PLT - Digital Twins are Twice the Fun

Advancement of 3-dimensional rendering software has allowed opportunities to create a replica of a physical asset in 3D digital format known as a digital twin . The process of combining photogrammetry and 3D rendering produces these digital twins that have proved to be industry changing in numerous professions with potential to revolutionize the dam structure industry. The production of digital twins is easier, faster, and safer than ever with use of commercial drones. Digital twins reduce exposure to high-risk environments while yielding higher-quality deliverables. A digital twin can safely provide both precise and accurate data. What could be more fun?

Collaboration can be more effective with the use of advanced technology. Just as phone calls have turned into video calls, 2-dimensional plan sets, and reports can be upgraded to 3-dimensional digital twins. Rather than looking at one picture, an entire asset, can be viewed in real life detail. This detail can be presented to the entire project team collectively or at the desired pace of individual team members wherever they may reside. It is more than just a twin as it can be viewed in multiple incidents. It is more than just a written report as data can be tagged to specific locations on the asset. Viewing the twin makes collaboration more effective.
Both creating and using digital twins is fun. The twin is created from images using photogrammetry. The more images, the better the twin. Images can be obtained from any image recording device like handheld digital cameras (phones) or those carried onboard a drone. Drone technology has advanced such that they can nearly autonomously capture the images required to reliably create a digital twin. With images in hand, more over on a hard drive accessible by 3-dimensional rendering software, they can be stitched together to form the digital twin. The twin is then ready to accept sketches of proposed changes, point specific data, or simply for distribution to view. Additionally, ongoing initiatives are implementing artificial intelligence (AI) to detect deficiencies and compare subsequent digital twins.

After this session, participants will be able to describe a digital twin, identify the equipment needed to create the reality model, visualize the quality of a twin, enjoy some history on photogrammetry, and understand how digital twins can be used throughout a physical asset’s life cycle from conception, through design, in construction, and during maintenance. Participants will experience the fun of digital twins.