The Digital Twin Journey: Let's Understand It First, then Ask for It

GABRIELA KOZAMEH: Hi, everyone. Welcome to "The Digital Twin Journey" session. My name is Gabriela Kozameh, and I'm Director of Strategy and Consulting at Voyansi. I'm from Argentina, but living in New York since 2018 as I moved to the US to support a huge BIM implementation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. I'm an architect, but my experience has always been more focused on the management side of things.

I've been working in the BIM industry for more than 10 years. And as many of you, I started as a BIM modeler. Over the years, I have been able to interact with different aspects, technology, applications of BIM during the project life cycle, from design to construction and operations. Today, under my role as Director of Strategy and Consulting, I assist other companies to transform their operations, implementing BIM and data-oriented processes and workflows.

I have here with me Mariano Franchini, who will introduce himself now. Mariano, please go ahead.

MARIANO FRANCHINI: Thank you, Gabby. Hi, everyone. My name is Mariano Franchini, and I'm also from Argentina. I come from the finance world and I have a deep passion for driving innovation through technology in the business landscape.

My journey with Voyansi spans over six years, and I'm currently leading the innovation and technology department with a clear mission. We transform building information modeling into building data insights. Aligned with this mission, we lead projects that unlock the potential of data visualization to extract and apply actionable insights from digital twins.

GABRIELA KOZAMEH: As the title indicates, our goal for today's session is to provide essential information to help you prepare for your digital twin transformation. During this session, we will go over through the basics of what a digital twin means, what are the skills and technology required, and we will walk through the process to accomplish it. So let's get into it.

So what is a digital twin? Before starting with the digital twin concept, I would like to clarify that digital twins can be applied to several industries and could mean different things depending on what you're referring and applying it to. There is no single and/or correct definition. During this presentation, we will dive into the definition and process that applies to the AEC industry, and we will go over it mentioning things that could apply or not, depending on the project phase and needs.

I like to think that digital twins is the evolution of what we call BIM as it comes from all the already known and integrated BIM dimensions, such as 3D, 4D, 5D, 6D, 7D, plus all the added extra data that could come from different sources. Same as BIM, digital twin focuses on the data, but here data is taken to the next level. And digital twin focuses more on what can be done and the benefits of using the data once the construction is over.

If we get into the basic definition, we find that digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical building or property that is created using digital technologies, such as building information modeling, laser scanning, sensors, artificial intelligence, and other resources integrated together, becoming a single source of truth. A digital twin is designed to capture and integrate all the relevant data related to the asset, including its design construction, operations, and maintenance phases.

The digitization process takes different forms depending on whether the asset was built before the creation of the digital twin, or if it's created during its design and construction. The first case is called Brownfield and the second case is called Greenfield. Digital twins can be applied to all or most industries, but depending on the needs and the uses of it is how each digital twin will be prepared.

For instance, if you are developing a digital twin for energy analysis, certain data, such as square footage, type of room, location, orientation, would be key to integrate with other data source in order to perform specific energy calculations, or when it comes to public infrastructure or retail, you might be interested in analyzing the people movement in order to prepare your building for that amount of circulation.

Now Mariano is going to talk about the components of a digital twin.

MARIANO FRANCHINI: All right. There are several factors to consider on the creation of a digital twin. Developing a digital twin, it is not just about the process. It involves understanding what is required, when it's needed, how to proceed, and who will be involved in. One-stop shop solution is highly recommended to guarantee consistency and accuracy during this process.

The first key component is consulting. Working with someone expert will enable you to define what needs to be captured and constructed to achieve your digital twin. Consulting will include the discovery phase to understand your needs and also training and ongoing support.

The second is reality capture. This phase involves technical processes, such as laser scanning and data post-processing. It is very important to work with experienced professionals who have access to a variety of scanners and can choose the best one for your project due to the fact that each project requires a different type of scanner.

The third one is BIM services. This is when your building becomes three dimensional. It is crucial to build a 3D model aligned with the purpose. Developing a 3D model involves more than simply tracing a point cloud. It is about constructing a model with the necessary level of development to achieve the required representation and data needed for your digital twin.

The last one, but not less important, is software. Here is when the connection happens and the dashboard comes to life, turning the entire process into a tangible reality. It is also where end users can interact with the digital twin, unlocking its full potential.

GABRIELA KOZAMEH: Next, we're going to dive into the process itself when developing a digital twin. We will explore the stages and technology applied while showing some real applications. The process to achieve a digital twin involves five important stages, or phases. The first one is consulting, which is also the most important as it helps understand what we need to capture from our physical asset.

