Last Updated on May 31, 2024

BIM-based simulations have the potential to revolutionise the way we plan and design infrastructure in our cities. Traditional planning methods are often time-consuming and can be difficult to use when trying to visualise and understand the full impact of a proposed infrastructure project. In contrast, simulations in an Urban BIM context allow for an intuitive and immersive planning process, allowing planners and managers to better understand, evaluate and engage on potential solutions and impacts of a project.

A summary of integrated planning considerations for infrastructure project development follows.

Optioneering and option development

Optioneering is the process of evaluating and comparing different design options for a project. Optioneering is an important step in the infrastructure planning process as it helps to identify the best solution for a given problem. However, this process can be very time-consuming and resource-intensive when using traditional 2D methods.

Urban simulations allow for a more efficient optioneering process by providing a more realistic and accurate representation of the project and its impacts. They also allow for more flexibility in the design process, as changes can be quickly and easily made and evaluated in the virtual environment. This can save significant time and resources, as well as improve the overall quality of the final design.

Multi-disciplinary integration

In the infrastructure planning process, it is important to consider a wide range of factors and disciplines, including engineering, architecture, transportation, human factors, customer experience, urban design, solar access and more. Traditional 2D methods can make it challenging to effectively integrate and consider all of these factors in a single project. This can lead to a lack of understanding and coordination among different technical disciplines, leading to suboptimal designs and potential conflicts later on.

3D simulations provide a platform for more effective integration and coordination across technical disciplines and context. They allow for a more holistic and comprehensive understanding of the project and its potential impacts, helping to ensure that all relevant factors are considered in the design process. This can lead to more successful and sustainable infrastructure projects.

Reducing variations

In the infrastructure planning process, it is common to work with multiple technical consultants who may have different approaches and interpretations of the project. This can lead to variations in the design and implementation process, which can be costly and time-consuming to resolve.

3D simulations provide a common platform for technical consultants to collaborate and coordinate their work. By using a shared visual reference point, consultants can more easily understand and evaluate the design and its potential impacts, leading to fewer variations and misunderstandings. This can save significant time and resources in the planning process and improve the overall quality of the final design.

In addition to reducing variations from technical consultants, 3D simulations can also help to reduce variations in the construction phase of the project. By providing a more accurate and realistic representation of the project, 3D simulations can help to identify potential issues and conflicts before they occur, leading to fewer changes and disruptions during construction. This can help to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the construction process, ultimately leading to cost savings for the project.

Planning validation and verification

Validating the impacts of an infrastructure project across a wide range of factors, such as human experience, accessibility, urban design, solar access, and more, can be challenging with traditional 2D methods. These methods often lack the realism and immersion needed to fully understand and evaluate the potential impacts of a project on the surrounding environment and community.

In contrast, urban 3D real-time simulations provide a more realistic and immersive platform for evaluating the impacts of a project across a wide range of factors. They allow planners and decision makers to visualize and understand the full range of impacts continuously, including how the project will affect the human experience, accessibility, urban design, solar access, and other factors. This can help to identify and address any potential issues or conflicts before they occur, leading to a more successful and sustainable project.

Collaboration and client management

Traditional 2D development methods often rely on a series of drawings and diagrams to communicate the design and its potential impacts. This can be challenging for clients and stakeholders to fully understand and visualize, leading to misunderstandings and difficulties in communication and collaboration.

In contrast, 3D simulations provide a more realistic and immersive platform for communication and collaboration among all stakeholders. By using a shared visual reference point, clients and stakeholders can more easily understand and evaluate the design and its potential impacts, leading to more effective collaboration and communication.

In addition to improving collaboration and communication, 3D simulations can also help to enhance client management in the infrastructure planning process. By providing a more realistic and accurate representation of the project, 3D simulations can help to reduce uncertainty and increase confidence in the design. This can lead to stronger relationships with clients and stakeholders, and a more successful and sustainable project overall.

Planning review and feedback

One major challenge with traditional infrastructure planning methods is the slow process of plan review and feedback. With traditional methods, it can be difficult for clients and stakeholders to fully understand and evaluate the design, leading to a slow and often frustrating process of review and feedback.

