BIMxAR: Building Information Modeling-Powered Augmented Reality

Literature review shows limited research investigating the utilization of Augmented Reality (AR) to improve learning and understanding architectural representations, specifically section views. In this study, we present an AR system prototype (BIMxAR), its new and accurate building-scale registration method (DL-3S-BIM) for aligning BIM and physical buildings, and its novel visualization features that facilitate the comprehension of building construction systems, materials configuration, and 3D section views of complex structures through the integration of AR, Building Information Modeling (BIM), and physical buildings. We present our approach to enable the user to understand the orientation and the coordinate system of the virtual model with respect to its location in the physical environment through body movement in the environment, facilitating embodied learning. Moreover, the study presents an innovative method to create sections within an AR setting. The method enables users to further inspect the building from different views through fully controlling the location and orientation of the sectional planes. Additionally, it allows the user to retrieve the building component’s related information through section poches. The study developed and showcased a novel mixed-mode of real and virtual worlds (mixed reality) to provide a better understanding of the spatial relationships in a building.