component must be up to date in order for your content to be truly constructible. You could manage your own content, but here’s the problem...

5 Future Tech Trends

The problem with managing your own content As long as all of the 3D manufacturer components have been maintained and updated to include the latest data, you can be sure that your model’s content will fit in the real world. However, teams who spend time updating their own manufacturer content can miss manufacturer product updates— and most manufacturers don’t tell you when they make updates to their products. This risks throwing your entire building model off, even if just one type of component used was updated without your knowledge. For many ‘DIY content’ creators, this results in thousands of lost dollars each year.

The good news is, companies like Trimble offer fully managed and up-to-date constructible content.

Visit mep.trimble.com/constructible-content to learn more.

Some of the benefits of managed constructible content are: Open Data Open data enables real-time collaboration Predictable Outcomes Predictable outcomes mean reduced risk and fewer surprises

jects. If 3D content comes from manufacturer building data, you’re working with items used in the real world (constructible content). These items are equipped with up-to-date parameters, which can be used in projects to: • Create prefab sets • Create BOM (Bill of Material) lists • Create ordering lists • Make accurate calculations for MEP systems

Data-Rich Libraries Libraries are filled with pertinent information needed for an accurate 3D building model

In the MEP domain, it is important to focus on quality data to ensure the overview of content provided is relevant to your users. Good, up-to-date content should always be a requirement. But, what defines “good” content?

Historical Information Knowing information from the past can improve product efficiencies and workflows

Requirements for good, constructible content

Accurate Having the most up-to-data and accurate product information allows for ‘digital-twin builds’

• • • •

Right and correct data Easy to use and maintain Easy to navigate and find Regularly updated and managed

Why Data is Essential to Constructible Content

Constructible content facilitates all stages in the constructible process

Detailers and designers want to deliver constructible models — models containing all the necessary information needed to construct a building from conception to completion. Having rich data in your content is essential to forecasting, calculating, ordering, and defining pro-

So with constructible content, models facilitate more than just the design; they can drive the actual workflow of a project. Project scheduling, fabrication, and installation of components can all be driven by a shared and coordinated set of digital construction documen-

Continues on page 12

DESIGN, BUILD, AND OPERATE BETTER

9

The Trimble Constructible Process Whatever you can imagine, you can build

10

CONSTRUCTIBLE

DESIGN, BUILD, AND OPERATE BETTER

11

Looking Forward

tation. Cost estimating can be transformed from the manual process of counting the number of doors, the linear feet of steel, and the volumes of concrete to a streamlined and repeatable takeoff from the digital record. The complex relationship between mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems is fully coordinated before installation starts, then precisely placed on-site to avoid clashes due to the smallest errors executed by one of the trades.

Where to find constructible content Shrinking budgets result in the need to design in even smarter and more efficient ways. Good software and constructible content are necessary to do this. But

different projects require different functionalities in your software (and different content needs). Because of this, flexibility is becoming even more important as well.

It’s predicted that ‘on-demand’ or subscription-based models, like Netflix, will increasingly influence the world of design software. With subscription-based models, software, updates, and support are all included in a monthly payment, and consequently, can be adjusted to meet your specific needs.

3D constructible content is offered by Trimble. It’s completely managed, maintained, and kept up to date, so you can be confident your model, filled with rich and usable data, can be built in the real world.

UTILIZE & OPTIMIZE

PLAN

CONCEPT

OPERATE & MANAGE DESIGN & ENGINEERING

FABRICATE & CONSTRUCT BID & AWARD

Constructible content facilitates all stages in the constructible process

Learn more about Trimble’s Constructible Content

mep.trimble.com/constructible-content

12

CONSTRUCTIBLE

5 Future Tech Trends

Tech Trend 2: IoT (Internet of Things)

S

mart thermostats and intelligent ventilation systems have been the standard in our industry for some time now. Technology giants like Apple, Google, and Samsung ensure that homes and buildings are becoming even smarter. By 2020, 26 billion devices are expected to be connected to the internet. IoT is a trend we simply can’t ignore. So how can IoT change the way we work in the MEP industry? Here are a few possible applications:

Worker safety

Repair and maintenance

By using IoT and cloud connectivity, data from the work environment can be collected and analyzed in order to trigger warning signals to help keep workers safe and healthy. Think, for example, of jackets that start vibrating when a worker is lifting too heavy weights, or smartboots that provide alerts when conditions are unsafe and report real time on accidents.