In contrast, urban 3D real-time simulations provide a live, interactive, and real-time platform for plan review and feedback. By using good simulation planning tools, planners and decision-makers can easily adjust and vary planning elements in real time during workshops, allowing for more efficient and effective review and feedback.

This real-time, interactive approach to plan review and feedback can greatly improve the infrastructure planning process. It allows for more effective communication and collaboration among all stakeholders, leading to a better understanding of the design and its potential impacts. It can also help to identify and address any potential issues or conflicts before they occur.

Construction disruptions engagement

Testing constructability and construction impacts, as well as disruptions from temporary works, is an important step in the infrastructure planning process. However, these types of tests are often not available with traditional planning methods, as engineering typically leaves this to the construction teams to evaluate.

In contrast, urban 3D real-time simulations provide a platform for testing constructability and construction impacts, as well as disruptions from temporary works. By using these simulations, planners and decision-makers can better understand and evaluate the potential impacts of the project on the surrounding environment and community, including how the construction process will affect traffic, access, and other factors. This can help to identify and address any potential issues or conflicts before they occur, leading to a more successful and sustainable project.

Overall, the use of urban 3D real-time simulations can greatly improve the infrastructure planning process by providing a platform for testing constructability and construction impacts, as well as disruptions from temporary works. This can lead to more successful and sustainable infrastructure projects that better meet the needs of the communities they serve.

Stakeholder engagement

Selling and engaging on the plan with internal and external stakeholders and the community are important steps in the infrastructure planning process. This includes presenting the plan to decision-makers and obtaining their approval, as well as engaging the community and other stakeholders to ensure their support and buy-in for the project.

Traditionally, this process can be challenging, as it can be difficult for stakeholders and the community to fully understand and visualise the design and its potential impacts. This can lead to misunderstandings and difficulties in securing approval and funding, as well as a lack of support and engagement from the community.

In contrast, urban 3D real-time simulations provide a more realistic and immersive platform for selling and engaging on the plan to internal and external stakeholders and the community. By using these simulations, planners and decision-makers can more easily demonstrate the potential impacts of the project, helping stakeholders and the community to better understand and evaluate the design. This can make it easier to pass through design and approval gateways, win investment funding, and understand compromises and trade-offs.

One major advantage of using urban 3D real-time simulations in the infrastructure planning process is the ability to always be ready to engage and demonstrate current thinking and to easily get feedback from stakeholders. With traditional methods, it can be time-consuming and resource-intensive to prepare and present the design to stakeholders, leading to delays in the review and feedback process as well as additional expense.

In contrast, 3D simulations provide a platform for more efficient and effective engagement and demonstration of current thinking. Planners and managers can quickly and easily present the design to decision-makers and stakeholders, and can readily adjust and vary the design based on feedback. This can lead to a more efficient and effective review and feedback process, ultimately improving the overall quality and responsiveness of the final design.

In addition to improving the review and feedback process, the use of 3D simulations can also have a positive impact on culture and change management in the infrastructure planning process. By providing a more realistic and immersive platform for engagement and demonstration, 3D simulations can help to bring people on the journey more quickly and easily, leading to a more collaborative and inclusive process. This can improve the overall culture of the planning process and make it easier to manage change and implement successful and sustainable infrastructure projects.

Simulating user experience

Testing the customer and user experience is an important aspect of the infrastructure planning process, as it helps to ensure that the final design will be functional, accessible, and enjoyable for all users. This includes testing for accessibility from gradients to DDA compliance, as well as the quality of the landscape experience, urban design thinking, and even different weather conditions.

Traditionally, engineering has tended to focus on technical considerations and has often overlooked the customer and user experience in the design process. This can lead to designs that are overly engineered and fail to consider the needs and preferences of users and operators, leading to suboptimal outcomes.

