Method and system for creating 3D models from 2D data for building information modeling (BIM)

• US 9,817,922 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2014
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anguleris Technlogies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Anguleris Technlogies, LLC
• Inventors: Glunz, Benjamin F., Pearson, Wayne R., Munoz, Alfredo F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thangavelu, Kandasamy
• Application Number:
  US14/194,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20150248503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,354 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects

Abstract

A method and system for creating three dimensional (3D) models from two dimensional (2D) data for building information modeling (BIM). The method and system allow new, 2D, 3D and higher dimensional models to be created for existing 3D modeling programs (e.g., AUTODESK REVIT, AUTOCAD, VECTORWORKS, MICROSTATION, ARCHICAD, etc.). The new models are used to enhance and extend existing 3D modeling programs. The new models can also be used to directly create physical objects (e.g., windows, doors, etc.) represented by the new models with robots, 3D printers and manufacturing machines.

Claims

1. A method for creating three-dimensional (3D) objects from two dimensional (2D) data, comprising:

receiving on a first server application on a first server network device with one or more processors, two-dimensional (2D) electronic data for a new specific type of three-dimensional (3D) object model for a selected type of 3D modeling program including a Building Information Modeling (BIM) 3D modeling program from a target application on target network device with one or more processors via a communications network, wherein the new specific type of three-dimensional (3D) object model did not previously exist as a native 3D object model in the BIM 3D modeling program;

selecting from the first server application a blank generic 3D object template for the new specific type of three-dimensional (3D) object model included in the received 2D electronic data;

creating on the first server application a preliminary specific 3D object model in the selected blank generic 3D object model template in a selected mark-up language with the received 2D electronic data;

converting on the first server application the created preliminary specific 3D object model in the selected mark-up language to a first data format in a first data file;

sending from the first server application to a library application on the first server network device the first data file and a final type of 3D object model format for the selected BIM 3D modeling program;

converting from the library application the created preliminary specific 3D object model and the final type of 3D object model format into a new final type of 3D object model for the selected BIM 3D modeling program, wherein the new final type of 3D object model requires less storage space than native 3D object models used within the selected BIM 3D modeling program;

sending from the library application on the first server network device to the target application on the target network device via the communications network the new final type of 3D object model including the final type of 3D object model format for the selected BIM 3D modeling program in a second data format in a second data file;

enhancing and extending the selected BIM 3D modeling program with the new final type of 3D object model by allowing the creation of the new final type of 3D object model and other new final types of 3D object models for specific products from specific product providers and for new products from the specific product providers or new product providers that did not originally exist in the selected BIM 3D modeling program and were not originally included in the selected BIM 3D modeling program; and

further enhancing and extending the selected BIM 3D modeling program by allowing the library application on the first server network device to send via the communications network the new final type of 3D object model to a second server application on a second server network device with one or more processors to create an actual physical 3D object for a new product that did not previously exist and was not previously available from the specific product providers or the new product providers and is represented by the new final type of 3D object model.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the two-dimensional (2D) electronic data includes Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) data, QR bar code data or Radio Frequency IDentifier (RFID) data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected type of 3D modeling program further includes the Building Information Modeling (BIM) modeling program with four dimensional (4D) object models comprising 3D object models further including scheduling information and five dimensional (5D) object models comprising 4D object models further including cost information.

4. The method of claim 1 where the selected BIM modeling program includes an AUTODESK REVIT program, an AUTOCAD program, a VECTORWORKS, a MICROSTATION program, or an ARCHICAD program.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the new final type of 3D object model includes an AUTODESK REVIT 3D modeling object, an AUTOCAD 3D modeling object, a VECTORWORKS 3D modeling object, a MICROSTATION 3D modeling object, or an ARCHICAD 3D modeling object.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected markup language includes eXtensible Markup Language (XML) schema.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first data file format includes a text file format or a document file format and wherein the second data file format includes a 3D or higher dimensional modeling object file format, a text file format or a document file format.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the library application includes a Dynamic Link Library (DLL) library application or a Dynamic Library Loading application.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the sending from the library application step includes sending the second data file with the second data file format including an AUTODESK REVIT 3D modeling object in an AUTODESK REVIT formatted file with a .RFA file extension or a .RFT file extension or an AUTOCAD 3D modeling object in an AUTOCAD formatted file with a .DWG file extension.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first server network device and the target network device include a wireless networking interface comprising a IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.15.4, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Performance Radio Metropolitan Area Network (HIPERMAN), Infrared or Bluetooth wireless networking interface for communicating with the communications network.

