About the future of steel detailing, AR, VR

[acbsdesign]

Hi Everyone,

There was a question a while ago if shop drawings will fully disappear and everything will be AR, VR, etc XR.

Ok, Maybe this is the future, but the Designer will need some kind of design drawings represented at least in some electronic form (not in pdf). 

Sizes, dimensions, t.o.c., t.o.s. etc.

After that-even if we skip the estimating take-off assuming it will be done automatically, then we will need finalized MP, SP, dimensions, material grades etc shown in a way that can be read, revised, etc.

Currently, we can purchase AR set Hololens and software for 10K/year.

Ok, a big step ahead.

But can we completely eliminate the shop drawings?

The software for AR takes pdf's or dwg files and builds images of the assemblie with dimensions present.

So, IMO, shop drawings will exist, not in paper format in the shop, but they will be necessary for the fabrication and erection process.

So, ...IMO, there will be plenty of work of steel detailers for many, many years ahead.

So, if this is true, we need to polish dimensions and labels in drawings styles further, and not stop improving them.

To get to the desired quality of submittals faster with fewer manual adjustments.

[bigcarl5000kg]

Hi @acbsdesign,

from my point of view (and many years of experience in production and assembly), one big question remains - can the workers in the workshop and on the site keep up with the advancement of technology? If one follows the long-term trend here in Central Europe, one sees that the quality of employees is decreasing (and quality of work) ... will fully digital technology really benefit the current and future job market situation?

I'm not talking about engineers (for some, I still wonder how they could get a diploma), but about those who really stand at the end of the chain and are responsible for the work done. Even in the ranks of designers, a kind of trend can be recognized ... many of them do not have a basic spatial imagination, and even after several years of work in the creation of drawings, they are still in the same place.

The problem will be especially in the education of future employees, because some kind of modern technology is imposed on them (advanced education, hahaha) and this is how the next generation of partly numb employees is created,  who can wave VR glasses, but can't calculate 1+1 without a calculator 🤔😉.

AR, VR & Co. are already successfully used in various industries, these are highly automated at the end (production preparation, production itself, assembly). This significantly increased quality (perhaps at the expense of profits) and you may search for a person in that chain in vain. 

The conclusion is simple: new technologies should be beneficial but not dull the brain (if there is any left). If people have no choice but to develop new technologies only, because all the work will be done by full automatic machines, surely such VR glasses will not feed most of the unemployed here. Likewise, if VR glasses won't work with AR, repairman can't recognize a dishwasher from one coffee machine 😀😀😀. 

[acbsdesign]

@bigcarl5000kg

Lol, so true.

We will see. 
Future is not that dark, though, imo.