Visualization: 3D Revolution

Paul Tice Architecture, Engineering, Construction

-From ‘Brewin’ in the Wind’ Cafe

A long motorcycle ride and a cafe later, I’ve settled into a table overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The town is called Oceanside. No WiFi. No cell phone service. Just kind people that make coffee just the way you want it. Surely, this is the good life.

I’ve enjoyed digging into some of the aspects of visualization over these past couple of weeks – as I’ve experienced them. The explanation of the ‘why’… Why is 3D visualization technology, and the implementation thereof, important to us? It is this blogger’s belief that we all have a fundamental desire to create. As a designer, I can attest to this internal drive to push the envelope and see what I’m capable of. I enjoy the process of creating illusion – mimicking the real with the artificial. But there is something perhaps a little deeper there…

ForEVER, people have had communication issues. We simply cannot understand one another very well most of the time. Couple that with about 100,000 individual agendas, the need to be heard, cultural differences, a myriad of experiential filters… My, oh my, do we ever have a lot blocking out the free flow of communication.

Advancements in AEC
What a radical idea to have a medium that bridges that gap. The ‘revolution of transparency’ is approaching. No longer will people be able to take the deer-in-the-headlights approach using miscommunication as their ‘exit’. Workflows will be tighter than ever with pre-agreements on methods. It will all be spelled out for us with strong 3D visualizations, good technical writers, and owners that insist on collaboration at all levels. For some, this is an uncomfortable proposition. For others, it is a challenge to pursue excellence and to propel our society into the ‘green’, built environment. Zero-carbon footprint surely will be bred in this environment.

We can rest easy. There will still be profit to be made in this new version of the design/build culture. Job responsibilities are shifting as I write this. It’s hard to predict whether we will become more specialized or develop into a workforce with larger skill sets; maybe a little of both. I know that I have had to continue to educate myself on movements in technology as well as drill down into the specifics of my existing specialties. We don’t want to be pigeon-holed, but we also could benefit others by our level of mastery. Categorical/disciplinary specialization could be one solution – specializing in a particular phase of a project.

Whatever that looks like down the road, I continue to be hopeful that we learn to communicate better and embrace our technological integration to facilitate our collective advancement.

Until next we meet –

ToPa 3D~