Scanning hardware manufacturer FARO Technologies recently announced that it has acquired HoloBuilder, developer of construction progress management solutions, which provides cloud and mobile software for virtual reality capturing of construction sites.
That may sound boring to some, but HoloBuilder is anything but … its technology enables construction teams to quickly capture conditions of a site in 360 degrees using 360-degree images and store the data in one single virtual project so that teams can document and manage projects.
Offered as a software-as-a service (SaaS) platform, its flagship product of the same name, HoloBuilder, is a photogrammetry-based 3D platform that uses 360-degree images to help general contractors, engineering firms, and owners capture, document and share site progress.
HoloBuilder is an international start-up that was launched in 2016 and founded by Mo Akbari-Hochberg, its current CEO. The company prides itself on being both a German- and American-made solution as its teams are divided between Germany and California.
Within a year of its launching, the company had received an investment of $2.25 million. HoloBuilder also earned a Constructech 2017 Commercial Top Products award in the New Products category. According to the press release, “the Constructech jury praised HoloBuilder for making collaboration easier while reducing costs for general contractors: ‘What makes HoloBuilder unique is that it allows people on site to capture the site in 360 degrees as fast as they can walk through it.’”
HoloBuilder now has customers in over 35 countries and its product has been used on more than 28,000 projects used by over 2,500 construction companies. As of April 30, 2021, HoloBuilder had $4.0 million in annual recurring revenue since 2019.
We can see why FARO was interested in the company and why HoloBuilder had so much success in such a short time.
FARO plans to combine its laser scanning technology with HoloBuilder’s to “create the industry’s first end-to-end digital twin solution,” according to the press release. “HoloBuilder’s SaaS platform will add fast and easy reality-capture photo documentation and added remote access capability to FARO’s highly-accurate 3D point cloud-based laser scanning to create the industry’s first end-to-end digital twin solution—all without leaving the FARO ecosystem. The combined solution will provide comprehensive scanning and image management capabilities for the digital twin market including robotic assembly 3D simulation, construction management, facilities operations and management, and incident pre-planning.”
Here's what we found out about HoloBuilder so far—and it’s quite impressive.
How HoloBuilder works is it’s a browser- and mobile-based platform that enables construction teams to provide a person on-site a 360-degree camera and have them download the JobWalk mobile app, then the camera automatically connects to the app on the mobile device such as a cell phone or tablet with no Internet connection required. You can then upload your project sheets and place the camera in the middle of the room and tap on your location within the floor plan to take a picture, which captures the whole room in one shot. Once connected to the Internet again, you can upload the project to HoloBuilder’s secured cloud and share it with the rest of your team or stakeholders without them needing to go to the site to see the existing conditions and progress of the project.
Pretty cool, right? We think so!
Video on How HoloBuilder Works.
HoloBuilder’s key features include progress capture, progress view, and progress control.
Users can easily capture jobsite conditions using a 360-degree camera and HoloBuilder’s JobWalk mobile app for iOS or Android devices to guide them through the process to capture 360-degree and 2D photos that are automatically organized by project, floor plan and date/time. See this blog post by HoloBuilder for recommended 360-degree cameras. You can also find a list of compatible cameras here.
With the JobWalk App and a mobile device, users can capture a jobsite. Plus, they can see their jobsite in a 360-degree view at any time from anyplace.
With HoloBuilder, users can also turn their 360-degree photos into 2D photos and generate PDF reports for an offline version of digital progress, which can also be viewed digitally offline.
Users can also capture the same location over time to create a version of that history using the Time Travel feature. They can also compare the past or present view of the same location using the SplitScreen option.
In terms of progress control, users can compare those photos side-by-side to building information modeling (BIM) or photos and project schedules to see if things are going as planned. Users can also mark up, annotate and tag photos to coordinate tasks and keep teams on the same page.
HoloBuilder has several integrations with industry-wide BIM and construction solutions, including Autodesk BIM 360, Revit, Navisworks, PlanGrid, Procore, Bluebeam and Dropbox, so it can work seamlessly between various platforms.
For example, through the BIM 360 integration, users can access BIM 360 Docs to transfer files into your HoloBuilder project. Another interesting thing we found is that HoloBuilder uses Autodesk Forge to store all the captured data in one place for its BIM 360 integration. You can learn more about the integration features of HoloBuilder and BIM 360 here.
In addition, users can place HoloBuilder 360° views in Revit and upload model rendering views and floor plans to your project.
Plus, users can import PlanGrid floor plans and construction document photos to HoloBuilder projects. For Procore, you can create RFI’s and Observation in the HoloBuilder 360° environment and then sync them back to Procore.
Not impressed yet? Let’s see what customers are saying. Customers include Skanska, Mortensen, Hensel Phelps, Brick & Mortar Ventures and recently AECOM.
According to the press release, in March 2021, AECOM deployed HoloBuilder across its entire organization. After successfully capturing and managing several major construction management projects in 360 degree with HoloBuilder, AECOM decided to roll out the solution enterprise-wide.
“With HoloBuilder, our stakeholders gain remote access to our construction management projects all over the world and can see all details of the current and historical progress in 360°. This has proven to be of tremendous value. We’re excited to scale this key technology across our company.”
“AECOM is actively expanding the use of HoloBuilder into both our environmental and asset management projects. Any project where we put boots on the ground, we can now put cameras in hands to add an immersive field perspective as part of the digital delivery to our clients and their stakeholders,” said Brian Reever, AECOM’s vice president and global digital leader, Transport. “Our internal case studies have shown that employees find this software makes their daily project deliverables easier to manage with less time and cost spent doing so.”
You can learn more about how other customers are taking advantage of HoloBuilder by visiting the company’s case studies.
Overall, we think this acquisition is a win-win for both FARO and HoloBuilder. FARO gains an innovative solution and HoloBuilder is now backed by one of the biggest laser scanning companies in the world.
How did the acquisition come about?
As a 40-year global leader in our space, FARO continues to explore viable acquisitions that can further position the company for long-term success. HoloBuilder further accelerates our objective of providing cloud-based 3D applications, data management and access.
How are HoloBuilder and FARO a good fit?
HoloBuilder completes the FARO’s end-to-end digital twin solution as their construction progress management platform targets a market that requires fast, time-stamped photo documentation.
Will HoloBuilder still operate independently?
Yes, but over time we will optimize the two company’s roadmaps and capabilities to best align and serve customer needs.
Will HoloBuilder still offer solutions aside from the one FARO plans to integrate for a digital twin solution?
Yes. HoloBuilder will continue to offer an independent solution during the full integration process with FARO to complete the total end-to-end digital twin solution. All solutions will eventually be integrated into the FARO ecosystem to provide a seamless 3D experience to our customers.
What would you like to say to your customers regarding future support and what the acquisition means to them?
We are excited to bring this unique offering to the market—a solution that will enable significant value by digitalizing operations, increasing production efficiencies, and optimizing workflows like never before. A seamless solution between 360 cameras and laser scanning brings the best of both worlds to provide customers with the complete range of accuracies and capabilities.