D2 Rail BIM Manager Ashley Williams Presents to Network Rail

D2 Rail’s BIM Manager Ashley Williams, recently presented at Network Rail’s P3M away day in Leeds, joining discussions on the ongoing IPNP P3M Improvement Programme. Ashley’s presentation looked at innovation within the rail industry and how we can ensure that BIM is being used as a foundation behind new technology. Recapping on BIM and the Maturity Wedge, Ashley discussed the importance of working within a BIM Environment and provided an insight into the next dimensions of design the industry should be focusing on, from 4D to 6D. Expanding further on 4D, Ashley provided examples of previous projects in which 4D had been utilised. Building upon this, Ashley raised the importance of not only taking advantage of new technology to support the implementation of 4D, but to also ensure that the rail industry is utilising this technology with BIM at its core, providing further examples on how we can improve the way we approach 4D.

To provide an insight into what innovative technology is available and being used within the industry, Ashley demonstrated two key development projects which D2 Rail has been working on over the last 12 months. With the help of Richard Hunter – D2 Rail’s Lead in Software Development – and some audience participation, D2 Rail’s ‘Interactive Media Suite’ was put on display, showcasing the uses of the suite for Site Inductions. Further to this, the new Hybrid Reality Concept was also showcased for the first time, highlighting the advantages of combining Virtual Realty with Green Screen technology, removing the barriers of Virtual Reality being seen as a single user interface technology and moving it into a multi user engaging product.

After an exciting day in Leeds we received some fantastic feedback from the Network Rail team and other rail industry leads regarding the presentation, our future development and innovation projects. We look forward to sharing and implementing our innovations within the industry on rail projects across the UK.