Design and Evaluation of Virtual Reality Application for Building Information Modelling

Abstract

In the realm of architectural design and construction, the integration of Virtual Reality (VR) with Building Information Modelling (BIM) presents a transformative approach to overcome the inherent limitations of traditional two-dimensional models. This research focuses on enhancing the interactivity and user engagement in BIM through VR technology, offering a dynamic and immersive experience that transcends the spatial constraints of two-dimensional models. Central to these endeavors is the development of a VR application designed specifically for university environments, aiming to augment BIM processes with intuitive functionalities like advanced roaming navigation, district-specific exploration, selective layered displays, and comprehensive measurement tools. By employing the structured Waterfall lifecycle methodology, the project ensures a systematic progression through stages of planning, design, implementation, and testing. The findings from the seven experts who evaluated six aspects of application performance show an average value of 89 percent. This indicates a reasonably excellent degree of user experience. Additionally, the item content validity index shows a value of 0.89, which is considered acceptable. End-user testing, which involved 20 respondents from public university in Hong Kong, received good feedback, mostly above average, and is considered to meet the high standards of usability. Hopefully, this research will bridge the gap between traditional BIM and VR, enhancing educational and professional experiences in universities.