CoSci student creates high-tech, 3-D renderings of Francis Hall

[Richly detailed, immersive tours] (http://cosc.arch.tamu.edu/about/francis-hall/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0EuIgAo4GU0VYISl9cs4f05B36fFgNL7M14xtf-k-uyXuwxivx8VlXIXs) of [Francis Hall] (http://cosc.arch.tamu.edu/francis-hall/location/) , the home of Texas A&M’s [Department of Construction Science] (http://cosc.arch.tamu.edu/) , are now available to anyone with an Internet connection.

The virtual tours, created by undergraduate construction science major John McDavid V, are available in a series of renderings in which virtual visitors “enter” Francis Hall’s advanced building information modeling facility and see rooms that house its’ piping, controls and fittings , Segner Auditorium as well as other areas.

McDavid created the renderings with a 3-D camera and software by Matterport, which allows a user to make complete 3-D models of places for a construction project, facility management, and property marketing, and many other purposes. McDavid received help with the scans from Cruz Buettiker, a graduate CoSci student.

The renderings, viewable on a desktop computer or a virtual reality platform such as [Google Cardboard] (https://vr.google.com/cardboard/) , are featured on the Department of Construction Science [website] (http://cosc.arch.tamu.edu/about/francis-hall/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0EuIgAo4GU0VYISl9cs4f05B36fFgNL7M14xtf-k-uyXuwxivx8VlXIXs) .

The renderings have many applications for the construction industry, such as the first step in a project’s building information modeling — the creation and management of digital representations of a building’s physical and functional characteristics.

In a construction project, BIM files are commonly used as a means of exchanging data among different professionals involved in project design and construction.

With the scans, builders can also provide detailed construction documentation throughout the building process and import the scan data into additional modeling and design software.

Matterport scans are part of the Texas A&M construction science curriculum, whose offerings aim to provide students with the management and technical skills to succeed in the industry.

Richard Nira
rnira@arch.tamu.edu