Urban 3D real-time simulations provide a platform for more effective testing of the customer, operator and user experience in the infrastructure planning process. By using these simulations, planners and decision-makers can better understand and evaluate the potential impacts of the project on the user experience. This can help to identify and address any potential issues or conflicts before they occur, verify and experience the outcome as a user in real-time, leading to a more successful and sustainable project.

In addition to improving user experience design, 3D simulations can also help to ensure the safety of users, especially vulnerable users such as women and children. By intuitively integrating safety by design and CPTED principles, 3D simulations can help to create functional and quality user experiences that prioritize the safety and well-being of all users and the environment.

Urban 3D real-time planning simulators have greatly improved the infrastructure planning process by providing a platform for more effective testing of the customer and user experience, including accessibility, landscape experience, urban design, operations and safety.

Yield planning and analysis

3D urban planning simulators provide a number of benefits for yield planning and analysis, including the ability to change floorplates, alignments, shapes, geometries, morphologies, and typologies in real time. With traditional 2D planning methods, these types of changes can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, leading to delays and inefficiencies in the planning process.

In contrast, 3D planning simulators allow planners and decision-makers to quickly and easily make changes to the design in real time, allowing for more efficient and effective yield planning and analysis. This can help to identify and address any potential issues or conflicts before they occur, leading to maximising yields or outcomes, minimising inputs and reducing carbon footprints – leading to a more successful and sustainable project.

In addition to improving yield planning and analysis, 3D simulators can also provide a more accurate and realistic representation of the project, helping to better understand and evaluate the potential impacts of the integrated design. This can be especially useful when working with a diverse group of stakeholders, as it allows for a more common understanding of the project and its potential impacts across a broad range of factors avoiding unforeseen impacts and consequences.

3D urban planning simulators can greatly improve the infrastructure planning process by providing a platform for more efficient and effective yield planning and analysis, and by providing a more accurate and realistic representation of the project in real-time.

Property impacts

Evaluating the impacts of an infrastructure project on property, including property purchases and negotiations, can be challenging with traditional 2D planning methods. These methods often lack the integration and realism needed to fully understand and evaluate the potential impacts of a project on property, leading to misunderstandings and difficulties in negotiations. These impacts can be nuanced, from sightlines into people’s private living areas, to direct, such as incursions into private property areas.

In contrast, urban 3D real-time simulations provide a more accurate and realistic platform for evaluating the impacts of a project on property. By including cadastral and property information in the simulations, planners and decision-makers can more easily understand and evaluate the potential impacts of the project on property, including shadows, retaining walls, and other elements. This can help to identify and address any potential issues or conflicts before they occur, leading to a more successful and sustainable project.

3D virtual planning simulations can also help to improve the speed and efficiency of the infrastructure planning process. By allowing for more accurate and realistic evaluations of property impacts, 3D planning simulators can help to reduce the need for changes and disruptions during the construction phase, ultimately saving time, cost and resources.

Geo-spatial accuracy

One key characteristic of good planning simulations is their ability to accurately represent the physical context of a project to millimetre accuracy. This includes incorporating geospatial data such as lidar, point cloud, photogrammetry (photomesh) and other survey data, as well as including digital twins and design information. By using these types of data, planners and decision-makers can create rapid, accurate and realistic representations of the project, helping to better understand and evaluate the potential impacts of the context and design from the earliest times.

In addition to geospatial accuracy, good planning simulators also include accurate asset libraries for construction machinery, plant and vegetation. These libraries allow for easy drag-and-drop placement of assets in real-time, similar to a computer game like SimCity. This can make it easier for planners and decision-makers to quickly and easily make changes to the design in real time, leading to a more efficient and effective planning process.

Desktop or cloud-hosted planning simulators that incorporate geospatial accuracy and accurate asset libraries can greatly improve the infrastructure planning process by providing a more accurate and realistic representation of the project. This can help to identify and address potential issues and conflicts before they occur, leading to more successful and sustainable infrastructure projects that better meet the needs of the communities they serve.

In contrast, traditional 2D engineering design methods often lack the realism and immersion of 3D simulations, making it more difficult to understand and evaluate the potential impacts of a project. They may also be less user-friendly and require more time and resources to make changes to the design, leading to a slower and less efficient planning process. Combined with measurable geo-spatial accuracy, this allows confidence and efficiency in the planning process.