The second one is laser scanning, also known as reality capture. This is the first step of data collection from the physical asset. Next, we find the scan to BIM phase, which is where the 3D representation and first set of data is born. Our fourth phase is the data integration, where all the data is integrated, including information that might come from other resources.

Finally, we find the digital twin utilization, which refers to the different applications and uses we can implement once our digital twin is built. Let's begin with consulting. As I mentioned before, this is the first, but also one of the most important steps to achieve a digital twin as it involves what we like to call discovery.

The discovery is a subcomponent of the consulting phase, and it helps us understand the purpose, the needs, the requirements, and things that will need to be captured and integrated in order to achieve our digital twin. This phase includes workshops, walkthroughs, trainings, among other things, to ensure that all the involved stakeholders are aware of what will be required to make all this happen.

During the consulting phase, we will go over the complete digital twin process in order to fully detect the requirements, needs, stakeholders, and technology involved so the full roadmap can be built for that specific project. As we have been mentioning before, there is no single definition or way of achieving a digital twin as one will be produced to serve the specific need that it was built for.

It is important to mention that consulting is the first phase, but doesn't stop there, as an expert will be following the full process side by side, ensuring things are moving forward as expected and planned. So during each step, things, such as equipment to be used or the data to be collected, will be analyzed for the reality capture phase, for instance. LoD, parameters, and data to be inserted will be defined for the BIM model development.

Future data to be reported and captured in the future will be discussed. Sources of information and integration needs will be analyzed, and KPIs and reports will be defined as well.

The second phase that we have is the reality capture one, which is the moment where we go out to the site to capture the current building as is. Besides the scanning itself, several other things can happen during this phase. As the name indicates, this is the capture moment, and with that, we will use this time to scan, photograph, and extract any piece of information that is out there to gather the first set of data from our building that will be incorporated into our model later on.

But what is laser scanning? Laser scanning is a contactless, non-invasive technology that digitally captures the shape of a physical object or building by using a light of laser light. When the laser hits the surface, it generates a point that will then be processed through the specialized software to generate a point cloud that can be visualized in different softwares, such as Autodesk ReCap.

Currently, it is one of the fastest, most accurate and most secure ways to capture the exact size and shape of a real world object and translate it into the digital world.

Depending on what you're trying to capture, what deliverables you're looking for, what LOA, which is level of accuracy, you're trying to reach is the equipment that you will be selecting. There is no perfect or better equipment. Each of the available equipments out there is meant to capture and serve different needs.

What is important to mention here is that each equipment has pros and cons that need to be analyzed as things, such as time to perform a scan or the accuracy achieved, could generate a huge impact on your project.

When it comes to laser scanning uses, we find that the main and most common is capturing the building as its state, which can be used for inspections and will reduce site visits, allowing users to access the building measurements, performing virtual tours, to run analysis and inspections, review specific asset information as well, among others.

Point clouds can also be used for coordination and future design in remodeling projects, saving a lot of time when designing, decreasing cost, and reducing construction errors.

Moving forward, we find the scan to BIM process, which is the moment when we convert our point cloud into an intelligent 3D model. Depending on the type of digital twin we're looking to achieve is how the model will be developed and the data that will live within.

Scan to BIM is the process of quickly and efficiently converting lighter captured data into a 3-dimensional intelligent model. Before starting the model, several things will need to be defined, as those will affect on how the model is developed, what LoD will be applied, what parameters will need to be created, and what data will need to be inserted to make use of that information later on.

All elements present in a point cloud are not necessarily needed to be modeled. So as mentioned before, consulting is very important during each of the phases as it will allow us to be ahead and reduce any risks in the process.

The BIM model is meant to represent a building existing conditions that can be used for design and visualization purposes. Such model allows us to analyze and simulate things, such as design options, code analysis, produce accurate cost estimating, take quantity take offs, for instance.

And in reconstruction projects, elements can be identified to understand the amount of material that can be reused or demolished. Asset and facility management is also allowed by adding existing asset data into the model.

MARIANO FRANCHINI: In this final stage, we will talk about what we call the data set. This is when we add information to the BIM model to turn it into a final digital twin.

When we talk about adding information to the model, we can consider different processes, such as the on-site inspections involving specialists to incorporate architectural, engineering, electrical, plumbing, and other non-visual information that can't be obtained from the point cloud, also supplementary databases from other platforms or systems, IoT devices, such as sensors or cameras, providing real-time information.

