Cupix Launches New 3D Digital Twin Platform That Expands Footprint in Construction Market

CupixWorks will enable owners, contractors and engineers to build more efficiently with 3D models.

An example showing how accurately CupixWorks digital twins represent the built environment scanned into the platform. (Image credit: Cupix.)

An example showing how accurately CupixWorks digital twins represent the built environment scanned into the platform. (Image credit: Cupix.)

Engineers and construction firms have been envisioning a world with fully digital plans, bid documents and models for years now, but the technology has been slow to develop. Building information modeling (BIM) software has begun advancing the industry closer to this digital vision and environment but hasn’t been able to fully transition the industry from needing physical printed plans to bring projects to completion. Prototyping software and 3D models have begun making inroads in manufacturing and product design, and the construction industry isn’t far behind. One company helping to make it possible for projects to leap off the page and into real life without ever needing an actual physical page is Cupix, a leader in 3D digital twin software for the construction industry.

Digital twins are different from traditional BIM models, which are used to detail plans and feed input to structural analysis software. Digital twins are meant to create immersive, virtual representations of a physical built environment. Using the right software and technology, a fully virtual 3D model of an entire city could be created as a digital twin. Continued growth of digital twins will be transformative for engineering and construction.

Digital twins have the potential to completely revolutionize construction and building management, enabling creation of true “smart cities” in the process. (Image credit: Autodesk.)

Digital twins have the potential to completely revolutionize construction and building management, enabling creation of true “smart cities” in the process. (Image credit: Autodesk.)

“The ability to create a digital representation of a building, a neighbourhood or an infrastructure network is powerful because it can inform decision-making throughout the life cycle of that thing, starting with the design phase,” Mansoor Kazerouni of IBI Group told Dezeen. “Simulating data in a digital twin allows us to optimise our design.”

Hoping to lead a hesitant construction industry into the future, Cupix has built the most powerful 3D digital twin platform for architects, engineers and construction firms. CupixWorks allows building owners, contractors and engineers to build more efficiently and smartly with cutting-edge 3D models that give them complete control over every aspect of their buildings. Using a drone and a 360-degree image capture, Cupix delivers a comprehensive, immersive model that allows off-site engineers and designers to interact with the project as if they had boots on the ground.

Projects that have incorporated Cupix’s digital twin technology have seen an average of over $400,000 in cost savings. The technology has given them the ability to make changes on the fly as conditions vary in the field and sidestep mistakes and accidents that were previously unavoidable. All of this is possible because every member of the project team has full visibility into real-time building progress and can leverage the data to improve decision-making.

“In a world where surprises and complications are commonplace and costly, our solutions give customers the collaboration, confidence and control they need to stay on time, on budget, and on target,” said Simon Bae, Cupix founder and CEO. “Cupix is excited to bring our pioneering 3D expertise to market and to empower contractors and owners everywhere to build smart. Our vision goes beyond traditional 3D digital twins or even smart cities. We want to help the world build smarter.”

If building smarter is the goal, then companies can’t do much better than working with Cupix to deploy their technology and put digital twins into their engineering toolboxes. An immersive 3D model allows contractors and stakeholders to manage multiple complex and intersecting aspects of a project at a time and ensure that they are seeing the whole picture in a collaborative environment.

SiteView is Cupix’s digital twin collaboration tool, which makes it possible to navigate the site in 3D, track progress, compare as-built conditions to BIM models, take 3D measurements and leave annotations. From a collaborative standpoint, teams can see who is currently online and where they are navigating within the model in real time.

Data can be captured in multiple ways, including single shots with one 360-degree photo, video shots for weekly jobsite and progress documentation, cluster shots to home in on a specific area, and drone capture for a full fly-through of the site. The platform is flexible and can be deployed on sites ranging from simple buildings to complex high-rises, industrial sites and factories, or roads and bridges. There are few limitations on what can be captured and incorporated into a digital twin through Cupix, provided a camera can access an area—no matter how tight the space or how poorly lit it is—it can be modeled.

Getting CupixWorks up and running on a project is extremely easy and fast. Data capture is simple, and the company provides a set of gear, including a 360-degree camera, a drone and accessories for mounting, and a handheld stick or light to make the process of building the model go smoothly. Every single inch of a site can be captured and the platform allows any form of point cloud data to be imported, ranging from handheld LiDAR scanners to proprietary reality capture systems. It’s an incredibly simple process for some impressive technology. CupixWorks is preconfigured to work right away with no special training or knowledge needed. A user just needs to photograph the site with a consumer-grade 360-degree camera and launch the platform from any web browser and Cupix takes over.