11. The method of claim 1 where the first server network device and the target network device include a wireless network interface for Near Field Communications (NFC) or Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications for communicating with the communications network.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the target network device includes a desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, mobile phone, non-mobile phone with display, smart phone, 3D printer, Internet phone, Internet appliance, personal digital/data assistants (PDA), digital camera, portable game console, non-portable game console, wearable network device, cable television (CATV) set-top box, satellite television (SATV) set-top box, Internet television set-top box and digital televisions including high definition televisions (HDTV) and three-dimensional (3DTV) televisions.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

creating on the first server application a preliminary specific 2D object model in the selected mark-up language with the received 2D electronic data;

converting on the first server application in the selected mark-up language to the first data format in the first file;

sending from the first server application to the library application on the first server network device the first file and a final type of 2D object model format for the selected BIM 3D modeling program;

converting from the library application the created preliminary specific 2D object model into a final type of 2D object model for the selected BIM 3D modeling program; and

sending from the library application on the first server network device to the target application on the target network device via the communications network the final type of 2D object model for the selected BIM 3D modeling program.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein target application on the target network device or the library application on the first server network device sends the new final type of 3D object model for the selected BIM 3D modeling program to a manufacturing application on manufacturing server network device with one or more processors via the communications network to automatically manufacture the actual physical 3D object from the new final type of 3D object model for the new product that did not previously exist and was not previously available from the specific product providers or the new product providers.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the manufacturing server network device includes a robot, 3D printer, or manufacturing machine.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving on a cloud server application on a cloud network device with one or more processors, the two-dimensional (2D) electronic data for the new specific type of three-dimensional (3D) object model for the selected BIM 3D modeling program from the target application on the target network device with one or more processors via a cloud communications network comprising two or more different communication networks;

storing from the cloud server application the received 2D electronic data into a first cloud storage object;

selecting from the cloud server application the blank generic 3D object model template for the new specific type of 3D object model included in the received 2D electronic data;

creating on the cloud server application the preliminary specific 3D object in the selected blank generic 3D object model template in the selected mark-up language with the received 2D electronic data stored in the first cloud storage object;

converting on the cloud server application the created preliminary specific 3D object model in the selected mark-up language to the first data format in the first data file;

sending from the cloud server application to the library application on the cloud server network device the first data file and the final type of 3D object format model for the selected BIM 3D modeling program;

converting from the library application the created preliminary specific 3D object model and the final type of 3D object model format into the new final type of 3D object model for the selected BIM 3D modeling program; and

sending from the library application on the cloud server network device to the target application on the target network device via the cloud communications network the final type of 3D object model for the selected BIM 3D modeling program in the second data format in the second data file.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the cloud communications network includes an 2D to 3D data modeling conversion service, a cloud computing platform for a 2D to 3D data modeling conversion service and a cloud computing infrastructure for the a 2D to 3D data modeling conversion service and wherein the cloud communications network includes on-demand 2D to 3D data modeling conversion services, broadband network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity and measured network services for 2D to 3D data modeling conversion services.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the cloud server application offers a cloud computing Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), a cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS) and offers a Specific cloud software service as a Service (SaaS) including a specific cloud software service for 2D to 3D data modeling conversion services.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein a plurality of instructions for causing one more processors on one more network devices connected to a communications network to execute the steps of:

