Physical 3D models have been used for decades to visualize City improvements in need of public approval and to help architects portray their ideas to the owner. Topographic contour maps have been used to visualize ground terrain in a two-dimensional environment for drainage studies, military strategy planning, city planning, etc. These models are often costly and take too long to construct.

Printed renderings are more easy and cost-effective to produce, but they lack the interactiveness of even the physical models.

The recent developments and adoption of Building Information Models (BIM) and intelligent 3D models have enabled architects and engineers to reach beyond just building a “pretty picture”. These “intelligent” models serve as a collaboration tool for designers working on different aspects of the project to visualize their designs and avoid any clashes during construction. Once the project is complete, this data can be used for detailed asset/facility life-cycle management.

The industry is now relying more on the virtual 3D models for design and construction and less on the typical 2D plans. However, we are still faced with the dilemma of having a working document that we can physically touch that represents the latest design. If only there was a way to have the best of both worlds – a 3D model on a 2D printed plan.

A while back I stumbled across Zebra Imaging through Twitter and after spending a day at their facility in Austin, Texas, I believe our industry is about to change. They produce full-color printed holographic images that can be used for numerous visualization applications including military planning project and concept demonstrations for investors.

3D is now a standard output for most CAD systems, and is commonly used for viewing terrain data and built environments. ZEBRA Imaging offers a product that allows you to view this data from more than one angle, without having to redraw the images on a computer screen. ZEBRA Imaging provides fairly large – 600mm by 800mm – flat media holograms. They are portable and can be created using a number of data sources; most importantly, they don’t require special tools (e.g. glasses or scopes) for viewing.

The holograms are used in a variety of ways, including military visualizations, project presentations and concept demonstrations for investors.

Monochrome view of New Orleans showing the Superdome.

From ZEBRA Imaging literature:

• 3-D perspectives are visible horizontally and vertically; one can look over and under the image and from side to side without glasses or goggles
• Wide angle of view – horizontal viewing is over 95 degrees, allowing many people to walk around and view an image simultaneously
• Allows for unlimited size while maintaining the integrity of the image
• Images are projected several feet in front of or behind the hologram and appear to be floating in air
• Compact and portable – images are flat or flexible plastic panels that can be stored and shipped easily, taking up very little space
• Any 3-D volumetric data set from any source may be used

ZEBRA’s capabilities also include the ability to produce holograms that change depending upon the viewer’s angle. This is beneficial when attempting to depict varying levels of a building, terrain, etc. It is also helpful when trying to portray a particular image before and after an event. For example, Zebra created 3D visual of the Lower Manhattan skyline before and after 9-11. From one angle, a view of the Twin Towers before the disaster can be seen and from another, the rubble in the aftermath.

Before 9-11. (Click for larger image)

After 9-11. (Click for larger image)

The four images below were used at the GEOINT Symposium to show the same corner at four different time periods. Each time the corner is viewed, it shows a different aspect of the structure.

(Click for larger image)

ZEBRA Imaging showed this example of generals looking at an urban area. The entire image is a color hologram – including the generals, the people in the background, etc.

Viewing a Zebra Imaging hologram is a viewing experience that is impossible to appreciate with the 2D limitations of a computer screen. The videos below give you an opportunity to understand how the real-world Zebra holograms appear through the lens of a 2D video camera.

Overview Video
A 2 minute overview showing a wide array of sample 3D Zebra holographic images
Windows Media – 5mb |  Quicktime – 24mb

Monochrome
A 15 second video that shows several monochrome samples (includes holograms not found in the Overview video)
Windows Media – 560k|  Quicktime – 3mb

Architecture

15 second video that shows several architectural holographic image samples
Windows Media – 640k |  Quicktime – 4mb

Automotive & Manufacturing

A 57 second video that shows automotive and other manufacturing 3D Zebra holographic images. Contains similar footage as the overview with a few more examples
Windows Media – 2.3mb |  Quicktime – 15mb

Industrial Design
30 second video containing several samples of industrial design holographic images
Windows Media – 1.2mb |  Quicktime – 5.4mb

This image shows an interesting real-world application for the Ford Motor Company.

A map is a model of reality that allows you to see, understand and analyze geography. ZEBRA Imaging’s offerings extend this model in a most interesting and utilitarian way.

Michael Klug, CTO of Zebra Imaging discusses the technology at Autodesk University 2009:

The title is not completely correct, cars are not really good, but they are less bad than buildings.

We hear constantly:

• “Cars cause Global Warming” (more accurately contribute to Climate Change).
• People are purchasing hybrids to do their part to help save the earth and lower our need for fuel.

