Virtual reality in construction: A review

Virtual Reality (VR) and the development of Virtual Environments (VEs) can make a significant impact on how construction project stakeholders can perceive and successfully complete their projects. VR techniques have the potential to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of all stages of a project, from initial conceptual design through detailed design, planning and preparation, to construction completion. The ability to review the design and rehearse the construction of the facility in a 3D interactive and immersive environment can increase the understanding of the design intent, improve the constructability of the project, and minimize changes and abortive work that can be detected prior to the start of construction. Unlimited virtual walkthroughs of the facility can be performed to allow for experiencing, in near-reality sense, what to expect when construction is complete. Various efforts in the industry and academia are underway to explore these possible benefits of VR in construction. This paper provides an overview of-recent examples of successful adoption of VR technology as applications in construction. The paper also provides an overview of what Virtual Reality (VR) is, and discusses some of the hardware and software that can be used for VR applications.