Comstock's magazine 1217 - December 2017 | Page 54

n CONSTRUCTION
building details. Building owners will know every light bulb,
nut and bolt that went into their building, making it easier to
maintain their properties rather than digging up old paper
blueprints and photos.
At the downtown Sacramento offices of Lionakis, where
architects, structural engineers and planners help clients
select sites and build projects, there is an open, dedicated
space with a laptop, cameras and headset for team members
to convert their ideas into a computer-generated and immer-
sive experience.
Architects can build three-dimensional models using vir-
tual or augmented reality — playing with layouts and design
that clients can actually see and experience interactively.
It’s far more effective, they say, than an artist’s drawing or
computer rendering that can’t capture the spatial nature of
a building. 3D models are both expensive and time consum-
ing to build, and clients can still have trouble processing and
imagining the final product — especially if they want to swap
out materials to see different looks.
When Samuel Bent, a project designer at Lionakis, works
on a design for a client, he only has to walk a few steps from
his desk and pop on a virtual reality headset to review his
own work — is it what he envisioned when he drew the plans
on his computer?
That’s because he can create digital drawings, 3D models
and a VR experience using the same software program (with
a special VR plug-in) on his computer. Setting up the virtual
reality project, he says, is "as simple as a few mouse clicks,
exporting our VR file and opening it with the computer con-
nected to our VR headset.”
“We can go through a design critique on our own. It al-
lows us to put ourselves in the building and allows us to make
changes,” Bent says. “It’s one of the best tools we have.”
A survey last year of the architecture, engineering and
construction industries showed virtual reality ranks at the
top of the list for emerging technologies, according to ARC
Document Solutions. Nearly 60 percent of respondents said
virtual reality would make projects easier to visualize, and
nearly half said projects would be faster to complete.
After the virtual walk through of El Camino Fundamen-
tal High School’s performing arts center, Roseville-based
McCarthy Building Companies tweaked the design so the
obstructing handrail was no longer an issue — saving both
time and money at the beginning of the project.
“When we are able to use VR, we use it as a tool. It has a
specific use. It’s just not a technology that’s flashy and cool,”
says Alex Cunningham, a virtual design and construction
manager at the company. “We’re spending more time up-
THANK YOU
TO OUR CLIENTS AND PARTNERS FOR A WONDERFUL YEAR!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS, WE LOOK FORWARD
TO HELPING YOU SHINE IN 2018!
A boutique CPA firm specializing in Construction and Real Estate
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comstocksmag.com | December 2017