Flooding and hydrology simulation

Testing for flooding and hydrology is an important aspect of the infrastructure planning process, as it helps to ensure that the final design will be able to effectively manage and mitigate the impacts of storms and flooding. This is especially important in areas prone to flooding, as the consequences of inadequate flood management can be significant.

Traditionally, testing for flooding and hydrology has been done using 2D modelling techniques, which can be slow and expensive. In contrast, urban 3D real-time simulations provide a rapid and realistic platform for testing flooding and hydrology from concept to higher levels of detail.

By using 3D simulations, planners and managers can more easily understand and evaluate the potential impacts of a project on flooding and hydrology, including how the design will affect stormwater runoff and floodplain management. This can help to identify and address any potential issues or conflicts before they occur, leading to a more successful and sustainable project.

Planning from constraints

Understanding constraints is an important aspect of the infrastructure planning process, as it helps to ensure that the final design will be feasible and compliant with relevant regulations and guidelines. These constraints can include utilities, safety areas, sub-surface elements, height limits, and more.

Traditionally, understanding these constraints has been a time-consuming and resource-intensive process, requiring the review of various documents and plans. This can lead to delays and inefficiencies in the planning process.

In contrast, digital planning simulations provide a more efficient and effective platform for understanding constraints in the infrastructure planning process. By using 3D simulations, planners and decision-makers can more easily understand and evaluate the potential impacts of a project on constraints such as utilities, safety areas, and height limits. This can help to identify and address any potential issues or conflicts before they occur, leading to a more successful and sustainable project.

In addition to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of constraint analysis, 3D simulations can also provide a more immersive and interactive platform for understanding these impacts. This can be especially useful when working with stakeholders and the community, as it allows for a more common understanding of the project and its potential impacts.

Pedestrian and traffic simulation

Crowd and traffic simulations are important tools for understanding and managing the flow of people and vehicles in the infrastructure planning process. This can be especially important for managing crowds during peak periods, such as events or commuter crush, and for understanding the interactions between pedestrians and vehicles, including cars and freight.

Traditionally, crowd and traffic simulations have been done using 2D modelling techniques, which can be limited in their ability to accurately represent the complex and dynamic nature of crowds and traffic. In contrast, urban 3D real-time simulations provide a more accurate and realistic platform for understanding and managing crowd and traffic flow.

By using 3D simulations, planners and decision-makers can more easily understand and evaluate the potential impacts of a project on crowd and traffic flow across options, including how the design will affect the movement of people and vehicles. This can help to identify and address any potential issues or conflicts before they occur.

Active transport

Urban planners have a critical role in creating sustainable and livable communities, and one of the ways they can achieve this is by promoting active transportation. Active transportation refers to modes of transportation that involve human power, such as walking and cycling. By encouraging active transportation, urban planners can reduce reliance on fossil fuels, decrease emissions from transportation, and improve public health.

One of the most powerful tools that urban planners use in their work is urban BIM simulations. BIM, or Building Information Modeling, is a digital representation of a building or infrastructure that allows for the simulation of different design options and the evaluation of their performance and cost-effectiveness. By using BIM simulations early and continuously throughout the planning process, urban planners are able to identify the most efficient and cost-effective solutions for promoting active transportation.

One of the key benefits of using BIM simulations in active transportation planning is that it allows urban planners to model the infrastructure for active transportation, such as bike lanes, pedestrian walkways, and sidewalks, and to evaluate their potential usage and impact. By simulating different scenarios and evaluating their effectiveness, urban planners can identify the most efficient and cost-effective solutions for promoting active transportation. Additionally, BIM simulations can also be used to evaluate the connectivity of active transportation infrastructure and to identify potential bottlenecks or areas where additional infrastructure is needed.

