[![White paper CTA full width block (6).png](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/White_paper_CTA_full_width_block_6_b6febc3e3f.png)](https://mcdermott.viktor.ai/request-access)


## InfoWiz: 3x AI

McDermott's projects always involve large amounts of data and text. Infowiz is intended to help find and access relevant information more quickly and easily. 

InfoWiz is comprised of three different modules, each with a specific function and purpose. Behind the scenes, the solution is powered by the Microsoft Azure AI LLM technology, ensuring the data remains secure and private.

<div style="padding:75% 0 0 0;position:relative;"><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/868707797?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" title="InfoWiz (HD2)"></iframe></div><script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script>

### Module 1: Interactive Document Query

Maximizing ‘AI as a self-service’, this module enables engineers to access and analyze any documents with ease. Users can upload documents and ask question in natural language: such as “Extract weight and dimensions of the equipment”, “List the applicable standards”, etc. The system will provide relevant answers based on the content of the documents. This module can be used to summarize, extract, enrich and transform documents as needed. Users can quickly get the most out of their documents and gain valuable insights. In addition, 
The module offers automatic translation from and to specific languages to best serve international projects.  

### Module 2: Corporate Documents

In this module, a selection of corporate documents has been preloaded in the application. This includes documents from McDermott’s global engineering library, such as standards, best practices, manuals, and guides that are commonly used for project execution. Queries retrieve accurate information from the database, ensuring answers are based on McDermott trusted sources. 
For instance, "What is the best type of cable to use to connect operating buildings?". The application responds: "[...]Redundant fiber-optic cables [...]" and provides a reference to the document where the answer come from.

The application uses semantic search, which allows users to run queries in their own words, without having to match exactly the original text. This is different from a traditional search engine that depends on keywords and phrases. 

McDermott's engineers save time finding the information they need faster and can deliver more value to customers.

### Module 3: Virtual Assistant

If you ever used ChatGPT before, you know how this works. The main difference here is that the data processed remains safe and private, with all interactions kept within McDermott. 

Users can engage in human-like interactions with the virtual assistant. This can be used for a large variety of tasks such as parsing engineering standards, brainstorming new ideas or fixing a spreadsheet report. Answers to these questions are not based on internal data from McDermott but come from the LLM itself. In all modules, data is never stored, however users have the option to export the questions and answers to their device. 

## Efficiency across disciplines

Behind every application is a brilliant idea. As an Information and Data Management Specialist with an interest in AI, Maxime Moulin wanted to use the LLM technology to improve processes and break down the silos between different engineering disciplines. Fast forward six months and the idea turned into an application that is currently being used by a select group of digital pioneers at McDermott (read: project managers, department managers, engineers). Moulin: “This is the essence of digital transformation: leverage technology to do things differently and be more efficient”. 

## Partnership

Moulin praises “the innovative AI team at McDermott and the power of the VIKTOR platform that makes the InfoWiz development possible.” This is proven by the fact that there are already quite a few AI applications developed at McDermott, such as the ReCo tool for patterns recognition, several deep learning and prediction tools, and now applications that use natural language abilities and generative AI, like InfoWiz. 
“VIKTOR is more than just a platform for agile product development, they are also a partner to McDermott. They support us with our technological needs, and we contribute to their service development. On top of that, we received excellent support and have been brainstorming together, exchanging ideas, and even sharing code. One more key aspect is that VIKTOR is a web-based platform, allowing McDermott’s users to access it easily from our offices globally, whether in Netherlands, India, Malaysia, or the USA.”



</br> 

## What’s next? 

After the initial launch, requests to further customize InfoWiz started coming in fast, with myriad of potential use cases. For now, the AI team is planning to add more documents from the corporate management system to the knowledge base. Next, they will investigate integrating with other McDermott’s applications, so that users can access project-specific information.


[![White paper CTA full width block (6).png](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/White_paper_CTA_full_width_block_6_b6febc3e3f.png)](https://mcdermott.viktor.ai/request-access)

small_MCDermott article thumbnail.png

thumbnail_MCDermott article thumbnail.png

AI assistent helps engineers manage data

the InfoWiz app uses LLMs and is designed to save tim and effort on engineering projects!

