P-31 Adapting Architectural Models for Visualization Using Virtual Reality Headsets

Buller Hall

Business contracts represent a main source of income for Architects. Acquiring these contracts requires the latest and most immersive technology that improves their sales against competitors. Virtual reality provides an in-depth experience that allows clients to have a reasonable assurance that the building meets their physical expectations. Videos and photos are detached and mundane; while they provide some visual representation they will not allow the user to compare his physical characteristics (height, length, width) with a 3D model. I describe a procedure for automatically importing 3D models from Revit into Unreal4. I also describe the workflow required which includes constraints and benefits found along the way. As my focus was based on VR, a lot of my work was around the Oculus VR headset which provides an immersive experience into future and current buildings. The software tools I wrote modify 3D models to be compliant with UE4 materials, textures, groupings and it allows developers to split buildings into multiple slices improving performance and polygon counts.