Decarbonisation

One of the main challenges for infrastructure planners when it comes to decarbonisation is the need to balance competing priorities such as cost, functionality, and environmental impact. Urban BIM simulations can help to address this challenge by providing a comprehensive and holistic view of the proposed infrastructure, allowing planners to evaluate and optimize different design options in terms of their energy efficiency and emissions.

Urban BIM simulations can also be used to model the energy performance of infrastructure systems, taking into account factors such as weather conditions, occupancy patterns, and energy usage. This can help to identify areas where energy savings can be made and to optimize the design of building envelopes, HVAC systems, and lighting systems.

Another important consideration for infrastructure planners when it comes to decarbonisation is the need to integrate renewable energy sources into the infrastructure mix. Urban BIM simulations can help to identify potential locations for renewable energy systems such as solar panels, wind turbines, and geothermal systems, and to evaluate their performance and cost-effectiveness. This can help to ensure that the infrastructure is designed to be as energy-efficient and sustainable as possible.

Urban BIM simulations can also be used to model the impact of infrastructure projects on the surrounding environment. This can help to identify potential issues such as noise pollution, air quality, and water quality, and to design mitigation measures to minimize these impacts.

Urban BIM simulations can also aid in the constructability of decarbonization projects. By creating a virtual model of the proposed infrastructure, planners and builders identify potential constructability issues and design solutions before construction begins. This can help to minimize delays and reduce costs by identifying and addressing potential issues early on in the design process.

Urban BIM simulations can be used to create construction schedules and cost estimates, helping to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget. Additionally, BIM simulations can be used to create virtual walkthroughs of the proposed infrastructure, allowing builders to visualise the finished product and identify potential issues related to access, safety, and functionality and find efficiencies in transport modes, especially heavy haul.

Emergency scenario planning

Traditionally, emergency evacuation and fire and safety testing have been done using 2D modelling techniques, which can be limited in their ability to accurately represent the complex and dynamic nature of these types of events. In contrast, urban 3D real-time simulations provide a more accurate and realistic platform for understanding and testing emergency evacuation and fire and safety protocols (for example, see how our technology is useful in preparing for railway emergency evacuations and developing infrastructure resilience).

By using 3D simulations, planners and decision-makers can more easily understand and evaluate the potential impacts of a project on emergency evacuation and fire and safety protocols, including how the design will affect the movement of people and vehicles in the event of an emergency. This can help to identify and address any potential issues or conflicts before they occur, leading to a more successful and sustainable project.

In addition to improving the accuracy of emergency evacuation and fire and safety testing, 3D simulations can also provide a more immersive and interactive platform for understanding and managing these impacts. This can be especially useful when working with stakeholders and the community, as it allows for a more common understanding of the project and its potential impacts.

Digital Twins and Urban BIM

3D simulations and digital twins are both useful tools for understanding and evaluating the potential impacts of infrastructure projects. However, there are some key differences between the two. One key difference is that 3D simulations are dynamic and interactive, while digital twins are static and unpopulated. This means that 3D simulations allow for the simulation of behaviours and the iteration of different options in real-time, while digital twins are limited to showing a fixed snapshot of the project, usually of fixed survey data like photogrammetry and GIS historical information, or even live feeds.

Another difference is that 3D simulations often include intelligent agents, which are computer-generated characters or objects that can interact with their environment and each other. These agents can help to simulate the behaviours of people and vehicles, adding a level of realism to the simulation. In contrast, digital twins do not typically include intelligent agents, meaning that they are unable to simulate behaviours.

Digital twins, GIS models and standard surveys can become simulated planning models by pushing data into a planning simulator and bringing it to life.

Digital Engineering and BIM simulators

Digital engineers often appreciate the benefits of using planning simulators, as these tools can greatly improve the speed and efficiency of the digital design process. This is because planning simulators allow digital engineers to quickly and easily iterate and test different design options in real time, rather than having to manually create and analyze each option.

In addition to improving speed and efficiency, planning simulators can also help to improve the accuracy and realism of digital designs. This is because these tools allow for the incorporation of geospatial data, 3D engineering design models, and other types of information that can help to more accurately represent the physical context of the project and develop designs faster and easier, especially up to the 30% concept development point.

