Evercam’s 4D View uses Bentley’s iTwin to monitor construction projects.
Evercam, makers of software that takes video and constructs 3D models from it, has announced that its Evercam 4D View has been accepted into the Bentley iTwin partner program.
Evercam 4D View enables engineers, construction crews and owners to compare what is being constructed with the building information modeling (BIM) model and have a record of the construction process over time.
“Evercam 4D View is a great example of how real-time video from the job site can be combined with a digital twin to increase the productivity of complex construction projects,” said Adam Klatzkin, vice president of iTwin Platform at Bentley Systems.
What Is 4D?
The fourth dimension in 4D is time. A building or structure takes shape in three dimensions over time. Using photographs and video, the progress of a construction project can be recorded for real-time visualization off-site and be stored for posterity. The project can be rolled back to the start, fast-forwarded to where it is now and, if integrated with the BIM model, progressed into the future to see what it should look like when it’s finished.
If a building inspector would like to find out where, when and how the beams were installed, they would only have to play back the recording.
Evercam appears to offer a way to create a detailed dynamic record of a project at a level not attainable by conventional methods, where photos would be taken each day by hand and uploaded to a project folder to provide a daily record, for example.
Full 3D?
Evercam displays time-lapse, X-ray views, and so on, all from the perspective of a stationary camera. The BIM model, if integrated, is adjusted to camera perspective (perhaps with the use of AI?). It remains to be seen if Evercam will actually fill in the first 3Ds of the 4D in the product’s name with a full 3D model from the collected photographs and video—or if it will merely display the images. We found no example of a 3D model viewable from a different angle that would prove that a full 3D image is routinely created.
That Evercam provides measurement suggests that imagery is rectified for a given perspective. However, Evercam does not claim inch or millimeter accuracy, as do LiDAR-based models. The measurement tool is limited to linear measurement. May we request area and volume measurements for area estimates and concrete pours, for example?
Comparison with BIM Model
With 4D View, a user can switch back and forth between the BIM model and the as-being-built building or structure, enabling engineers to check for discrepancies.
Evercam lets users access its 3D model over the web without having to be trained in BIM software or having BIM software installed locally.
Evercam hints at a whole camera system, including hardware, but no information about cameras—or the cost of a whole system—is available.
How Much?
Evercam’s base price is €395 per month. There’s no free trial. Additional “features,” such as BIM integration, gate report (a record of vehicles going in and out of the site), automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and a time-lapse video delivered on a monthly schedule, are all available at an extra cost.
About Evercam
Evercam, founded and managed in Dublin, has an international staff of 105 but plans to grow to 180 employees after a recent €8.9 million funding round. The company makes construction camera software. To find out more about Evercam, visit www.evercam.io.
About the Bentley iTwin Platform
The Bentley iTwin platform is a cloud-based platform designed to facilitate development of apps that create, view or analyze digital twins.
