Virtual building for construction projects

Although computer-aided design is widely used in the architecture-engineering-construction (AEC) industry, the exchange of information is still largely a manual process, where 2D paper drawings are reviewed to identify conflicts. Obviously, this process is time consuming and inefficient - not only do many conflicts go undetected but it's nearly impossible to quickly determine how design changes will affect the project's cost and schedule. Thus, an average project will lose 8 to 15 percent of labor costs due to mistakes that cause change orders, delays, and rework. Project management tools also have limitations. Since they use critical path method schedules, such tools don't show the three dimensions of space and the fourth dimension of time, making it difficult to visualize and communicate the schedule and analyze the sequence of construction. Enter 4DCAD technology, which in its simplest form links 3D models to schedules.