Benefits of 3D : Gene Roe, LiDAR News 2014, Vol. 4, No. 5

In my previous article, I noted Mike Underwood's argument that three new technologies have incorporated themselves into the asset management toolkit--3D, location, and sensors. In the recent issue of LiDAR News, Gene Roe discussed the cost benefits of 3D and slow recognition of those benefits by the potential user community. In his article, Roe associates 3D with BIM (Building Information Management), though he does broaden the concept of BIM to what he calls, Generic BIM, which equates to 3D or "the addition of intelligence to the CAD objects in a drawing or design" (p.6). He regrets the restricted and limited implication of the BIM label, a 3D tool that applies not only to buildings but bridges, sewer manholes, and a wide range of other architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) objects.

According to Roe, 3D facilitates the "fabrication of specialty curved building elements" (p. 6). The application of 3D has eliminated waste and construction costs, by, Roe claims, 20 percent. In addition to the cost savings with the reduction of waste, Roe cited instances of safety and downtime cost reductions by eliminating the need to have surveyors on highways and the need to shut down oil platforms. Roe mentions the benefits of "automated clash detection" during the design stage to avoid defects during construction. Tangible benefits derive from "virtual design and construction. . . the assembly and simulation of the construction sequence to optimize the integration of the trades and use of equipment" (p. 6). As to the classic use of BIM, since buildings constitute 40 percent of U.S. energy usage and owners strive for energy reduction, the application automatically pays for itself. The ROI based on improvements in visualization are harder to quantify, but Roe continues to justify the slight increase in costs from using 3D for strictly visual reasons.

Some European countries, such as the United Kingdom and Norway, have mandated the use of 3D and BIM in building construction. Roe argues that the U.S. should follow those examples.