The popularity of 3D virtual tours has increased drastically in the AEC and retail industries. These virtual tours are simulations of existing physical spaces that are composed of sequential still images. Traditionally, 3D scanning or 3D image capturing was known to be quite expensive and time-consuming. As technology progressed, 3D virtual tours changed the game entirely for businesses in many industries.
The best part about 3D virtual tours is that they can be created within hours and they can be easily used for BIM tracking, as-builts, and documentation. The experience of navigating through a 3D virtual tour is similar to using Google’s Street View Map. There are many sectors in the AEC and retail industry where this technology has become quite popular. We have listed down a few examples where 3D virtual tours are helping businesses by turning spaces into accurate and immersive digital twins.
1. Digital Auditing for Manufacturing Companies
Manufacturing companies in Bangladesh are catching on with the 3D virtual tours technology. Many companies are now using 3D virtual tours as a means for digital auditing. Auleek is using Matterport technology to create 3D virtual tours. Anowara Knit Composite Factory (AKCL) partnered with Auleek to create a digital twin of its Factory in Maona. AKCL’s objective was to showcase its factory’s various functions and facilities to potential clients abroad.
3D virtual tour of Anowara Knit Composite Factory in MaonaBuyers and clients always want to see a company’s factory before assigning manufacturing jobs. Global Leaf Tobacco Ltd. (GLTC) realized that 3D virtual tours would be a great way of showcasing their factory in Kushtia to its clients abroad.
A 3D tour of Global Leaf Tobacco Limited’s Kushtia Factory – Auto Press Section2. Transforming Retail Experiences through 3D Virtual Tours
3D virtual tours are also helping to create exciting experiences for online shoppers. Retail companies from all around the world are now using virtual tours to create a digital twin of their stores – capturing in-store equipment, POS displays, measurements, and much more.
Studies show that 81% of shoppers research online before making a purchase (especially the big ones). By showcasing retail stores and showrooms, businesses are being able to create online engagement experiences for their customers.
During this global pandemic, where everyone is struggling to adjust to the changes brought in by the ‘new normal’ – maintaining social distance, Honda Bangladesh has decided to up their marketing game by partnering with Auleek to create a digital twin of their flagship showroom in Dhaka. The customers can browse through and view the interiors of Honda’s new models in this virtual tour from the comfort of their homes.
Virtual tour of Honda Bangladesh Flagship Showroom Dhaka“We got a lot of positive feedback from our customers. Our salespeople have also found it to be a useful tool when communicating with the customers one to one. Customers liked the option of going to the virtual showroom for a second look at the products even after visiting the showroom physically. Some customers also mentioned that it helps to show the family members /spouses.
We will probably do it again when new models arrive.”
– Arman Rashid, Head of Supply Chain, DHS Motors Honda
Auleek has also done the virtual tour of Sheltech Ceramics’s showroom in Dhaka, where its customers can now visit, look and feel all the exclusive tiles from anywhere and at any time! Customers can now easily select their desired tiles designs for their dream home.
Experience Sheltech Ceramics in 3DBisley, a renowned office furniture brand used virtual tours to give its customers a digital overview of their products. The virtual tour was developed by Heads Above the Cloud, a specialized 3D studio based out of London.
Experience Salisbury Cathedral in 3D5. Increasing Efficiency for Architects & Engineers
Architects are being highly benefited by 3D virtual tours – the data captured in a virtual tour helps to reduce manual measurements by 80%. With automated floor plans and a visual reference, a 3D virtual tour is also helping architects to speed up the as-built drawing process by 2x. AEC professionals are also being able to manipulate the data captured by this technology in many different ways, for example – once the data is captured, they can download a 3D mesh file (.obj file) or point cloud into 3rd party 3D modeling applications such as Sketchup, Revit, and ArchiCAD.
Gone are the days of using old architectural drawings and repeated visits to survey a project site. Architects and engineers are now creating 3D virtual tours of their project area. Afterward, all they have to do is import the data to their choice of 3D modeling software and use it as a visual reference to their 3D modeling. This eliminates the requirement of making repeated visits to the project site for surveying.
6. Virtual Collaboration in 3D Space
It has already been established how immersive 3D models and 3D virtual tours are helping to make BIM smarter, allowing efficient documentation of as-built environments and construction progression.
A great example of this has been set by Arup Global, a design-led engineering and architecture practice that has positioned itself in the premier league of engineering consultancy. The firm started using 3D virtual tours in 2017, as a way of engaging its clients, contractors with its designers, and engineers in a more effective way. Having virtual tours of their project sites has immediately eliminated the firm’s need for having 10-15 people attending site surveys. The documentation of construction progression also allowed Arup project leads to identify and address issues earlier than ever before.
Image Source: Arup Global
Arup also prepares its tenants before occupying a refurbished space by providing them with 3D insights collected from the immersive 3D models. Questions like – Where is the location of the security screening lines? Which elevator requires protocol or Which doors function as the main entrance? – can be easily answered thanks to these 3D models.
Corgan, a leading architecture and design firm, specialized in projects across various industries, had a mission to integrate a 3D virtual tours model into the construction workflow of its $1.6 billion aviation project at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), to maximize performance and productivity throughout the extensive operation. Through 3D virtual tours, Corgan achieved efficiency in the documentation, field validation, and collaboration. This technology helped Corgan overcome one of the biggest challenges of this project – time management.
Conclusion
Thanks to 3D virtual tours, the future of space is now in the palm of our hands. Digitizing and documenting physical spaces have become more important than ever. Through this technology, anyone and everyone can now create a 3D virtual space that can be viewed and shared with anyone, from anywhere. Auleek believes that 3D virtual tours will bring new successes and open new opportunities for businesses and organizations in Bangladesh.
If you wish to showcase your space in fully interactive 3D or, you want to learn more about Auleek 3D Virtual Tour solutions, get in touch with us here: