SpeckleViz: A Web-based Interactive Activity Network Diagram for AEC

Abstract

As architectural design and construction projects tend to tackle larger scales and become more complex, the multiple involved disciplines in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector often need to work globally from different remote locations. This increased complexity impacts digital design up until to fabrication workflows, which become more challenging and discontinuous, as each industry partner involved in the construction of a given project operates on different software environments and needs to access the precise fabrication data of specific design components. Consequently, managing and keeping track of design changes and data flow throughout the whole design process still remains a challenging task. This paper discusses how this particular challenge can be tackled through the development of a web-based interactive Activity Network Diagram (AND) - named SpeckleViz - that continuously maps the data transfers of the design and building processes, enabling the end-user to explore, interact and get a better understanding of the constantly evolving digital design workflow. Through this paper, the authors qualify an “enduser” as an advanced or expert user that performs complex geometry modelling tasks within wider collaborative workflows involving other advanced end-users. SpeckleViz (2020) is an application built upon Speckle (2020), an opensource data platform for the AEC. We illustrate the usefulness of interactive visualization of ANDs in the development of digital design workflows.