McDermott’s AI assistant helps engineers find and access information quickly

McDermott is a leading fully integrated global provider of engineering and construction solutions to the energy industry, operating in over 54 countries. They leverage a technology-driven approach to design and build infrastructure solutions to transport and transform oil and gas in a responsible manner.

Mina Ya-alimadad says, “We chose VIKTOR for our application development because of their focus on engineering. We speak the same language. VIKTOR immediately understood our business needs and the needs of our end-users – who are ultimately our engineers.”


## Deep Learning in the Process Industry

ReCo tool is based on a Deep Learning model for identifying mistakes in piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs). P&IDs are detailed, and congested engineering drawings used in the process industry, some of which can consist of up to 100 pages. For safety, planning, and cost reasons, it is important to check and approve these drawings several times throughout a project. These checks are usually performed by highly experienced engineers and can take hours to complete.

Using Artificial Intelligence, McDermott has now automated this workflow, saving valuable engineering hours and reducing the risk of errors. Ya-alimadad says, “Process and piping engineers often perform a lot of manual work that we can easily avoid by using an application instead. Checks can take up to tens of hours per project. ReCo tool does the same in a few seconds, with a processing speed of 100 P&IDs in just 3 minutes.”

<div style="padding:75% 0 0 0;position:relative;"><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/820813377?h=53f8d28cd3&amp;badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" title="Reco Tool Promo Video"></iframe></div><script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script>

## User-friendly Machine Learning

The application is straightforward, with a simple and user-friendly interface. Ya-alimadad says, “The app is very simple in terms of the user interface. Most of the complicated work is done in the background.”

Engineers upload their P&ID files, and the app starts checking for common mistakes using an image recognition algorithm. If a mistake is identified, the engineer is notified and makes the final decision on whether it is actually an error and how to correct it. Ya-alimadad says, “This way, the app supports engineers in their work. For example, it also serves as a learning facility for junior engineers. The tool provides a downloadable reference manual of common mistakes that occur in P&IDs and indicates common mistakes and how to avoid them.”

![reco tool 3.jpg](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/reco_tool_3_0788216061.jpg)

The ReCo tool was initially developed by a Controls and Instrumentation Engineer and an engineer with programming experience. Ya-alimadad says, “Most of our ideas come from our engineers. That is how it should be because they understand the struggles best.”

## AI for everyone

With offices in over 54 countries and 20 to 150 Process Engineers per Engineering office, the ReCo tool has a vast potential user base. Currently, the tool has been introduced in 9 of these offices so far.  To further test the tool and get everyone acquainted with the possibilities of AI for Process Engineering, McDermott hosted training and introductory sessions in all offices. According to Ya-alimadad, “One of our aims whilst introducing ReCo tool was to introduce AI to the engineering team and show them what can be achieved. We are aiming to educate people on AI and demonstrate its value.” Ultimately, a selected number of process engineers or drafters per project will use the tool to replace the hours spent checking P&IDs. 

“After the introduction of ReCo tool, we received a lot of positive feedback and our Engineering and Management teams are eagerly waiting for our next tool to be released," says Ya-alimadad. The McDermott AI team has one or more Domain Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) assigned per project. Throughout the development process, the AI project teams maintain close contact with the assigned SMEs to ensure that the project is progressing in the right direction. 

## McDermott’s AI team

McDermott's AI team is responsible for optimizing and standardizing processes. Typically, the AI team has engineers with some coding and general AI/ML knowledge and experience assigned to each project, ensuring that the connection between programming and engineering is maintained.

Currently, the AI team has several VIKTOR tools in the pipeline, specifically four. Ya-alimadad explains, "We have a few Machine Learning applications, such as another Deep Learning application that focuses on image and text recognition from P&IDs to identify symbols and text, associate the results and automate the generation of material take-offs."

The reason behind using VIKTOR for the development of all their apps is simple according to Ya-alimadad: "With VIKTOR, we can have all our apps in one place." Looking forward, McDermott's AI team continues to search internally for new ideas by collaborating closely with engineers. "By closely engaging with our engineers, we can find more opportunities in which Artificial Intelligence helps to bring value to the business," Ya-alimadad concludes.

