Reality Models have been used primarily to provide context for their engineering counterparts. Advancements in the production of Reality Models have greatly improved the fidelity of these models, but their value has been somewhat limited by treating these models as monoliths. With the Acute3D ContextCapture tools, it is possible to create a reality mesh that very accurately represents an entire city, plant or other large infrastructure project. However, cities are made up of many parcels and plants consist of many components. The reality model may capture each of the parcels or components accurately, but without some method to distinguish the parcel or components from the rest of the reality model or tie them to their underlying engineering or GIS data, the value of the model is limited.

MicroStation introduces the concept of using engineering or GIS objects to spatially classify a reality model into a discrete set of volumes that represent those objects.

GIS Classification

GIS data is a readily available classification source for many reality models as it provides both the underlying boundaries to spatially classify the data and information attached to these boundaries. In the example below, a model of central Philadelphia captured to assist in the 2015 Papal visit is displayed with the building footprint (available to the public at https://www.opendataphilly.org/). As both, the reality model and the GIS data are geographically located; it is straightforward to overlay this data accurately. The building footprint can therefore be used to provide a template for spatially classifying the reality model into discrete buildings. Each building footprint is automatically associated with the volume above it in the reality model and conversely the reality mesh geometry is associated to the footprint below it.

By using the building footprints to spatially classify the reality model, you can access the reality model as discrete buildings with GIS data, rather than a monolithic and unintelligent mesh.

The link between the GIS data and the classified reality model is bidirectional. It is possible to access the underlying data by selecting the classified reality mesh or to access the reality mesh classifications by selecting the GIS data.

Other types of GIS data such as commercial corridors are available to provide alternate classifiers for the Philadelphia example. In the image below, the Parkway/Logan Square corridor is displayed in isolation.