VIRTUAL REALITY FOR DIGITALIZATION IN HYDRAULIC INFRASTRUCTURES

In the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector, hydraulic infrastructures remain one of the least digitalized while being crucial parts of water management systems. These projects combine mechanical, civil, and electrical systems that must function under challenging environment for longevity. Coordination errors and a lack of stakeholder knowledge during design review are frequently caused by traditional 2D drawings and static 3D views that are unable to portray these multidisciplinary relationships. Building Information Modelling (BIM) has opened new ways to share design information throughout different disciplines. However, traditional BIM platforms like Autodesk Revit, while powerful for creating 3D models, offer limited immersive visualization and decision support capabilities. This thesis fills this gap by creating an immersive 3D review environment on a desktop computer using the Unity game engine. This will enhance the digitalization in hydraulic infrastructure’s design. This approach enables the stakeholders to explore models interactively and get structured feedback without needing expensive head-mounted virtual reality (VR) devices. This suggested approach, uses FBX format to turn detailed Revit models into Unity models while keeping object information through connected CSV/JSON data. Users can navigate around the model, get information about its objects, measure distances, add notes and approve elements, and detect object clashes in the immersive environment. Fly mode, spray marking, and an integrated help system are just a few of the extra features that make the program more interactive and user-friendly. A case study based on actual hydraulic infrastructure project demonstrates practicality of proposed workflow. This immersive model helps engineers to visualize internal spatial relationships and identify the design clashes, which lead to its potential in improving the visualization, coordination and communication among stakeholders. This prototype combines BIM's data-driven modelling with Unity's real-time interactivity to make the design review process more intuitive and collaborative. This study contributes to the digitalization of hydraulic infrastructures by introducing a practical, user-friendly, accessible and immersive 3D reviewer that facilitates structured decision-making in the design phase. The platform also lays the groundwork for future growth in areas like Digital Twin (DT) integration and collaboration amongst multiple users.