Alcínia Zita Sampaio

By Alcínia Z. Sampaio, Carlos O. Cruz and Octávio P. Martins

Part of the book: Virtual Reality

By Alcínia Z. Sampaio, Joana Prata, Ana Rita Gomes and Daniel Rosário

Part of the book: Virtual Reality

By Alcínia Z. Sampaio and Luís Viana

Part of the book: The Thousand Faces of Virtual Reality

By Alcínia Z. Sampaio

A bridge is the type of structure whose appearance normally deserves more attention because it not only has an evident impact on the environment but also represents considerable investment, both of which justify careful evaluation. The aesthetic analysis is an important issue that must be considered when designing a new bridge, especially when it is to be built in an urban or road environment. In this context, the automatic generation of three‐dimensional (3D) geometric models of the bridge under analysis, and the walk around and aerial simulation allowed over it, which can be generated, helps bridge designers to evaluate its aesthetic concept and environmental impact. The bridge construction process can also be simulated, helping designers and builders to review the progress of the construction work in situ. For that, 4D (3D + time) models of the most frequent bridge construction methods were generated, using virtual reality (VR) technology. The simulation of the construction activity made possible by the developed interactive 4D model helps bridge designers to analyse the whole construction process. The present study aims to analyse the mechanisms of how to generate 3D models of a bridge automatically and how to simulate its construction using VR capacities.

Part of the book: Structural Bridge Engineering

By Alcínia Zita Sampaio

Building information modeling (BIM) is defined as the process of generating, storing, managing, exchanging, and sharing building information. In the construction industry, the processes and technologies that support BIM are constantly evolving, making the BIM even more attractive. A current topic that requires attention is the integration of BIM with virtual reality (VR) where the user visualizes a virtual world and can interact with it. By adding VR, the BIM solution can address retrieving and presenting information and increasing efficiency on communication and problem solving in an interactive and collaborative project. The objective of this chapter is to report the improvement of BIM uses with the addition of interactive capacities allowed by VR technology. A bibliographic and software research was made to support the study.

Part of the book: State of the Art Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Knowhow