We rarely hear:

• Buildings are the main problem. (They are)

BIM, specifically the data component, holds great promise to dramatically improve the performance and operation of buildings, as well as insuring that ecologically superior building products are specified. BIM is dependent upon accurate and available data.

In November I attended the Greenbuild Conference and Exhibition in Phoenix. There were hundreds of presentations, 1,800 booths (mostly Building Product Manufacturers) and over 24,000 attendees — more attendees than either the AIA or CSI National Conferences and Exhibitions. Al Gore was the keynote speaker. What is remarkable about this conference is that it clearly demonstrates that the architects, engineers, contractors and owners (private and government) are aware of the importance of the “green” movement. While many people have known of the advantages of well designed buildings for both energy savings and people productivity increases for decades, it has only been in the last few years that their efforts have turned into a movement.

There are fundamentally two components that determine if you have a “green” building:

• Design – Site selection, orientation, massing, shading, layout, mechanical and lighting conceptual approach, etc.
• Materials and Equipment – Specific products, carpet, tile, paint and equipment, fans, chillers, light fixtures and lamps, etc.

If you have a great design concept but select poorly performing materials and equipment the results of your efforts will be minimized. At Greenbuild, manufacturers promoted their messages as “green” manufacturers. The challenge to those that select and specify manufacturer products is finding out specifics on the products “greenness”, how it quantitatively compares to other products and what approaches were used to make the claims. For example a product could perform extremely well within the building environment but have major negatives associated with its manufacturing process, component materials, or disposal at the end of the buildings life. You need much more information than you can easily find to make the best selection, and you need this information on hundreds of thousands of products and materials.

The selection process becomes even more difficult because the manufacturer’s products data is supplied based upon the products in a “stand alone” condition. Little data is available on how products and equipment combine to perform in the assemblies that are the building. How the window frame is attached to the building structure will greatly determine heat gain and heat loss. We have data on the building wall, and the frame and glass, but what about the performance of the connection of the two elements?

Today BIM is really BiM; we need to get the “i” to grow up to a big “I”. We need more information on products and assemblies. Where are we going to get that information?

Many manufacturers have tremendous testing facilities. US Gypsum has very sophisticated facilities. There are private labs like UL and the NAHB Research Center, there are Universities that have focused programs, the military has research programs such as those managed by the Corp of Engineers, and there are the National Labs like the Lawrence-Berkeley Lab that has a massive collection of data on glass performance.

There is no one Lab devoted to buildings; the materials, assemblies, and design influences on performance. The construction industry is the largest industry in the world, buildings account for almost 50% of all the energy consumed in the world (cars account for 12%). Building construction costs and operations are the largest expense, after employees, for most companies. Through proper design, material selections and operations these costs can be reduced 30%. Buildings are often one of the greatest assets of a company, but only if they have maintained their value and not fall into disrepair or become obsolete.

Automobile manufacturers know tremendous amounts of information on every part and piece that goes into their cars; they are tested, modified, and improved on a continual basis. Cars cost about the same per square foot as a new furnished building, and I have yet to have a sunroof on a car leak, yet I have not seen a building that did not have at least one roof leak. We also know how to make informed purchasing decisions on a car because we have massive amounts of data on performance, options, resale value, reliability and the prestige factor. Ask a car purchaser if they will spend $1,600 more for the sport suspension they can make a quick decision, ask if they want to spend $200 more for a more efficient light fixture and you may get a blank stare. There is simply no easy way to get the data to answer all the questions on the performance and impact of a more efficient light fixture, door, window, etc.

A couple of years ago a collection of architects were asked what contributed to greenhouse gas emissions, the list of options included cars and trucks as well as buildings, the group indicated that 40% was caused by cars and trucks and seven percent from buildings. The actual answer was 12% from cars and trucks and 42% from buildings. If you do not know what is causing a major problem there is a good chance you will not contribute to the solution, so step one to making buildings less bad is that the owners, architects and engineers need to know what is creating the problems, step two is to give them the detailed and scientific information they need to solve the problems through an interface that makes searching for and finding the information needed at the time it is needed.

UPDATE: August 25, 2009 – Contracts were awarded on both a regional and national basis. More to come…

Austin – The Texas Facilities Commission (TFC), the agency within the State of Texas that oversees the state’s real estate development as owners and operators of state facilities, today announces its adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) for state design and construction projects.  For over a year, the Facilities Design and Construction (FDC) division within TFC has diligently worked to standardize the use of BIM for its future projects.  FDC is responsible for overseeing the design and construction of state facilities throughout Texas.  Currently, FDC manages 125 projects valued over $500 million, in addition to maintaining the Facilities Master Plan.  In an effort to promote workflow efficiency, streamline productivity and increase the return on investment for the State of Texas, FDC has adopted and encourages the use of BIM’s digital design technology.

