2010 Issue

16 Cons: • Not too many game engine developers (the really good ones) have price schedules for Civil/Infrastructure projects. They are looking for royalty opportunities which don’t really fit well in our industry. • Often requires someone who can program or script to create custom functions. VISUALIZATION — continued from page 15 • Perhaps too many options for game editor/ engines that have a wide range of prices. Tips: • Not every model can be “shoe-horned” into an interactive environment. Most will need some customization. • Look for an editor/engine that has an active community and several program builds per year. • Start with a small project first to use as a case study before going with something larger. Visualization Soup Because every civil project is unique, each vi- sualization effort is also unique. Some projects only require a couple of photo simulations for a public meeting. Large, controversial projects may require several different types of visualiza- tion techniques over a long period of time. Case in point: The San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge is currently under construction between Oakland and Yerba Buena Island. The client has been requesting a variety of visualization to be used for multiple reasons. Initially, a series of photo simulations were created to show the tower designs and impact to the YBI touchdown. Construction staging renderings illustrated how the temporary structures would be built and staged into place. More recently, once the ba- sic 3D geometry in completed, it is handed off to 3D animators and 4D modelers. Each takes that model and produces a unique deliverable for a specific purpose. The animations go out to public involvement sources to educate the public on upcoming closures and changes to their commute or how the structure will absorb a sizable earthquake. The 4D model goes to weekly internal meetings where the construction schedule is reviewed. In some cases, contractor staging conflicts were found and resolved in the virtual model prior to any physical conflicts with equipment. Obviously, larger projects typically have more need and budget for more complicated visual- ization tasks. Talk with your visualization team about what may be available for your project, especially if your budget is limited. They may have some ideas that can still make the project look good while keeping the costs down (and now you can throw in some good visualization lingo in your conversation with them). If you would like to learn more about AEC visualization, below are some informative web communities: www.pbviz.com/forum http://forums.augi.com Mr. Loyd is a Lead Design Visualization Specialist at Parsons Brinckerhoff’sDenveroffice.HestartedatPBasaPhotoSimulation Artistandmovedinto3Dmodelingoutofnecessity.EarlierMr.Loyd spentayearteachingartatamiddleschoolinaDenversuburb, webgraphicsforalmostayear,andbackgroundillustrationand2D animation at a local video game company for four years. “Varian’s mission is to explore and develop radiation technology that pro- tects and saves lives. Our goal is to help save the lives of 100,000 more can- cer patients this year. That’s enough survivors to fill a large stadium. To meet this challenge, we are arming the world’s cancer fighters with radiotherapy and radiosurgery products designed to improve the outcome, quality, and affordability of their care. As a partner for life, we share this mission with you.” Timothy E. Guertin — President and Chief Executive Officer Varian Medical Systems If you have a passion for developing technical life saving medical equipment, visit our website and experience the passion for life. 1678 Pioneer Road Salt Lake City, Ut 84104 www.varian.com Our goal: save 100,000 more lives this year.