Constructivity 4D: a technology of indexing, searching and analysis of large spatial-temporal data

Constructivity 4D: a technology of indexing, searching and analysis of large spatial-temporal data

Constructivity 4D is a technology for creating innovative software services that are capable of processing highly dynamic scenes and vast arrays of spatial and temporal data. It performs visual analysis of millions of objects with individual geometry and dynamic behavior. Constructivity is deployed within the Synchro system (Bentley Systems) that is used for 4D modeling of extremely large construction sites.

Features and advantages

Constructivity 4D is a production level technology that puts together original methods of spatio-temporal indexing, search and qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Developed methods account for the specifics of objects’ geometric representation, complex organization and the apriori known nature of their dynamic changes.

Constructivity 4D provides:

• Support for a well-developed set of operations:
• Temporal operations implement classical interval algebra introduced by Allen with respect to time stamps of discrete events and their intervals;
• Metric operations allow determining the individual properties of geometric objects and the characteristics of their mutual arrangement. Diameter, area, volume, center of mass, planar projections, and distances between objects can be calculated for solid geometric objects;
• Topological operations are intended to classify the relative location of objects and to establish the facts of their coincidence, intersection, coverage, touch, overlap or collision. In contrast with known topological models such as DE-9IM, RCC-8, RCC-3D, these operations allow constructive implementation and are applicable for the analysis of complex objects;
• Orientational operations generalize known Frank’s and Freksa’s relative orientation calculi, cardinal direction calculi (CDC), oriented point relation algebra (OPRA) and are applicable for the analysis of objects with extended boundaries.
• Efficient query execution and typical problems solving, in particular, queries for reconstructing a scene at a given point in time, retrieving objects in a given spatial region, finding nearest neighbors, determining static and dynamic collisions, and conflict-free routing in a global dynamic environment are effectively resolved.
• A spatial-temporal indexing system including binary event trees, spatial decomposition trees, bounding volume trees, object cluster trees, space occupation trees.
• A hybrid computational strategy for determining collisions in scenes that combines methods for precise collision determination, collision localization methods using spatial decomposition, methods of hierarchies of bounding volumes, temporal coherence methods.
• An object-oriented library implemented in C++ that including extensible set of classes, interfaces and related methods for specifying spatial-temporal data and executing typical queries.
• An original method for navigation in global dynamic environment is based on extracting spatial, metric and topological information from geometric representation of 3D scenes and its concerted usage on path planning.
• Various options for extending the library so that it can be used both in new software applications development and in legacy applications.

Who is Constructivity 4D target audience?

The technology is used for creating application systems in vastly different fields, including but not limited to: computer graphics and animation, geoinformatics, scientific visualization, design and manufacturing automation, robotics, logistics, project management and scheduling.

Constructivity 4D deployment stories

The technology has been successfully deployed within the Synchro software system that is designed for visual 4D-modeling, planning and management of large-scale industrial projects in the construction and infrastructure areas, as well as others. Synchro is used in more than 300 companies in 36 countries.

Developer/Participant

System integration and multi-disciplinary collaborative environments