This digital design technology, in the form of coordinated, data-rich BIM models, gives TFC and its architectural and engineering design professionals the ability to explore early design concepts in 3D, visually analyze and simulate projects before construction begins, help identify and reduce costly design conflicts, and work in a more collaborative way to produce a better, faster, and more cost-effective state building.  After construction, the BIM model becomes an evolving, digital representation of the actual building that can be used throughout a building’s life to facilitate the sharing of coordinated, consistent data among TFC’s design and construction partners; as well as TFC divisions tasked to maintain energy efficiency and maintenance services.

“Modernization has always been a central theme of my administration at the Texas Facilities Commission, and the BIM implementation is another part of that effort,” said TFC Executive Director Edward L. Johnson. “Modernization of our business practices, modernization of our real estate strategy, modernizing building design and construction . . . a part of everything we do is making use of the most innovative, state-of-the-art developments in both the public and private sector. Three years ago we embarked on making the Texas Facilities Commission the most sophisticated and professional real estate management and building design and construction organization that exists in the public sector. Becoming a leader in Building Information Modeling is an important step in that direction.”

The BIM model and process is a powerful tool for an owner of any size; but due to the number and scale of the TFC’s building and renovation ventures and the varied nature of construction types, ranging from office buildings and hospitals/labs to deferred maintenance projects, the integrated process allows for better informed decision making for all involved.  The BIM process helps architects, engineers, constructors, sub-contractors and vendors collaborate with an intelligent model, allowing them to visualize and simulate using precise data before any building material is purchased, brought to the site or erected.  Further, by making BIM the standard for all new buildings, TFC can begin to gauge energy usage, as well as forecast energy consumption based on model simulations; model multiple high-performance building scenarios based on minimal design time, simulate or identify security issues related to building type, and connect the model to existing databases or control systems for bi-directional, real-time data exchange.

“The BIM process allows the TFC and our private sector partners to collaborate from the start, share important data accurately and make better informed decisions earlier in the design process,” said Chris Tisdel, TFC’s Director of Building Information Modeling.  “The added visibility and workflow efficiency reduces unexpected delays, unforeseen costs and overall construction time, which is of great value for our large operations across the State of Texas.”

As a part of the adoption of BIM, TFC recognizes that the private sector will be looking to it for guidance and a clear definition of what BIM means to the state.  To that end, the FDC has developed a clear set of standards and guidelines that all private sector partners will have access to prior to any involvement in a state project.  Along with the guidelines, FDC has created an interoperable BIM template that all private sector partners will have made available to them for any State project.  The combination of the guidelines and template will enable any private sector partner just getting into BIM to save time and effort and provides them with a framework to build their own workflow and standards around.  TFC is committed to educating and working with those who design and build projects for the State, in a collaborative manner with the clear goal of making the BIM approach a positive one for all involved.  A video describing TFC’s adoption of BIM can be found on their website at: http://www.tfc.state.tx.us/communities/facilities/prog/construct/bim.wmv.

The State of Texas leads the way in BIM adoption and implementation, providing support, education and best practice standards to other state and local agencies that are also in varying stages of BIM adoption.  The pool of owner-entities adopting BIM within Texas is growing at a quickening pace as the state leads the way in encouraging a better way to design and build.  Industry and trade association leaders acknowledge that Texas has taken an innovative leadership role in adopting BIM.  By doing so, Texas closes the gap between it and the General Services Administration, the first major governmental agency to adopt BIM for new construction and leads all other States in the way it leverages BIM to support construction, energy, maintenance, and facilities operations within Texas.

Finally, BIM provides a coordinated, informed understanding of the design and building process for owners, designers and constructors.  As new construction grows at the state level, project expectations that include increasing complexity, a high level of transparency for decision makers, and accountability to taxpayers requires a new, but tested equally innovative approach to the traditional understanding of concept, design, scheduling, cost and implementation.  TFC has adopted that innovative approach in BIM and by doing so is leading the way on a national stage into the future of digital design and construction.

Source:http://www.tfc.state.tx.us/newsevents/texas-adopts-building-information-modeling-bim-capability
Contact: Mike Blackwell, TFC Marketing and Communications Specialist (512) 463-4237/(512) 791-9189 Michael.blackwell@tfc.state.tx.us

Topics for this event will include:

• What is BIM Content?
• Where do I find content?
• 3D Content vs. 2D content and how much detail should be included.

Presenters: Jim Jacobi and Jeff Chittenden.

Invitations and more information about this event will be sent out via email within the next few weeks. You can also check back with this site for updates.