3D earthwork BIM design and its application in an advanced construction equipment operation

Abstract

Introduction: Advent of new technologies leads the construction industry in utilizing the modern techniques, especially in the earthwork process. The machine guidance system is one of such examples which allows the operator to work more efficiently by using the design on the display screen. Methods: This paper outlines a new Building Information Modeling (BIM) approach to earthwork design with the development of module system which calculates the actual earth volume and generates a TIN surface for machine guidance. This method has importance in generating Triangular Irregular Network (TIN) surface which can be used for visualization of the 3D model as well as for the machine guidance. Results and discussion: The integration of IT based system with the earthwork site results in higher efficiency and productivity. In earthwork process, the proper flow of information is essential as it can increase the transparency and lead to process improvement. This module provides an easy approach for the model generation with its user-friendly interface.