What if we connect all the boilers, valves and other equipment in an equipment room to the internet? Instead of having to go through all the individual logs, a service engineer now can get a clear overview of all the essential data. By monitoring and analyzing both historical and real-time data collected by your equipment, it becomes even possible to prevent and predict downtime. Certain equipment can also be repaired remotely via the internet, reducing the need for travel.

Find tools fast Bluetooth tags on assets let crew locate tools fast.

Take the offsite fabrication of piping systems; what if something changes between the point of fabrication and installation on site? Or if something needs to be reworked, how can the team on site be notified about these changes? By connecting prefabricated sets to the internet with chips or tags, construction managers can retrieve up to date information about the status and location of that asset at any time, which is always up to date and accessible - as opposed to paperwork.

These are the applications that are already being put to practice, but there’s probably a lot more that could potentially be accomplished by IoT. So where can you as a MEP contractor start with implementing IoT? A good place to start is to ask the question: where can you save the most? Do you want to save time by digitizing manual processes? Do you want to reduce breakdown costs? Or is something else costing your firm a lot of time or money? Answer this and you’ll have a good idea of where to start looking for an IoT-based solution for your business.

DESIGN, BUILD, AND OPERATE BETTER

13

Looking Forward

Tech Trend 3: Blockchain and Smart Contracts As most people know, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, run on blockchain. It’s the ledger system for recording transactions, and it’s making headway in the construction industry.

One of the key benefits that blockchain could bring to construction is streamlining the legal and regulatory delays and expenses that may be seen as a necessary evil. Everything from subcontractor SOWs to restocking supply inventory could potentially be optimized if it were encoded in a ‘smart contract’. Smart contracts are, essentially, coded instructions housed on individual “nodes” of the blockchain and allowed to run automatically. Here’s what our experts are saying:

Matthew Ramage, LEM Business Area Director, Trimble “In construction, a smart contract could be a fraction of a traditional deliverable, like the completion of electrical fixes, or ground works. Instead, ‘stages’ of this work are tied to a portion of the total payment. In practice, this breaks large lump payments into more cash flow-beneficial, small payments, which are healthier for all parties involved in supply chain and construction. Healthier cash flow of contractors, for example, has direct consequences on delivery and

14

CONSTRUCTIBLE

performance and a reduction of delays.

These broken down monolithic project milestones are the smart contracts.

A smart contract could be as granular as the install of a light bulb or the dispatching of materials prior to delivery. The overall lump value of the original milestone is proportioned across the range of minor tasks which compose it. For example, I install the lightbulb, I get paid a percentage. This payment is based on the initial agreement of the milestones, the smart contracts, and assigning budgets and wallets to each involved

5 Future Tech Trends

Prakash Iyer, Senior Vice President, Software Architecture & Strategy, Trimble “Blockchain can transform the way we do things. Security, visibility, and transparency are the three pillars of blockchain. Any time when provenance or traceability are required, blockchain is a way to recognize responsibility and ownership of problems. In construction, in many cases it takes a significant amount of time after contractors finish a job before they get paid. That’s because work has to be verified and go through multiple steps before the payment process is completed. Having a blockchain system with a smart contract to automatically verify the completion of the job according to the agreed upon terms, can speed up the payment process and help the contractor save time and money. This is just one example of where Blockchain can transform the workflow in construction.

Another example is the inspection process where Blockchain could add tons of value. I’ve seen various trades coming in and finishing work that’s found during an inspection, like chips on the wall or misalignment. As different parties are involved (owners, contractors, tradespersons), blockchain and smart contracts can help attribute responsibility for each job that has been completed.

In construction supply chains, inefficiencies and delays are not uncommon- and they are not cheap. In building construction, you’re dependent on the efficiencies of multiple suppliers such as fabricators, concrete, and MEP contractors.

