Communication by Interaction: A Multiplayer VR Environment for Building Walkthroughs

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Abstract
A lack of communication has been criticized as an impediment to improving the common understanding of building requirements among the key stakeholders in the AEC industry. Recent developments in virtual reality (VR) have encouraged the utilization of interactive architectural visualization in the design, construction and facility management of building projects. Nonetheless existing efforts concentrate only on improving the single person experience, aiming to make sense of facilities. This paper finds that the interpersonal interaction in the VR environment is more critical to the effective communication in a building project, as it creates a shared immersive experience. To prove the concept, a BIM-enabled VR environment named “multiplayer virtual walk” (MVW) was developed to realize multiplayer walkthrough in a yet-to-finish office building. MVW allows real time interactions of remotely located project stakeholders in the same environment, with a shared immersive walkthrough experience. Unity 3D is used to create an interactive environment, and photon server is used to implement the cross-platform multiplayer function. A pilot study has shown that MVW facilitates project teams to examine requirements before the commencement of construction works, and ultimately encourages a shared vision on the project.

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