Simulating Construction Process with an Animation

This paper presents an animation which simulates construction process by applying tower cranes to assemble shared steel forms in a site of six buildings. Only two sets of steel forms are provided. The animation is simulated based on the length of a cycle .and the number of cycles (a unit period of time) spent for sliding slabs down and moving cranes to next building's location. The first case schedules fours cycles in removing cranes to next site and eight cycles' difference between assembling structures and floors. Each frame is numbered by a cycle of five days. Slabs are slid down at the intervals of twenty-two or twenty-eight floors. Another case reduces the difference between structures and floors to five floors, i.e., structures are built five floors ahead than floors do. The animated result is used as a communication tool between designer and clients. The animation is a keyframe-based simulation that each keyframe consists of a 3D model to represent the status of buildings of a major construction step. The swept area of cranes is also simulated in both cases. In total, almost one hundred frames were made from the excavation of the site to the finish of mechanic tower. The simulated animation is made in two versions to compare the influence of different schedules and arrangements of construction facilities visually.