Another integration is provided by add-ins that enable different analysis, such as carbon footprint, energy efficiency, and lighting analysis. These are just a few examples of how to integrate information into a BIM model. There are many other sources beyond the ones mentioned. Now let's take a look at an example where an on-site inspection was required and information was loaded based on the inspection results.

In this case, we faced the challenge to reduce the time spent on data entry. In the past, this process was done manually by completing a spreadsheet first, and then Revit modelers were needed to load the information. Therefore, we replaced that by implementing technology to update the model in real time during the expansion.

So how did we make it? The models were hosted on Autodesk Construction Cloud, and a mobile application suitable for iPad or mobile phone was developed. The application allowed us to digitally input information, eliminating the need for manual spreadsheet and human errors.

Additionally, it was synchronized with the model hosted in ACC through design automation, ensuring that the information entered in real time was automatically transferred to the model without the need for anyone to even open Revit. As shown, this process achieved significant time savings while guaranteeing data quality and accuracy.

In summary, data set integration allows us for real-time monitoring, energy usage, carbon footprint analysis, and updated building information with the clear benefits of optimization for building operations, predictive maintenance, data-driven insights, improved sustainability, and cost savings, and, of course, a unified database.

So moving next, by the end of this process, going from laser scanning to the data integration, we arrive to our digital twin. That was accomplished by merging the physical 3D representation and the asset information. So now let's discuss about the applications and what we can do with our digital twin.

The first application is to use the DT as a centralized database that consolidates information from multiple sources, including point clouds, spreadsheets, BIM models, and other systems, where data is organized and centralized in a common data environment.

By integrating data into a BI platform, like QuickSight for Amazon, Power BI from Microsoft, or Looker Studio from Google, users can visualize and analyze the information, creating charts, graphs or dashboards. This enables them to identify patterns, trends, and insights that may be difficult to see otherwise. With the help of these insights, organizations can make data-driven decisions that improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase overall performance.

Taking the digital twin to the next level, we find its application in facility and asset management. This involves the use of the common data environment in tandem with a graphic power provided by the 3D model BIM to create interactive asset management platforms.

The key features includes accessibility and centralisation, access to all assets geolocated, perform analysis and interact from a single platform, user experience providing customization for each client and use, aiming a user-friendly interface, integration with other data sources or databases, such as FM Software's ERPs, finance, et cetera, visualization and metrics, showing results, indicators, KPIs, and alerts, and one of the most important things, real-time data connection.

Let's take a look to a real example of this application. We would like to present a successful case in which an integrated platform for asset management was created. This platform offers customized access as a geolocation and general graphs that consolidate information from all the models and the access to each digital twin.

It is important to highlight the real-time connection of the model with the Autodesk Construction Cloud. This ensures that any modification made to the model will be automatically updated on this platform. As we walked through this video, we can experience the powerful capabilities of our platform. Let's start with the point cloud navigation. Here we can take 360 tours using the support of laser scanning.

Therefore, we can take measurements, as we can see, absolutely accurate, make annotations, perform cross-sections, and more. Moving to the interactive bottom panel on the left, we can see the integration with the 3D model from Forge. This feature allows us to identify elements based on their status parameter. The categories in the model were defined with the client during the early stages of this process.

Next, we have access to the 2D plans for different levels, with the option for downloading PDFs. The color coding feature allows us to identify model elements based on the loaded information, as we can see.

OK. Finally, I would like to show a feature that we still have in beta version, which is the integration with artificial intelligence. As you can see in this stage, when selecting an element, we can ask it questions in the chat to interact with the model elements and incorporate the input from the artificial intelligence into this analysis.

In the next stage of this development, we are going to be able to interact directly with all the elements of the model at once. And in a final stage, we will be able to make modifications to the model with specific commands to edit the BIM model without the need to access to Revit or any other BIM software.

These are some of the potential applications of a digital twin, applying it from the BIM world with a direct connection with the Autodesk environment.

GABRIELA KOZAMEH: I would like to conclude this presentation by reinforcing what I mentioned at the beginning. Digital twins can mean several things, and depending on who, how, and what purpose we're trying to serve is the meaning that it will have. The idea of this session was to provide valuable information to help people understand the digital twin concept and the process that needs to be taken to achieve it.

If I had to give an advice to someone looking into developing a digital twin, would be that it is essential to connect with individuals who have proven experience and can provide guidance throughout the process as this will ensure a successful and efficient implementation and use of resources.

With this, I would like to thank you very much. I hope you enjoyed the session and that we provided a lot of information that will be useful for the future. Thank you.