## About VIKTOR

You've just read one of the many use cases of the VIKTOR platform. I hope you found it an interesting read! However, there is much more to the VIKTOR platform than only this specific case. Let me tell you more about us:

VIKTOR is a low-code application development platform that empowers engineers and other domain experts to revolutionize their workflow by effortlessly creating user-friendly web applications with nothing more than Python. The VIKTOR platform consists of the following pillars:

1. The VIKTOR SDK: Application development is time-consuming and not the core business of many engineers, but web applications are truly an amazing asset. With the VIKTOR SDK, you can build your own Python-based web apps. The SDK takes care of the back-end, front-end, and hosting, so you can easily transform your Python scripts into any web app and start automating the boring.
 
2. The Workers: VIKTOR allows for seamless integration with other third-party software packages, such as Revit, Dynamo, ETABS, Grasshopper, and many more. The VIKTOR workers allow you to easily connect your app to these software packages by pushing and pulling data to and from them, eliminating the boring manual work. This way, you can create a whole new level of interoperability, all within a single app, making your VIKTOR app the single point of truth.
 
3. The Company environment: VIKTOR comes with a company environment, giving you the ability to provide access to users within and outside your company to use your apps. The company environment is a hub where all developed apps are stored and can be used, much like a library. To top that, end-users do not need to install any third-party tools that integrate with a VIKTOR app to be able to use them. The user management system lets you fine-tune user rights within applications (which have their own user management and database), while also providing valuable insights into app usage. This enables you to measure the adoption of the digital tools developed.

You can build any application you can imagine on the VIKTOR platform. Automating the boring tasks with ease, so engineers can fully focus on their engineering work again.
 
If this sounds interesting to you or your company, let's have a chat, you can reach me via: swolters@viktor.ai





Mechanical

medium_Group 221.png

small_Group 221.png

thumbnail_Group 221.png

Group 221.png

Engineering firm McDermott uses VIKTOR to develop AI-based solutions that automate repetitive tasks, resulting in valuable time savings for the engineering team.

McDermott leverages AI to save valuable engineering hours with user-friendly VIKTOR apps 

1. An introduction to Artificial Intelligence
2. Artificial Intelligence vs Machine Learning
3. AI and ML in organizations
4. Building a Machine Learning application
5. About VIKTOR

artificial intelligence AI machine learning ML engineering construction

medium_A4 - White Paper COVERwp ai cover.png

small_A4 - White Paper COVERwp ai cover.png

thumbnail_A4 - White Paper COVERwp ai cover.png

WP_green

artificial intelligence machine learning engineering construction

large_artificial intelligence machine learning engineering construction

medium_artificial intelligence machine learning engineering construction

small_artificial intelligence machine learning engineering construction

thumbnail_artificial intelligence machine learning engineering construction

Blog_AI_and_Machine_learning_engineering_construction_1

Have you ever wondered how you can use AI to automate engineering processes? This white paper is for all engineers, managers, or directors that want to know more about applying AI-methods, such as machine learning, in their organization. 

Find out more about the different types of AI and how you can use them to improve and automate (engineering) processes within your organization. You will also see some examples of real AI apps used by organizations in the industry and learn what it takes to build a machine learning application yourself. 

Keep scrolling to download the white paper.

Find how you can use AI automate engineering processes in your organization.

Download the White Paper and get INSPIRED

Have you ever wondered how you can use AI to automate engineering processes? This white paper is for all engineers, managers, or directors that want to know more about applying AI-methods, such as machine learning, in their organization. 

Artificial Intelligence: Engineering and Construction

## Giant potential

The idea to create the Building Structural Design tool came to life about one and a half years ago following Arcadis’ strategy to excel in the design of industrial buildings. Due to the increased request for constructions such as gigafactories, warehouses, and data centers quickly being erected all around us, Arcadis saw giant potential in the development of an application for the automation of structural building designs. 

