Immersive visualisation

The Immersive Lab is the state-of-the-art facility that enables students and academics in the Department of Civil Engineering at Monash University to visualise and analyse data. It is also used to explore three-dimensional design solutions, augmented simulation, develop models and algorithms for engineering applications in areas of transportation, construction, water, structural, geomechanics and resources.

MuCow

The Visualisation Laboratory is equipped with a moveable high-fidelity display wall comprising of a 1x4 grid of 49" UHD displays, each has a resolution of 8.3 megapixels, to form a 33 megapixel wall. The tiled display wall will be used for displaying and visualising information and data (such as outputs from simulation and model) in both 2D and 3D graphics.

3D Laser Scanner

The Visualisation Laboratory is equipped with a state-of-the-art terrestrial laser scanner, Faro Focus M70, which is capable of capturing up to 500,000 points per second at the range of 0.6 to 70 meters with a ranging error of 3mm. This laser scanner is used for the study of as-built modelling of existing buildings and infrastructures. This will help engineers to understand the conditions of the structure (e.g., deformation, deterioration) as well as the performance of building and infrastructure facilities (e.g., building insulation analysis with thermal mapping).

Virtual/Augmented Reality (VR/AR)

The Visualisation Laboratory hosts a wide range of advanced Virtual and Augmented Reality devices and systems, including mobile VR headsets, room-scale high-fidelity VR systems, and state-of-the-art augmented reality headsets. These facilities will help to explore new design and collaboration approaches and to investigate the interactions between the engineered environments and their human users/occupants.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

^{(Image source:https://www.dji.com/mavic)}

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or drones, equipped with high-resolution cameras are able to capture a large amount of visual data (images and videos) for a short time. The abundant visual data helps engineers to survey construction sites, monitor work-in-progress, and inspect existing structures, particularly for hard-to-reach areas. Through photogrammetry techniques such as Structure from Motion (SfM), the 2D visual data can be transformed into 3D models. The DJI Mavic Pro in the Visualisation Lab will facilitate research in the creation of automated 3D reconstruction solutions for generating accurate, as-is 3D models of buildings and infrastructures for a range of applications including structure health monitoring, asset management, and intelligent construction operations.