The challenge
Balfour Beatty is one of the world’s leading infrastructure companies. It had seen the potential for new technologies to deliver major operational gains, especially in the way it managed projects and communicated with stakeholders.
A joint discovery process unearthed a crucial role for VR and gaming engine technology to create realistic ‘digital twins’ of all its construction sites.
The benefits were huge, including closer collaboration between colleagues, reduced costs through remote working, better health and safety, rapid access to project experts, enhanced communication and greater coordination across global operations.
Only the creation of a highly immersive and collaborative digital environment would ensure they were realised and deliver a step change in performance.
The response
To demonstrate the power of Extended Reality to Balfour and its customers, we created a virtual planning room where colleagues could view detailed scale models of major construction sites.
Drone and LiDAR technology produced accurate, finely detailed recreations of complex environments, while the sim itself was built using Unreal Engine 4 and operated on both Oculus and Vive VR hardware.
Multiple users shared the virtual space, each visualised as an avatar, with headset microphones enabling seamless communication.
By dropping a pin onto the model, any individual could beam down to the surface and be presented with a full-scale view of the site. At the touch of a button, they could teleport around to explore.
BIM models of buildings and facilities, exported from Autodesk, could be overlaid onto the project, to see what was being built and where. To help solve logistical challenges, excavators and cranes could simply be picked up and moved around the site.
The result
The simulation received high praise from key Balfour stakeholders including its CEO. It was shown at a global leadership event and subsequently at project offices, where its true potential was quickly appreciated by those on site.
A further concept demo was produced, and shared with wider stakeholders, including The Highways Agency. Designed as a catalyst for future funding, it received a hugely positive reception, and was a major step along the road to developing a full, production-ready version.