Blockchain allows you to optimally take the next step faster, like scheduling the erection, and it has great potential for monitoring and optimizing the supply chain. party. Completion and verification of the work immediately triggers an automated payment from one wallet into another: no invoicing, no payment submissions, and minimum physical interaction with the process of being paid. This reduces financial team cost on all sides and the speed of delivery and verification of work.

You get paid for what you do, when you do it, with no paperwork and no finance team needed for processing. This means less paper, fewer people involved, and complete visibility of responsibility and budget – you only pay for what’s done.”

Another promising aspect of blockchain evolution is the combination of blockchain with IoT sensors. An example is a startup I encountered that’s trying to take all the data from IoT sensors and place it in the blockchain-based system, creating a more resilient device ecosystem. A blockchain-based system could maintain secure messages between devices and automatically verify various regulatory compliances required for many IoT devices without the need for a centralized model. In a way, a BIM model could be thought of as a sort of ‘soft sensor’. This could allow us to use the BIM data better through a blockchain ledger. The main point is: don’t try to use blockchain as a technology to fit into a scenario. Use it as a means to create decentralized, trustless and autonomous systems in an ecosystem of devices or business entities that can transform the workflows and create value.”

DESIGN, BUILD, AND OPERATE BETTER

15

Looking Forward

Tech Trend 4: AI (Artificial Intelligence) More and more often, the construction industry is seeing an influx of automated technologies. As the demand for new developments and buildings reaches an all-time high, construction firms are looking for ways to streamline their projects. The advancement of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning technologies are making this easier every day.

A few of the short-term benefits of AI and machine learning in construction include: • Real-time tracking of site equipment, tools, materials, and people • Monitoring for heavy machinery in the case of malfunctions or breakdowns • Increase in worker safety and jobsite productivity Upon first glance, these benefits may seem to matter only to GCs and owner-operators, but there are bene-

16

CONSTRUCTIBLE

fits for other construction professions as well.

According to an article from Construction Executive, “AI and machine learning will also help assist project managers and architectural consultants in demand forecasting and scheduling during years-long design and planning phases before ground is actually broken.”

This will help professionals anticipate market needs and eliminate simple human errors, making projects more “thoughtfully” planned and more efficient.

5 Future Tech Trends

Safety Safety is one of the positive aspects that surely benefits everyone. During the Build Conference in Seattle, Microsoft showed how AI could make construction sites safer and more productive. Using onsite cameras, visual recognition, and information about objects and people, new software is allowing project managers and businesses to monitor jobsite work in real-time. This would allow for the automatic enforcement of policies and regulations. The new platform can monitor which employees are using equipment, and it even knows which workers are certified to use the equipment. By simple facial recognition, this example of AI is keeping track of any worker who might be violating policies or causing danger to workers around them.

AI and machine learning will also help assist project managers and architectural consultants in demand forecasting and scheduling.”

Robotics Automation and robotics is still gaining traction in the construction sector, but there’s little doubt that it’s making headway in a number of different areas. Think of Robotic Total Stations that automatically lay out points on construction sites with high speed and accuracy. Another example is AutoSaw, a project from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) that allows for semi-autonomous customization in carpentry work. The team adapted existing robots to create their robot carpenter, including Roomba automated cleaning bots. CSAIL Director Daniela Rus said: “Robots have already enabled mass production, but with artificial intelligence (AI) they have the potential to enable mass customisation and personalisation in almost everything we produce.”

Artificial Intelligence and machine learning are no doubt scary, but the benefits may outweigh the fear it causes.

By using AI to anticipate market needs, plan projects more efficiently, and monitor working conditions, we may start to see this fear alleviated – or even eliminated in the next couple of years.

Fast-forwarding to the future, two ways in which Artificial Intelligence will make a further impact are in the field of CAD and robotics:

AI-powered Design Using artificial intelligence software and the computing power of the cloud, a new design process is emerging: generative design. With generative design, users can simply define a problem and design objectives, enter parameters and criteria such as materials, construction or manufacturing method and costs, and based on these the software will develop several design options.

