Leveraging site survey points for mixed reality bim visualization

The construction industry has increasingly adopted building information modeling (BIM) in design and construction for its numerous benefits. Recently, technological advancements have allowed the visualization of the 3D BIM content on construction sites using smart phones, tablets, portable computers, and site computer kiosks. Furthermore, researchers have experimented with using virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) to visualize the design overlaid on existing features in its final intended location on site, which allows for a more immersive viewing environment. Using MR in conjunction with head mounted displays (HMD), the user can experience a hands-free visualization of the model, which in turn expands the capabilities of workers on site. However, two of the major problems facing the MR visualization on site are the stabilization of a full-scale model contents and the accuracy of the location on site. Providing an accurately sized and placed model on site offers several advantages: For example, quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) processes, where quick and easy comparison between the built project and the plans can be achieved. This paper presents a workflow that allows the projection of full-scale MR content in its correct final location by leveraging marker based MR and existing survey points that are typically found on construction sites. The workflow was validated through implementation on a large construction site in Arizona as an efficient and accurate means of QA/QC. Future work will aim to further streamline and automate this process to get the model from its native BIM software to the desired MR device more seamlessly.