Automatic generation of 3D building models based on line segment vectorization

Abstract

Operations and maintenance (O&M) management for existing buildings is of high importance since it consumes the most cost during buildings' lifecycle. Its effectiveness could be significantly improved through the systematic use of building information modeling (BIM). However, BIM relies on full-fledged digital models, which, for most buildings, are not available. This paper introduces a recognition algorithm aiming at the automatic generation of 3D building models from 2D drawings. The algorithm is able to generate separated wall segment 3D models with their topology relations. The algorithm is implemented and tested by several real projects. The results are very promising and show that the proposed algorithm could be a key component of future digital toolkits for O&M management.