Modelling

Bentley opens door to reality modelling

Acute3D acquisition positions Bentley at the forefront of nascent market with technology that allows constant data capture, using smartphones and drones

by Randall S Newton

Bentley Systems is jumping into the Bentley announced the deal at the recent Bentley co-founder Keith Bentley, a nascent market for real-time mon- ARC Industry Forum. A story making the respected tech visionary in his own itoring of construction process rounds at cocktail hour told how Acute3D right, says Acute3D is important for two and asset performance, a through- was used to show a concrete subcontractor reasons. “The world-class Acute3D the-looking-glass technology where photo- was “mistaken” about how many trucks developers have already achieved two graphs and 3D scans can be blended with made deliveries one day, as real-time breakthroughs, which remove the barriCAD models. The company has acquired updates proved one of its trucks never ers to the adoption of reality modelling. French software developer Acute3D, maker found its way to the construction site. First, Acute3D has made it possible for of a fast-rising photogrammetry anyone to sufficiently capture product called Smart3DCapture. The program takes data from any photographic source — from Rather than a ‘‘ voluminous cloud of existing conditions with just a camera. Of equal importance is the value of the Acute3D result. smartphone to LiDAR — and cre- discrete points, Acute3D produces a Rather than a voluminous cloud ates a ‘reality mesh’ to capture existing conditions. 3D ‘reality mesh’ — intrinsically in of discrete points, Acute3D produces a 3D ‘reality mesh’ —

Both companies are privately the same geometric idiom as intrinsically in the same geoheld; terms of the purchase were not disclosed. engineering models, readily aligning metric idiom as engineering models, readily aligning the

Bentley says Acute3D’s tech- the real-world context real-world context.” nology opens the door to “reality modelling”, defined as the process by which observations of a ’’ Mobile triumphs again Construction managers have physical asset are captured from any Bentley is not just looking at smart- been using first mobile phones and then device and made available in the existing phones for data capture, but also smartphones informally to photograph construction or operation’s digital work- Unmanned Aerial Vehicles — drones. As project progress as long as they have been flow. Also known as constant capture, the Bentley senior vice-president Styli on the market. Acute3D has taken the goal is timely access of up-to-the minute Camateros said at the conference, “Bentley informal nature of these snapshots and construction progress or an update on believes the UAV will be an ever-increas- added the information needed to bring it current conditions. ing source of digital image information”. into the formal project management envi-

Acute3D software can provide a 3D “reality mesh” to more easily and accurately align to an existing 3D design or construction model

ronment. With photographic capture incorporated into the Bentley portfolio, real-time or regular updating of physical asset conditions becomes part of project management. Digital assets can move from future tense (as designed) or past tense (as built) to present tense (as is), bringing the asset model into closer alignment with the physical asset.

Bentley says the system is scalable “from site to city” with precision limited only by the quantity and quality of photography. Acute3D technology assures existing conditions are contemporaneously considered throughout the construction and operations of an infrastructure asset.

In this case ‘mobile’ is not just a smart phone in the pocket. In November 2014 Acute3D launched a partnership with Belgium drone builder Altigator, in which its customers could buy a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System, a license of Smart3DCapture, and training.

Acute3D was co-founded in 2011 by Jean-Philippe Pons and Renaud Keriven, headquartered in Sophia Antipolis (the French ‘Silicon Valley’). The product is based on research from two French research institutes, École des Ponts ParisTech and Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment. In 2011 Acute3D signed an industrial partnership with Autodesk to advance its work on cityscale 3D reconstruction.

Since its founding, Acute3D has attracted a rapidly expanding user base that includes Nokia, Pasco, and SaintGobain, and OEM licensees that include Airbus Group and Autodesk. In China, Internet giant Tencent is working with Acute3D to do large-scale 3D city modelling for several mega-cities, from both aerial and street view photography. Other applications of Acute3D have included existing conditions capture for construction sites, manufacturing facilities, mining operations, pipelines, and oil and gas exploration.

Dr Pons says, “When Renaud and I founded Acute3D, our vision was to make widely available, at industrial precision, what we now describe as reality modelling. With our team, we are very pleased to be joining Bentley to complete our reach. Together, we have already shared and embarked upon many new initiatives to incorporate reality modelling within design and construction modelling.”

■ bentley.com ■ acute3d.com

The software was updated December 2014. Key advancements include: Support extended beyond Nvidia GPUs to AMD and Intel-based graphics processors A new software development kit A new block export option for exporting photos without lens distortion A new User Tie Points editor Support for Autodesk FBX, Collada DAE and stereolithography STL format Import and export of camera optical properties Sensor size and focal length data is now option for import; the software’s aero triangulation uses a 35mm equivalent focal length of 50 mm by default. Randall S Newton is principal analyst at Consilia Vektor. He has been writing about AEC technology and industry trends since 1987.