Image source Justlight/stock.adobe.com.
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This is the fourth of a six-part special feature covering data management, digital twins, reality capture, AI, IoT, and other technology for AEC designers, engineers, and owners. This issue focuses on using high-performance computing in remote workflows and collaborative environments. In future articles, we’ll be digging into other topics, such as real-time ray tracing and virtual reality. |
As AEC projects become more complex, collaboration among AEC professionals becomes more critical to successful project delivery. To meet ambitious schedules, budgets, and technical requirements, AEC professionals are increasingly teaming with colleagues in multiple geographic locations. Remote collaboration requires teams to pay close attention to IT resources and data storage to make sure everyone is using the same data. And to keep everyone productive, teams need integrated hardware and software solutions capable of handling large BIM datasets and compute-intensive operations such as rendering, simulation, and AI.
In addition to enabling geographically dispersed teams to work together, remote collaboration can improve productivity and enable teams to better use advanced technologies such as digital twins, building information modeling (BIM), and virtual reality.
Productivity can be increased by establishing teams across different time zones. The traditional eight-hour workday can be extended by handing off work from one time zone to another. Hybrid work arrangements, where team members work partially in centralized offices and partially at home, have also become more commonplace and rely on collaboration technologies.
Advances in remote collaboration have significantly enabled the rapid growth of digital twins and BIM, as multi-discipline teams contribute to these projects. In addition to traditional architecture and engineering disciplines, digital twin and BIM projects often involve experts in areas such as reality capture, IoT sensors, simulation, operations, maintenance, and others.
The increase in virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR) has also contributed to the growth of remote collaboration. By using technology to simulate reality in an immersive manner, AEC professionals and stakeholders can walk through models and develop designs collaboratively using NVIDIA CloudXR™, even when situated in different locations.
AEC professionals often use a combination of devices to collaborate remotely. Image source: Lenovo.
These and other collaboration workflows require heightened focus on computer resources to optimize performance and productivity. Team members must have access to current data in real time, without encountering delays due to system bottlenecks. To achieve this, teams need high-performance hardware, along with technologies such as virtualization and accelerated computing to handle data-intensive AEC projects.
Resources for AEC teams typically include both desktop and mobile workstations to support working in office and on-the-go environments. In both cases, workstations should have flexible configurations for optimized workflow-based performance with suitable GPU and CPU compute and plenty of memory and storage, according to Jon Clark, Solutions Architect for AEC/Product Design and Development at Lenovo.
CPU configurations should include a high maximum core clock for single-threaded applications such as CAD and 3D modeling and multiple CPU cores for multi-threaded applications such as ray tracing and simulation. Lenovo workstations equipped with NVIDIA RTX™ professional-grade GPUs are ISV-certified (independent software vendor) to provide compatibility and performance for AEC applications such as Autodesk AutoCAD, Revit, Civil 3D, and Navisworks, Bentley MicroStation, and other AEC software. Mobile systems can be configured with up to 16GB of GPU memory to support large datasets, accelerated on-the-go rendering, and other AEC-related work.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P series offers a family of mobile workstations that include up to Intel Core Ultra 9 processor with Intel vPro (up to 16 cores, up to 5.1GHz), up to NVIDIA RTX 3000 Ada Generation Mobile (8GB VRAM), and up to 64GB LPDDR5x 7467MT/s. Image source Lenovo.
Remote-ready workstations should also have high bandwidth and high-capacity memory configurations, noted Clark. For handling large building and infrastructure projects, mobile systems should have up to 192GB of DDR5 RAM and high-performance M.2 PCIe NVMe solid-state drives supporting up to 8TB of local storage.
Lenovo has partnered with other technology providers to develop remote workstation solutions designed specifically for AEC environments. One solution leverages TGX remote desktop software and NVIDIA GPUs to deliver Lenovo workstation performance in real-time, handling multiple displays with up to 4K resolution. “By moving pixels rather than large datasets, this enables AEC teams to collaborate more efficiently by removing traditional bottlenecks in the workflow such as large file transfers, delayed file syncing, and slow build times,” noted Clark.