The technology is already being used in architecture and product development, and we can expect it to make its way to the MEP industry as well. Generative design will transform the role of CAD from a drawing tool to a co-creation tool, making designs that we can’t even imagine today, possible.

DESIGN, BUILD, AND OPERATE BETTER

17

Looking Forward

Tech Trend 5: Augmented & Mixed Reality Virtual and Mixed Reality are proving their worth across industries and their applications are not far-fetched fantasies anymore.

Thanks to David Burczyk. Segment Manager Field Technology Group, and Jordan Lawver, Product Marketing Manager at Trimble Mixed Reality

Virtual vs. Mixed Reality You may wonder what the difference is between Virtual and Mixed Reality. With Virtual Reality, the user wears a headset that cuts the user completely off from the real world, fully immersing them in the experience; everything the user sees is digital. Mixed Reality, on the other hand, blends the real and virtual worlds in real-time, overlaying digital content onto the physical world. Mixed Reality headsets, such as Microsoft

18

CONSTRUCTIBLE

HoloLens, have sensors that enable these interactions.

Users can simply look at objects to access data, using hand gestures or voice commands for control. Users stay “heads-up and hands-free”, useful when performing manual tasks. Both Mixed and Virtual Reality can enhance the productivity of MEP contractors in different ways. In some ways, Mixed Reality allows you to take your design to the field, while Virtual Reality allows you to take the field to the office. Here’s how:

5 Future Tech Trends

1. Design vs. As-Builts At any point in a project where you’re using a 3D laser scanner, Virtual Reality can help to experience the data in a fully immersive 3D way. Immersing yourself into large scale point clouds and 3D models becomes possible with VR’s ability to scale with a computer’s processing power. With a new VR application, it is even possible to open the 3D model and point cloud together to conduct design vs. as-built comparisons. This way, contractors can track progress throughout the project and quickly spot any walkthrough issues. The Virtual Reality models can also be used for craft-worker safety training, allowing staff to work more productively on the job site.

Using Trimble Connect mixed reality for near real-time quality control, the on-site team identified and resolved potential issues avoiding significant schedule delays and cost overruns.”

Rémi Visiere, Head of R&D and Innovation, GA

2. Quality Control Mixed Reality in construction is helping workers by providing precise alignment of holographic data on the job site via hard hat-mounted hardware. For example, GA Smart Buildings was the first company in France to deploy the Trimble Connect for HoloLens solution.

They developed mixed reality-based workflows, enhanced through remote collaboration. Special attention was given to the quality control of MEP systems and cast-in-place concrete. Having the ability to visualize BIM models superimposed on the actual environment, allowed easy identification of design-to-build discrepancies, precision positioning of equipment, and near real-time quality control.

3. Co-Located Collaboration Recent developments in Mixed Reality make it possible to perform co-located collaboration on site, or in the office. For example, two or more subcontractors coordinating on a project are now able to see the same thing at the same time onsite through their respective HoloLens devices. This way, they can perform a project walkthrough based on the same BIM data - greatly enhancing onsite collaboration.

HoloLens at a workstation. Instead of trying to recall directions from memory or carrying around thick paper manuals, workers can simply follow step-bystep instructions in Mixed Reality. Moreover, with the ability to perform marker-based alignment in controlled environments, digital elements can be aligned with the actual environment with significantly increased precision. With these tools, workers receive guidance not only in what work they are required to perform, but also in precisely where they have to do it.

It’s clear that both Mixed and Virtual Reality have surpassed their infancy stages as they are transforming the way construction companies consume and interact with information. Both technologies are enabling education, boosting productivity across project stages, and most importantly, they are closing the gap between the field and office.

4. Prefab and Sequencing Another way in which Mixed Reality enhances productivity is when applied to prefabrication and sequencing processes. It is now possible to divide a BIM model into a sequential process that can be stepped through via

DESIGN, BUILD, AND OPERATE BETTER

19

Constructible Construction industry resources to help you design, build, and operate better.

Explore the most extensive resource hub for best practice knowledge sharing in the construction industry.