Digital Twins & Virtual Tours

A digital twin is a virtual representation of a real-world physical object, system, or process. This virtual model is designed to accurately reflect the physical entity and is typically synchronized with real-time data throughout its lifecycle.

At Coast 2 Coast we begin with the foundational building block of digital twins  – your actual facility.  It’s where reality meets simulation and big data has a frame of reference all in the context of your physical site.

With decades of experience in architectural surveys, modeling, and visualization services in the AEC industry, we provide a simple solution for handling technical planning, cost/risk projects, system integration, and verification/validation. Before we create virtualized deliverables, we first collect the data from the physical asset using digital cameras and specialized capture devices. Our team utilizes “Scan & Map” reality capture techniques and offers flexible deliverable options to ensure you have a solid foundation for building your Digital Twin.

MAP

Our Simultaneous Location and Mapping (SLAM) technology combines 3D laser scanning and 360° photography to provide a simple and efficient method for mapping and measuring large buildings and campuses. It offers a fast way to capture a facility, its components, and its condition.

SCAN

The 3D laser scanner captures the building by shooting a laser in all directions, providing dimensional X Y Z location data as points in space. Our laser scanning systems capture millions of data points creating a photo-realistic point cloud and digital photo images.

SURVEY

Our traditional as-built surveys determine the building geometry and the precise locations of objects such as RTLS or IoT sensor devices within the physical environment. We will format data and deliverables to integrate with middleware.

HOW TO MAKE USE OF THE DATA

ONLINE VIRTUALIZATION

VIRTUAL TOURS: 360º photography provides a view of the building’s layout and current conditions. Using a connected Virtual Tour, stakeholders can virtually walk through a digital twin of the space online.

DIGITAL TWIN IMAGERY: The 360 visualization platform is packed with features including VR options, panorama views, reference tags, Google Map integration, and share links. With just one click in your browser, you can move from your asset database to the object’s location within the virtual tour. This quick and easy way to view the facility is ideal for engineering teams starting projects, as it provides accurate information about inventory and available space.

 POINT CLOUD VIEWS

Our Point Cloud Share platforms simplifies the process of viewing scanned data online and virtually navigating through the building. The point cloud allows you to extract dimensions, diameters, and transfer this information into CAD drawings or use it for 3D modeling. It’s an ideal way to take a second look at the project scope before modeling begins.

3D MODEL

Digital twins utilize various data formats to represent and exchange information. As our team creates a 3D model from point cloud data, AutoDesk’s BIM 360 Design collaboration tools offer visibility to Revit models as our team builds them. The choice of data format often depends on the specific application, industry standards, and the types of data being represented in the digital twin. Many digital twin platforms support multiple formats (.e57 point clouds, OBJ, IFC BIM format, CAD, etc.) to ensure interoperability and flexibility.

SIMULATIONS

Many industries are adopting a bottom-up approach, starting with basic elements like unique identifiers and digital nameplates, and then building more complex digital twin representations on top of these foundations. Begin with photo-realistic 3D rendering still images or videos to present your engineering concepts. Use finished models as source data in Digital Twin Simulations.