Planning simulators are popular among digital engineers because they provide a powerful and efficient platform for digital design, allowing for the quick iteration and testing of different options, and the incorporation of accurate and realistic data.

Infrastructure project management

Project managers often appreciate the benefits of using planning simulators, as these tools can help improve the control and visibility of the project. This is because planning simulators provide a clear platform for understanding and evaluating the various aspects of the project, including design, constraints, and impacts. This can make it easier for project managers to track the progress of the project and identify any potential issues or conflicts that may arise.

In addition to providing better control and visibility, planning simulators can also help to improve communication and collaboration within the project team. This is because these tools provide an immersive and interactive platform for understanding and evaluating the project, which can be especially useful when working with stakeholders and the community.

Site access and O&M testing

Site access planning is an important aspect of the infrastructure planning process, as it helps to ensure that the final design will be able to accommodate the needs of operations and maintenance teams. This includes providing easy and safe access to various parts of the site, as well as ensuring that the layout of the site allows for efficient and effective operations and maintenance activities.

Traditionally, site access planning has been done using 2D design techniques with CAD and drawings, which can be limited in their ability to accurately represent the complex and dynamic nature of operations and maintenance activities. In contrast, 3D real-time simulations provide a more accurate and realistic platform for testing site access planning.

By using 3D real-time simulations, planners and project managers can more easily understand and evaluate the potential impacts of a project on-site access planning, including how the design will affect the movement of people and vehicles on the site, gates, doors, lockers, site rooms and staff operational scenarios. This can help to identify and address any potential issues or conflicts before they occur, leading to a more successful and sustainable project with better operational performance.

As well as improving the accuracy of site access planning, 3D simulations can also provide a more immersive and interactive platform for understanding and managing these impacts. This can be especially useful when working with operations stakeholders, as it allows for a more common understanding of the project and its potential impacts on site access and operations and maintenance.

Simulation to media 3D visualization

One of the benefits of using urban 3D real-time simulations in the infrastructure planning process is the ease of converting the simulations into high-quality media renders and storytelling. This can be especially useful when engaging with stakeholders and the community, as it allows a seamless and immersive and interactive way of communicating the project and its potential impacts.

A provider who offers storyboard and message development can be especially helpful in this regard, as they can help craft a clear and compelling narrative around the project that is easy for project managers to communicate to stakeholders and the community. This can include creating 3D visualizations that clearly illustrate the design of the project, as well as developing messages that highlight the key benefits and features of the project.

Interaction interactive maps

Converting urban 3D real-time simulations into visualizations and interactive maps and portals can be a powerful tool for community engagement in the infrastructure planning process, particularly when made available online through virtual media. This is because it allows for a more immersive and interactive way of communicating the project and its potential impacts to stakeholders and the community, without the need for in-person meetings.

By using 3D visualisations and interactive maps and portals, project managers can more easily illustrate the design of the project and highlight key features and benefits. This can help to build support for the project and ensure that it meets the needs and expectations of the community.

In addition to improving communication and engagement with the community, 3D visualisations and interactive maps and portals can also help to build trust and credibility in the project. This is because they provide a clear and transparent way of showing how the project will look and function, which can help to reduce any concerns or skepticism that stakeholders and the community may have, and can even allow feedback and commenting if required.

Game engines and BIM simulation

3D real-time simulations are often based on modern game engines, such as the Unreal Engine, which provides a powerful and efficient platform for creating realistic and interactive simulations. One of the key advantages of using game engines for simulations is the ability to leverage the power of physics acceleration, which can greatly improve the realism and accuracy of the simulation.

In addition to physics acceleration, many simulations also make use of animated agents, which are computer-generated characters or objects that can interact with their environment and each other. These agents can help to simulate the behaviours of people and vehicles, adding a level of realism and believability to the simulation.

The use of animated agents in conjunction with physics acceleration can create a highly realistic and immersive simulation, allowing for the simulation of complex behaviours and interactions that are similar to what would happen in the real world. This can be especially useful for understanding and evaluating the potential impacts of a project on the movement of people and vehicles, as well as on other aspects of the project.

