Discrete-Event Simulation and Building Information Modelling Based Animation of Construction Activities

Abstract

Discrete-event simulation (DES) technology has been widely used in the construction context, particularly in the academic community for research purposes. However, it has been neglected by industry for various reasons, including the usual way in which its results are presented, which is abstract and confusing. In this regard, animation is viewed as an appropriate tool to reduce the complexity in which simulation outputs are presented to stakeholders. In this paper, we present a brief overview of a framework to integrate DES and building information modelling (BIM) within a game engine. This framework consists of four components, the environment, the user input, the simulation module and the animation module. The simulation module allows users to import their own BIM models; input project parameters related to resource constraints; and simulate the construction of the BIM model with the selected parameters by linking generic DES models of construction activities to the corresponding BIM objects. The animation module allows the user to visualise an animation of the simulation results in a 3D environment or using mixed reality technologies. The resulting animation is useful to verify and validate the simulation model, to analyse the construction activities and as a supporting tool to plan construction activities under resource constrains. The animation can also be used to present simulation results to domain experts unfamiliar with simulation techniques.