Virtualization can also aid collaboration workflows, according to Sean Young, Director of AECO, Geospatial, and AI Solutions Industry Marketing at NVIDIA. With virtualization, a single physical computer provides resources for multiple users. The primary computer’s components (e.g., CPU, GPU, memory, and storage) are partitioned into multiple virtual machines (VMs) and distributed to thin clients, which may be at desktops or on mobile workstations. Other benefits of virtualization include more efficient use of resources and consolidation of hardware in a central location, providing quieter work environments for team members. Centralized data storage also enables all team members to access the same data seamlessly, added Young.
NVIDIA GPUs can be virtualized using NVIDIA virtual GPU (vGPU) software. Installed on a physical GPU in a cloud or enterprise data center server, NVIDIA vGPU software creates virtual GPUs that can be shared across multiple virtual machines and accessed by multiple devices, regardless of physical location. This can enhance GPU performance for graphics-heavy workloads, enabling teams to leverage the management and security benefits of virtualization as well as GPU performance required for AEC workflows.
Texas-based architecture and engineering firm Parkhill experienced direct benefits from deployment of a virtual desktop infrastructure, enabling collaboration on projects such as the Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences. Image source: NVIDIA/Parkhill.
AEC organizations are seeing direct benefits of using technology to improve collaboration workflows. Texas-based architecture and engineering firm Parkhill experienced significant benefits from timely deployment of a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) just before the pandemic hit, enabling its teams to seamlessly switch to remote workflows. The firm used multiple servers partitioned to serve select teams with NVIDIA vGPU-powered workstations.
Parkhill, which uses a range of graphics-intensive applications, including Autodesk and Bentley applications, has found a balance between constant upgrades and machines that work well for users. “We want our users to be able to be productive without worrying about system issues that cost them valuable time,” said Alan Runkles, information systems manager at Parkhill.
KÉSZ Group, a Hungary-based construction and engineering firm, recently transformed its IT infrastructure to enable more flexibility and mobility. Working with Lenovo, KESZ replaced its fixed workstations with Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 mobile workstations equipped with 11th Gen Intel Core i9 processors.
“Until recently, only desktop workstations were powerful enough to perform compute-intensive tasks like BIM and CAD,” said Gábor Palágyi, Deputy Director of Procurement at KESZ Group. “But in the past few years, the processing power of mobile workstations has advanced dramatically. We wanted to give engineers the flexibility to access models and data at job sites as well as in the office.”
In addition to providing more flexibility, the Lenovo mobile workstations have improved performance metrics. For example, according to Palágyi, Rhinoceros 3D — one of the modelling applications used by KESZ Group — now runs 25% faster than before and Grasshopper 3D, a graphical algorithm editor integrated with Rhino’s 3D modeling tools, runs 27% faster.
Remote collaboration is rapidly evolving and transforming AEC workflows. It is already enabling projects to be completed faster and more efficiently, incorporating technologies such as digital twins and BIM. These technologies will continue to evolve and become more useful throughout project lifecycles, involving numerous personnel in dispersed locations.
Generative AI is enabling teams to use natural language processing to assist with tedious work such as reviewing specifications and contract documents, generating requests for information (RFIs), and in performing compliance checks. In the future, AI will likely play larger roles in design, such as accelerating conceptual designs based on site conditions, material options, and other constraints.
High-performance rendering will continue to become more refined and performed in near-real-time conditions. Technologies such as Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) will become more prevalent, using AI to improve image quality. Technologies originally developed for gaming are already finding use in AEC workflows such as VR/AR.
At the root of collaborative workflows are the IT resources that enable data-intensive work to be completed. Properly matched components and systems such as those provided by Lenovo and NVIDIA provide trouble-free operation for AEC professionals, enabling them to focus on their primary areas of expertise.
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In our next article, we’ll explore how to leverage real-time ray tracing and virtual reality technology in AEC projects. We’ll explore the various hardware, software, and other solutions involved. Stay tuned! |
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This article was sponsored by Lenovo and NVIDIA.
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