A Collaborative Planning Model for Offsite Construction Based on Virtual Reality and Game Engines

Abstract

Accurate process planning is essential for successfully implementing offsite construction projects. New technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), have been proposed as potential proactive solutions that allow users to experience and train on OSC processes to ensure safety and efficiency in an immersive environment. However, current VR applications in OSC projects (VR-OSC) problems are limited to residential projects and target single phases of the OSC implementation. This study proposes a VR framework to train participants on modular bridge construction processes. The developed model comprises several OSC phases, such as fabrication, transportation, and assembly. Furthermore, the study explores the use of collaborative platforms that can be associated with the VR model to ease the model and the developed scenes. The model is tested on a sample of participants that evaluated the performance of the model and provided areas of improvement. The results showed the capabilities of the model in providing an immersive experience for participants and connecting different phases of the OSC projects. Also, the results show that the experiment length and complex controlling buttons are among the areas of improvement. The developed model is expected to facilitate safe and efficient training for complex OSC projects