A planning simulation provider who offers tools and features at runtime and editor time on top of the game engine can provide enormous benefits to the infrastructure planning process. This is because these tools and features can be tailored to the specific needs and goals of the project, allowing for a more efficient and effective planning process.

For example, a provider who offers spline-based parametric planning tools can allow planners to quickly and easily iterate and test different design options, without the need for manual modelling and analysis. This can greatly improve the speed and efficiency of the planning process, as well as the accuracy and realism of the final design.

In addition to parametric planning tools, a provider who offers a range of other tools and features at runtime and editor time can help to further improve the capabilities of the simulation. These may include tools for simulating the movement of people and vehicles, testing site access planning, vehicle movement plans, or evaluating the impacts of the project on various factors such as solar access, views, and accessibility. With a provider who writes code, plans, and communicates, infrastructure planning managers can solve many problems faster and easier.

Urban BIM simulators to training simulators

Converting urban 3D real-time simulations into learning and training tools can be a powerful way to teach operators and users about the various aspects of an infrastructure project. This is because simulations provide a realistic and immersive platform for understanding and evaluating the various features and functions of the project, which can be especially useful for training purposes.

For example, simulations can be used to teach operators about the proper use and maintenance of various equipment or systems, such as pumps, valves, or control systems including operating vehicles and machinery. This can help to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the operations and maintenance of the project, as well as reduce the risk of accidents or failures.

Simulations can also be used to teach users about the various features and functions of an infrastructure project, such as how to use the facilities or access different areas of the site. This can help to improve the user experience and ensure that the project meets the needs and expectations of the community.

BIM Planning in the cloud

One of the benefits of using modern 3D real-time simulations in the infrastructure planning process is the ability to access the simulations in the cloud. This means that teams can access and test the plans from any location, without the need for local high-end hardware or specialized software, or the need to negotiate with the IT department on software installation.

By using cloud-based planning simulations, teams can easily collaborate and work on the plans in real time, regardless of their location. This can greatly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the planning process, as it allows for more flexible and agile collaboration. Cloud-based simulations also offer the benefit of easy one-click access. This means that teams can quickly and easily access the simulations from any device, without the need for complex installations or setup.

The use of cloud-based urban 3D real-time simulations can greatly improve the infrastructure planning process by providing a flexible and accessible platform for testing, planning, and experiencing the future. This can lead to more successful and sustainable infrastructure projects that better meet the needs of the communities they serve.

Summary of benefits to infrastructure planning and Urban BIM simulations.

1. Improved visualisation and understanding: 3D BIM and pre-BIM simulations provide a more realistic and immersive experience, allowing planners and decision-makers to better understand and evaluate the potential impacts of a project. This can be especially helpful when trying to visualize complex or multi-faceted projects, as it allows for a more comprehensive understanding of how the project will fit into the existing urban environment.
2. Enhanced collaboration and communication: urban BIM simulations allow for more effective communication and collaboration among stakeholders, as they provide a shared visual reference point for discussions. This can be especially useful when working with a diverse group of stakeholders, as it allows for a more common understanding of the project and its potential impacts.
3. Increased efficiency and flexibility: BIM 3D simulations allow for a more efficient optioneering process by providing a more realistic and accurate representation of the project and its impacts. They also allow for more flexibility in the design process, as changes can be quickly and easily made and evaluated in the virtual environment.
4. Reduced costs: Using urban 3D real-time BIM simulations can help to reduce costs associated with the infrastructure planning process. By allowing for a more efficient and effective optioneering and development process, 3D BIM simulations can save significant time and resources, which can translate into cost savings for the project.

Urban BIM planning simulators have the potential to greatly improve the way we plan and design infrastructure in our cities. They provide a more realistic and immersive experience, allow for enhanced collaboration and communication among stakeholders, and offer increased efficiency and flexibility in the design process. By using BIM 3D simulations, we can improve the overall quality of our infrastructure projects and reduce costs associated with the planning process.