"During the initial loading of all 3D models into an overall layout, many conflicts are detected in advance,” said Jim Eardly, U.S. Sales Director for KISTERS.  “This has become an integral part of our work, especially when space is very limited in the plant design."

Traditionally, building information modeling (BIM) and 3D planning were reserved for large architectural and planning offices. However, plant engineers from various industries are also using 3D technologies and have long struggled with spontaneous changes by individual partners in a project that can have far-reaching consequences. In order to represent such projects reliably and to keep the data up to date, a common visualization platform is a great advantage, especially when several companies are collaborating on a project.

More companies are taking advantage of this technological asset, including an international technology group for plants, systems, equipment and services, together with its partners. "With the 3DViewStation WebViewer, all stakeholders benefit from the model-based way of working,” Eardly noted. “Those involved can even use the viewer directly on site without installation effort and admin rights. It is also conveniently available via mobile devices. Everyone can find their way around intuitively, without time-consuming training."

The KISTERS 3DViewStation scores particularly well with its well respected performance and high level of security, thanks to server-side rendering.

The KISTERS 3DViewStation is not only available in the group as a desktop, web and mobile application, but also as a VR application. Virtual reality makes the 3D plant model tangible for everyone involved. As planners consider the dimensions of a room, how much space an employee will have when maneuvering in the plant area, and what the minimum distance is between the structural steel elements, in consideration of support beams, such information can be conveyed much better with the help of virtual reality.

All in all, 3DViewStation has been successful in modern and effective plant planning for four years now. By implementing digital 3D workflows, resources are conserved compared to conventional engineering processes, planning times per project are shortened, and the savings potential is significantly increased.

Known for its modern user-interface, high performance viewing, advanced analysis and integration capabilities into leading systems, 3DViewStation ships with current and mature importers for a broad range of 3D and 2D formats including i.e. Catia, NX, Creo, SolidWorks, SolidEdge, Inventor, Revit, JT, 3D-PDF, STEP, DWG, DXF, DWF, MS Office and many more.

The latest developments of 3DViewStation can be reviewed in more detail at:

https://www.3dviewstation.com/news/blog.html

According to Eardly, KISTERS 3DViewStation is continuously enhanced in response to customer needs and requirements. It is available as Desktop, VR-Edition and HTML5 WebViewer product-versions plus the online collaboration tool VisShare. All product flavors are intended to be used together with a PLM, ERP or other management system product configuration or service and spare part applications, providing all necessary APIs. For cloud, portal and web-solutions, there is an HTML5-based WebViewer solution available, which does not require client installation. All file formats can be used in combination with the intelligent navigation and hyperlinking features to address the needs of complex integration scenarios.