The Active3D-Build: A Web-Based Civil Engineering Platform

Computer programs for building design, analysis, and maintenance typically can’t exchange data directly, even when the same team uses them. Buildings therefore take longer to design and build and cost more to construct and operate. Information sharing should be the starting point in applying information technology to building design, construction, and use. We developed the Active3D-Build (http:// www.active3d.net) to improve civil engineering project management. This Web-based platform lets geographically dispersed project participants—from architects to electricians to plumbers—directly use and exchange project documents in a centralized virtual environment using a simple Web browser. A 3D visualization lets participants move around in the building being designed and obtain information about the objects that compose it. The Active3D-Lab is the software development arm of the Archimede Group (http:// www.archimede-groupe.com/), a civil engineering and facility management firm. The Active3DLab team includes three administrative staff members, eight developers, and three University of Bourgogne researchers. We’re already marketing this product, and several enterprises use it in their civil engineering projects.