Cupix provides users with a starter kit that comes complete with all the required accessories to capture their site and generate a 3D digital twin. (Image credit: Cupix.)

Cupix provides users with a starter kit that comes complete with all the required accessories to capture their site and generate a 3D digital twin. (Image credit: Cupix.)

The simplicity and power of CupixWorks is already winning over the somewhat notoriously stubborn construction industry. Simon Bae has sensed the trend in the industry and believes his company is well positioned to jump in front of the rising tide of 3D modeling in construction.

“Things are changing. We are seeing more and more contractors begin to realize what 3D site documentation can do for them, especially in the case of remodels. In fact, by our calculations, providing 3D digital twin technology to the construction industry in the U.S. alone is roughly a $13 billion market opportunity,” noted Bae.

“Under the Cupix model, 3D digital twin technology has evolved to become much easier to use (requiring only a consumer-grade 360-degree camera to create and share 3D digital twin data) become better known. That’s a game-changer. And as more and more contractors are becoming aware that this technology is now available, we’re seeing enormous demand for our services.

“Here’s another way to look at it: The engineering community’s approach to digital twin is sensor-datacentric, whereas Cupix’s approach to 3D digital is as-built-visual-infocentric, which makes it especially well-suited for the AEC industry,” continued Bae.

“Because CupixWorks has made 3D digital twin creation easier and more affordable, we believe Cupix can drive the adoption of 3D digital twin technology across all facets of the AEC industry.”

Cupix is not alone in building a digital twin platform for the construction and engineering community, but its CEO is confident that the company is building the standout platform that will be widely adopted and most useful for its customers.

“CupixWorks is the only proven solution that can help owners and builders across the entire built-world lifecycle—i.e., before, during and after a project has been completed. Cupix has turned 3D site capture into something that’s easy and affordable without sacrificing quality of information. Our platform provides the most flexible way of capturing a wide variety of sites, ranging from relatively simple commercial buildings, to highly sophisticated facilities that require high-res visual quality, to external infrastructure projects like roads and bridges that require drone-based capture. CupixWorks provides enterprise-grade data security controls for use at data-sensitive facilities,” Bae explained.

So far, early adopters of the Cupix technology are seeing impressive results that have them singing the praises of the company and platform.

“Our CupixWorks 3D digital twins were critical to the successful completion of a battery plant in Georgia. The construction boom in the state made it difficult to set on-site inspection dates. By submitting CupixWorks 360 visual data online, the inspectors were able to review stages remotely and we were able to avoid costly delays. The digital twins also helped us move into the second phase of construction, by allowing for us to check BIM data against 360 visuals to track progress without numerous site visits. And especially once a concrete slab was poured or drywall completed, the visual record provided by 3D digital twins enabled us to confirm important details—such as underground piping and the design of wall studs—and eliminate blind spots,” said Chang-seok Han of SK ecoplant.

Digital twins are still very much in their early innings when it comes to widespread adoption in construction and building management, but Cupix is continuing to see strong interest as it continues to advance its technology and advocate for CupixWorks’ ability to help make projects run more efficiently.

“We’ve had strong interest from all customer segments. To begin with, BIM/VDC specialists and MEP engineers were some of our strongest champions. But over time, we’ve seen general contractor executives become more interested in this technology because of what we can help them achieve in terms of cost savings. So far, we’ve been able to save customers an average of $400K per project, per year,” said Bae.

“Owners and property managers are increasingly interested now—especially from within the manufacturing sector, oil and gas companies, and multinationals—often requiring that their contractors use a system like this, because of the visibility and continuity of information we provide across the entire life cycle of a property, including project handover and commissioning. Without what we provide, there’s a massive information gap between construction history and facility maintenance that’s nearly impossible to overcome,” continued Bae.

Growth in the digital twins space will be exponential over the next half-decade and is projected to reach nearly $50 billion by 2026. This could occur even sooner than expected with increased demand driven by the pandemic. Clearly, the opportunity to take the lead in digital twins is there, and Cupix expects to put itself right there with the biggest players in the construction technology industry. The company’s first quarter revenue was up over 300 percent year-over-year, while Cupix continues to expand its global footprint. It’s easy to see why Cupix is a winner for construction companies and building owners and will likely only continue to strengthen its product with a long runway for growth.