Overview

As-built 3D models of the existing condition of your infrastructure asset play a vital role in operations, maintenance, and renovation workflows. As-built 3D models are referred to as reality models or reality data because they depict the real state of the asset, which may deviate from the as-designed models. Deviations can occur if the infrastructure asset underwent repairs after the original design models were created in a design authoring application (like MicroStation).

Reality data is captured at the site by a variety of methods, including LiDAR and drone imagery. Reality data can be captured multiple times, say at a regular interval of 6 months. Utilizing the latest version of the reality data in your digital twin gives the most up-to-date representation of the asset’s physical condition. Once the data is captured, you can use Bentley’s ContextCapture application to stitch the data into a true, full scale 3D representation.

Note: Specifying the accurate geo-coordinate system and vertical datum of the reality meshes and point cloud data plays a key role in ensuring that they align correctly and display coincident in the digital twin viewer.  Please follow these best practices.

• Publishing Reality Data
  • Process and Upload Georeferenced Reality Mesh to Reality Management
  • Convert and Upload Georeferenced Point Clouds to Reality Management

How to Upload Reality Data

Reality data is stored in and accessed from ProjectWise ContextShare (https://connect-contextshare.bentley.com). You can upload your reality data by using ContextCapture or Orbit 3DM Import and Upload Tool. You will be asked to sign in with your Bentley IMS credentials and select an iTwin to associate the reality data to. Since reality data can be very large in size, you can upload a single copy of the data to ProjectWise ContextShare and us it multiple times in any number of iTwin assets.

The following Reality Data formats are optimized for use in iTwin IoT.

Icon	Type	Extension
	Cesium 3D Point Cloud	.json
	Cesium 3D Tiles	.json
	OpenStreetMap Buildings	Third-party resource
	Web Ready 3D Scalable Mesh	.json
	Web Ready Point Cloud	.opc
	Web Ready Terrain Scalable Mesh	.json

How to Associate Reality Data to an Asset

Open the Configure page and click on the tile As-built Reality Models.

In the next page, click on Add association button.

You will be presented with all reality data from your organization that you have access to. Select the ones that you are interested in using in your asset and click on Associate button. The selected reality data will be associated to your asset.

How to use Reality Data

Once the reality data are associated to your asset, you can see them in your Digital Twin viewer. See Reality Data Widget (need URL) to learn about how to access and operate on reality data in the Digital Twin viewer by using the Reality Data widget.

Note: if your reality data is geographically positioned, it is necessary that your asset’s iModel consists of a geo-coordinate system. See As-designed Models (need URL) to learn how to set up geo-coordinate system in an iModel.