receiving on a first server application on a first server network device with one or more processors, two-dimensional (2D) electronic data for a new specific type of three-dimensional (3D) object model for a selected type of 3D modeling program including a Building Information Modeling (BIM) 3D modeling program from a target application on target network device with one or more processors via a communications network, wherein the new specific type of three-dimensional (3D) object model did not previously exist as a native 3D object model in the BIM 3D modeling program;

selecting from the first server application a blank generic 3D object template for the new specific type of three-dimensional (3D) object model included in the received 2D electronic data;

creating on the first server application a preliminary specific 3D object model in the selected blank generic 3D object model template in a selected mark-up language with the received 2D electronic data;

converting on the first server application the created preliminary specific 3D object model in the selected mark-up language to a first data format in a first data file;

sending from the first server application to a library application on the first server network device the first data file and a final type of 3D object model format for the selected BIM 3D modeling program;

converting from the library application the created preliminary specific 3D object model and the final type of 3D object model format into a new final type of 3D object model for the selected BIM 3D modeling program, wherein the new final type of 3D object model requires less storage space than native 3D object models used within the selected BIM 3D modeling program;

sending from the library application on the first server network device to the target application on the target network device via the communications network the new final type of 3D object model including the final type of 3D object model format for the selected BIM 3D modeling program in a second data format in a second data file;

enhancing and extending the selected BIM 3D modeling program with the new final type of 3D object model by allowing the creation of the new final type of 3D object model and other new final types of 3D object models for specific products from specific product providers and for new products from the specific product providers or new product providers that did not originally exist in the selected BIM 3D modeling program and were not originally included in the selected BIM 3D modeling program; and

further enhancing and extending the selected BIM 3D modeling program by allowing the library application on the first server network device to send via the communications network the new final type of 3D object model to a second server application on a second server network device with one or more processors to create an actual physical 3D object for a new product that did not previously exist and was not previously available from the specific product providers or the new product providers and is represented by the new final type of 3D object model.

20. A system for creating three-dimensional (3D) objects from two dimensional (2D) data, comprising in combination:

a communications network;

one or more network devices each with one or more processors connected to the communications network, the one or more network devices executing a plurality of instructions in one or more non-transitory computer readable mediums and configured for;

receiving on a first server application on a first server network device with one or more processors, two-dimensional (2D) electronic data for a new specific type of three-dimensional (3D) object model for a selected type of 3D modeling program including a Building Information Modeling (BIM) 3D modeling program from a target application on target network device with one or more processors via a communications network, wherein the new specific type of three-dimensional (3D) object model did not previously exist as a native 3D object model in the BIM 3D modeling program;

selecting from the first server application a blank generic 3D object template for the new specific type of three-dimensional (3D) object model included in the received 2D electronic data;

creating on the first server application a preliminary specific 3D object model in the selected blank generic 3D object model template in a selected mark-up language with the received 2D electronic data;

converting on the first server application the created preliminary specific 3D object model in the selected mark-up language to a first data format in a first data file;

sending from the first server application to a library application on the first server network device the first data file and a final type of 3D object model format for the selected BIM 3D modeling program;

converting from the library application the created preliminary specific 3D object model and the final type of 3D object model format into a new final type of 3D object model for the selected BIM 3D modeling program, wherein the new final type of 3D object model requires less storage space than native 3D object models used within the selected BIM 3D modeling program;

sending from the library application on the first server network device to the target application on the target network device via the communications network the new final type of 3D object model including the final type of 3D object model format for the selected BIM 3D modeling program in a second data format in a second data file;

enhancing and extending the selected BIM 3D modeling program with the new final type of 3D object model by allowing the creation of the new final type of 3D object model and other new final types of 3D object models for specific products from specific product providers and for new products from the specific product providers or new product providers that did not originally exist in the selected BIM 3D modeling program and were not originally included in the selected BIM 3D modeling program; and

further enhancing and extending the selected BIM 3D modeling program by allowing the library application on the first server network device to send via the communications network the new final type of 3D object model to a second server application on a second server network device with one or more processors to create an actual physical 3D object for a new product that did not previously exist and was not previously available from the specific product providers or the new product providers and is represented by the new final type of 3D object model.