Visualizing Data for Digital Twins in UE5 | Unreal Fest 2024

Summary

In this presentation, Rumen Dimov, an architect at CityScape, discusses the transformative potential of Unreal Engine in the AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) industry, particularly in the realm of Digital Twins. He showcases two key projects: one focused on decarbonizing the UK's residential stock using live data, and another for managing the development of 11,000 homes at Barking Riverside in London. Both projects demonstrate how Unreal Engine enables immersive, data-driven decision-making, offering real-time insights and fostering collaboration across complex, large-scale development initiatives.

Takeaways

• 😀 Unreal Engine is used by CityScape to tackle complex data-driven problems in the AEC industry, providing insights and value through immersive, interactive tools.
• 😀 CityScape specializes in using emerging technologies like VR, AR, and interactive visualizations to enhance property sales, branding, and decision-making in real estate.
• 😀 The future of AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) relies on Digital Twins, which must be visual, easy to understand, and experiential for effective decision-making.
• 😀 The UK’s net-zero goal by 2050 has prompted projects like the DESNZ Digital Twin Augmented Visual Demonstrator, designed to help policymakers better understand uncertainty in decarbonization models for residential buildings.
• 😀 A probabilistic graphical model (Bayesian network) is used to power simulations in the DESNZ project, offering insights into decarbonization scenarios, confidence levels, and policy impacts across the UK.
• 😀 The DESNZ tool allows policymakers to visualize the impact of different decarbonization strategies, filter by confidence levels, and compare various options in a dynamic, interactive format.
• 😀 In the Barking Riverside project, CityScape created a platform for stakeholders to collaborate, review, and make decisions on the construction of 11,000 homes, integrating live data and master plan information for real-time updates.
• 😀 The Barking Riverside tool links project timelines, data spreadsheets, and the model itself, allowing users to dynamically update construction schedules, plots, and other critical data in real-time.
• 😀 The use of Unreal Engine allows CityScape to integrate various data sources, enabling flexible multi-use applications, such as visualizing complex real estate projects and tracking construction progress.
• 😀 CityScape believes that Unreal Engine is the ideal tool for bridging the gap between traditional visualization and data-driven decision-making, positioning it as a core technology in the future of Digital Twins.

Q & A

What was the main purpose of the DESNZ Digital Twin Augmented Visual Demonstrator project?

The main purpose of the project was to help UK policymakers understand how uncertainty plays a role in energy modeling predictions and to present these results in a visually engaging and easy-to-understand way. It aimed to support decision-making in the decarbonization of the UK residential stock as part of the country's drive towards net zero by 2050.

Why is visual communication essential for Digital Twins in the AEC industry?

Visual communication is essential because it makes complex, data-driven decisions more accessible to a broader audience, especially those without a technical background. The aim is to allow users, such as policymakers, to quickly grasp the implications of data and make informed decisions in an intuitive and engaging manner.

What role does Unreal Engine play in the Cityscape approach to Digital Twins?

Unreal Engine serves as the core tool for visualizing and delivering insights in Cityscape's Digital Twin applications. It powers immersive, interactive environments that allow users to engage with real-time, data-driven models, enabling a deeper understanding of complex issues like energy decarbonization and large-scale development projects.

How does the probabilistic graphical model (Bayesian network) work in the DESNZ Digital Twin project?

The probabilistic graphical model uses a Bayesian network to compile data from the National Buildings Model and generate probabilistic predictions about the decarbonization efforts. It helps assess the uncertainty in modeling outcomes and enables users to quickly understand the range of possible scenarios for carbon reductions across the UK residential stock.

What are the key features of the Barking Riverside project and its use of Unreal Engine?

The Barking Riverside project uses Unreal Engine to create a unified, interactive platform for managing the development of 11,000 homes in London. It integrates various data sources, including spreadsheets and 3D models, to provide stakeholders with an up-to-date visual representation of the project, helping them make informed decisions, engage with local authorities, and maintain timelines and budgets.

What is the significance of the 'Confidence Filter' in the DESNZ Digital Twin tool?

The Confidence Filter allows users to focus on areas where the model's predictions are more reliable, by adjusting the visual display to highlight outcomes with higher confidence. This helps policymakers prioritize actions based on data they can trust and reduces the risk of making decisions based on uncertain or incomplete data.

How does Cityscape’s approach to 'inelegant advancement at speed' benefit clients?

Cityscape’s approach of 'inelegant advancement at speed' focuses on rapidly developing functional solutions that address the immediate needs of clients. This allows clients to quickly gain value from prototypes and early-stage tools, even if they are not yet fully polished, helping to resolve pressing issues and deliver tangible results in the short term.

How does the integration of data from spreadsheets enhance the decision-making process in the Barking Riverside project?

The integration of live data from spreadsheets into the 3D model allows for real-time updates and adjustments, ensuring that stakeholders are always working with the most current information. This dynamic connection between the data and the model helps keep the project on track, facilitates decision-making, and ensures alignment among all parties involved.

What challenges did the Barking Riverside project face in maintaining a central source of truth for the development?

The Barking Riverside project faced challenges due to the complexity of managing a large-scale development with multiple stakeholders, including different housing developers, joint ventures, and local authorities. The lack of a single, real-time source of truth for design, development, planning, and marketing made it difficult to maintain coordination and ensure the project's timeline and budget were met.

How did the use of Unreal Engine help overcome the challenges of managing large-scale development projects like Barking Riverside?

Unreal Engine helped by providing an immersive, interactive platform that integrated data from various sources, including spreadsheets and 3D models. This allowed stakeholders to visualize the project in real-time, facilitating collaboration, improving communication, and making it easier to make decisions that aligned with the overall vision and project goals.