Trimble’s SiteVision for Outdoor AR Coming Soon

Aviad Almagor, director, Mixed Reality Program, from Trimble spoke recently about one of their prototype products, SiteVision, used for accurate outdoor augmented reality using GNSS, that is currently only available for pilot customers.

This solution could help solve the problem of outdoor positioning for augmented reality by providing a way to identify location outdoors using augmented reality for construction design and mining applications. Currently locating technologies require positioning satellites which aren’t always available in some rugged locations without satellite signals. SiteVision employs Trimble’s Catalyst GNSS Solution, that makes use of software plus powerful antenna to locate a mobile device to within a few centimeters. Catalyst is a subscription-based software GNSS receiver. You can plug the Catalyst DA1 antenna into your Android phone or tablet’s USB port. You can then select a subscription based on your accuracy needs.

For SiteVision, a Google Tango enabled mobile device, the Lenovo Phab2 is used with Catalyst to track the viewpoint and orientation using 3D capture that is able to present design models aligned to the real world, so that they are in the correct location.

How does SiteVision locate positions when there are no satellites available?

SiteVision combines Trimble Catalyst – a positioning-as-a-service, software-enabled GNSS receiver – with Google Tango technology. The GNSS receiver provides the initial positioning while the inertial sensor and video tracking capabilities of the Tango device help track orientation and maintain the digital overlay alignment. In case no satellites are available manual workflow cab be used for the initial positioning, and the tracking will be based, as with the previous case, on the Google Tango technology.

What types of surveying and construction uses is it used for?

SiteVision targets outdoor scenarios where a highly accurate overlay of digital data is required. A partial list of use cases includes infrastructure construction, visualizing subsurface utilities, earth moving work, and architectural visualization.

How is SiteVision used in architectural design and construction?

With SiteVision, users can open 3D models from Trimble Connect (Trimble’s collaboration environment) and visualize them accurately positioned in the context of the physical environment. The solution enables architects, engineers, owners and other project stakeholders to analyze, visualize and communicate design ideas and the spatial relations between the design and the environment. The solution supports use cases such as on-site visualization of a new building, visualization of sub-surface infrastructure, and supporting on-site heavy civil work (e.g. earth moving, bridges, and roads)

Is the information gathered, either through photos or RFIs, etc. then applicable for a BIM process?

Certainly, our goal is to support a bi-directional workflow in which the data captured in the field Is documented in the collaboration system to support the construction management / BIM process.

How is the information from SiteVision transferred into a BIM, if that’s possible?

Information from the field can be stored as part of the project information in Trimble Connect. Data captured by SiteVision can be associated with the relevant BIM models, added to tasks and assigned to users.

What is the pricing on this product? Is there a subscription arrangement available?

We will be able to share information about pricing toward the commercial availability of the product.

Tags: AEC, architects, architecture, BIM, building, building information modeling, collaboration, construction, point clouds, reality capture

Categories: BIM, building information modeling, collaboration, construction, engineering, field, field solutions, mobile, plant design, point clouds, reality capture, site planning, sustainable design, Trimble, virtual reality, visualization

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 15th, 2017 at 3:43 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.