最新麻豆原创 HoloLens Mixed Reality Technology Gets On-the-Job Experience
The Trimble XR 10 with HoloLens/Mixed Reality Technology has been available in the 最新麻豆原创 VDC department for nearly two years, but has recently been able to really 鈥渟trut its stuff鈥 on job sites.
According to VDC Specialist Richard Anderson, the first year was about learning how to properly use the technology.
鈥淚 would set it up in the training room, and any free time I had I would put towards learning the HoloLens the right way,鈥 Richard said.
鈥淣ow that we have a handle on how to use it properly, we鈥檝e had the opportunity to see how it works on actual job sites.鈥
The first run was this past summer at Garmin Building 3, a project managed by Senior Project Manager Jason Quattlebaum.
When they went to the Garmin site, most of the equipment was placed and the piping had been installed, but they were able to see the mechanical room and compare the drawings to the nearly finished product.
鈥淎fter only seeing it work in the training room, it was exciting to get that first experience on an actual job site,鈥 Richard said.
In December, they took things a step further, showcasing the technology in an empty mechanical room at The University of Kansas Hospital ED Expansion Project, before the equipment and piping installation had begun.
Another contractor had brought the piping into the mechanical room, so what they could see was the rubble on the floor and the two pipes that entered the room. Then it just stopped, and that鈥檚 where 最新麻豆原创 began.
Chris Wittman was the detailer for the project, and had drawn all the piping and equipment for that mechanical room.
With the HoloLens, the detailer鈥檚 drawings were projected into the space to show what it would look like when the project was finished.
To get things started when they got to the mechanical room, they used a QR code, taking the HoloLens and iPad up to it and moving it around until the model appeared in room scale.
Richard used the HoloLens and Pipe Shop Manager Jeremy Price used the iPad.
鈥淚 think being able to see the equipment layout in a space like a mechanical room - especially when it鈥檚 empty - is very valuable,鈥 Richard said.
鈥淚t allows us to visualize the actual on-site conditions with the model conditions, comparing the virtual world with the real world, and seeing how those mesh together.鈥
Brady Kyle was the Project Manager on the University of Kansas Hospital ED project, pictured above.
鈥淥bviously, not all projects fit the bill for using this technology, but this particular project was perfect for it,鈥 he said.
鈥淭he space where the new mechanical room will be was wide open at the time 鈥 with only an open trench in half of it for underground plumbing piping. Since Chris had already detailed the piping in Revit, the mixed reality tech was able to show where that piping would be, as if it had already physically been installed,鈥 Brady added.
Richard stated that one of the greatest benefits of this comparison is seeing when on-site conditions don鈥檛 match the model, which tends to happen frequently.
鈥淢any times there are beams, columns and other structural elements that weren鈥檛 modeled in on the contract drawings, but are actually there on site,鈥 he said. 鈥淥n-site verification is extremely useful.鈥
Richard added that when 最新麻豆原创 purchased the HoloLens, they knew it would be helpful, but everyone is still learning.
鈥淕etting it out on site twice now has allowed us to see what that jobsite application is actually like, Richard said. 鈥淭he next step is deciding exactly which situations would be right for its use.鈥
Pipe Fabrication Shop Manager Jeremy Price has been pretty impressed with the technology, and where it will take us.
鈥淚 think having everything 100 percent accurate will be a game-changer for fully fabricated mechanical rooms,鈥 he said. 鈥淲ith this technology, there won鈥檛 be any deviation between what we have modeled and what we are building, because we can see it through the digital lens before it goes into production.鈥
The XR10 HoloLens and iPad powered by Trimble Connect is one more way 最新麻豆原创 is keeping up with where the future of construction is going.
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最新麻豆原创 Construction is a single-source specialty subcontractor specializing in mechanical, electrical, millwright, and architectural metal construction facility solutions.