The Fourth Industrial Revolution was arrived in 2011 (Germany), which is also called Industry 4.0 (4IR) and named Cyber-Physical Systems. Central to this revolution are emerging technology breakthroughs in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous vehicles, 3D printing and nanotechnology. In point of view of building and infrastructural constructions the 4IR is related to Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) through IoT and 3D printing (additive manufacturing). Over the IoT engineer and builder can communicate and cooperate closely on a 3D information model in real time at anywhere for the office and the site. Also the 3D printing has already built house, pedestrian bridge, and large scale constructions soon to be possible in the forthcoming years. ICDAS since its creation in 2008 has founded at the end of the last digital revolution which is the basic for the 4IR today. It has focuses on: › Combine FEM structural analysis with BIM and now VDC using ICDAS developed add-ins and plug-ins software.
› Programing in Visual Studio C# .NET technology, the platform of software extensions within industry infrastructure and development.
› The above two terms today help a VDC project to enter into new ways of working with 4IR tools, as much as the 4IR gives in return to ICDAS with new software extensions and wearable devices for working on new projects. In 2017 March ICDAS turns focus on VDC in collaboration with the AARSLEFF Concern. It leads to an updating of What is ICDAS with focus on the design part now attached to VDC. Also the analysis part referring FEM now the term ‘analyses’ also refer to 4D & 5D in VDC. These analyses refer to time- and cost schedule in intelligent linking to the 3D information model (Revit or Tekla) such as Synchro and Sigma, respectively. Further, some issues listing below are also in focus:
› New Revit plug-ins for real-time rendering › Improving Revit reinforcement (as Autodesk Advance Concrete software is discontinuing January 2017 for investing on the next generation of BIM-centric workflows with Revit for reinforcement detailing and shop drawing tools)
› Revit LIVE design and wearable devises such as virtual reality headsets.
› Tekla Open API for reinforcement.
› Trimble connects and wearable devises such as Microsoft HoloLens. There are many issues for ICDAS in the forthcoming years, and they are all prospective. We are in early stages of the 4IR, yet, augmented and virtual reality, additive manufacturing (3D printing), robotics and the IoT have already been extremely promising in the buildings and infrastructural constructions. ICDAS has been on the right track to combine FEM into VDC. Programing of add-ins, plug-ins, extensions for existing software are the needs we implement to the tools for working in the new era of the 4IR.
Updated 22-05-2017 | 