<div style="padding:78.78% 0 0 0;position:relative;"><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/818358326?h=91e992e7ad&amp;badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" title="ezgif.com-gif-to-mp4 (2)"></iframe></div><script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script>

</br>

## Go global!

Since technologies in different regions are essentially not much different from one another, and the knowledge about structural engineering is also similar, Arcadis decided to approach this development on a global scale. Thus, an application was created that can be used by all Arcadis regions worldwide. “Thanks to our active group of stakeholders and end users all over the world, we have been able to make the application accessible to everyone working in the realm of structural engineering within Arcadis,” says Michael van Telgen, Design Automation Specialist at Arcadis. “Structural engineers and consultants in different Arcadis regions are picking up the tooling and applying it to their work.”

## Preliminary and conceptual design

Built specifically for structural engineers and consultants, the Building Structural Design tool is intended for usage in the conceptual and preliminary stages of a design and focuses mainly on aspects like cost and sustainability. The purpose is to help engineers quickly create a design using input from the architect about a building’s dimensions. According to Igor Pecanac, Specialist Engineer at Arcadis: “Most of our work lies within the conceptual and preliminary stages of a design, so those are the areas we want to focus on. These are also the areas where most commercial tooling is lacking.” 

In the app, engineers can enter basic information about the building dimensions and sustainability requirements and try different grid options to automatically calculate required element sizes for, for example, columns, beams, and floors. Depending on their region, engineers can choose the correct design code before proceeding to determine loads and choose material types. Pecanac adds: “The app automatically generates the structure for you. This would normally be done by a structural engineer themselves. Instead, the app does this in just 4 seconds.”

![BSD tool frame design.png](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/BSD_tool_frame_design_c6dff359cc.png)

*Building Structural Design tool: Frame design*

</br>

![BSD tool elements design.png](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/BSD_tool_elements_design_841c64990d.png)

*Building Structural Design tool: Elements design*

</br>

## Sustainability and resources

 Using the tool, engineers and consultants can now design buildings and analyze them in 90 to 100% less time than before. This has an enormous impact on productivity, as engineers can now look at anywhere from 100 to 500 variants of a design whereas this number was previously only 2 to 3. The tool also allows engineers to make better and more well-informed decisions regarding costs and sustainability. This allows for more informed discussions with clients about their different options, helping them make balanced choices that lead to the most optimal cost-to-CO2 emission ratio. 

“Clients are requesting more information in less time, and engineers need to take more factors into account in the design process,” says Pecanac, “which is only possible if you have tools like this to your avail. The impact on productivity is simply enormous.”

![BSD tool calculation report.png](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/BSD_tool_calculation_report_069eafb274.png)

*Building Structural Design tool: Calculation report*

</br>

## Tool suite

The Building Structural Design tool is actually not one application, but a suite of multiple different apps on the VIKTOR platform, such as for the calculation of foundations, floors, and wind loads. The Building Structural Design tool is at the heart of it all with a focus on creating a general building design. The other apps can be used to further expand upon and specify information regarding the different elements inside a building. “We purposely separated these design choices from the main application,” says Pecanac. “We don’t want to overwhelm people by presenting 100 options to use at once.”

## The future of (structural) engineering

The Building Structural Design tool is just one of many developments Arcadis has been working on on the VIKTOR platform. In 2021, they started the development of their first app for the design of underwater concrete floors. By now, this tool has been used on several large projects, such as the design of the underpass and aqueduct in the N247 highway in the Netherlands. 
It is clear that automation software can be used in all kinds of engineering disciplines to increase productivity, and specifically in the field of structural engineering. “If you don’t do anything with automation in this area, you risk losing to your competitors,” says van Telgen. “New technologies like VIKTOR help democratize, standardize, and reuse a lot of knowledge to increase efficiency, productivity, and overall quality of work.”

## About VIKTOR

You've just read one of the many use cases of the VIKTOR platform. I hope you found it an interesting read! However, there is much more to the VIKTOR platform than only this specific case. Let me tell you more about us:

VIKTOR is a low-code application development platform that empowers engineers and other domain experts to revolutionize their workflow by effortlessly creating user-friendly web applications with nothing more than Python. The VIKTOR platform consists of the following pillars:

1. The VIKTOR SDK: Application development is time-consuming and not the core business of many engineers, but web applications are truly an amazing asset. With the VIKTOR SDK, you can build your own Python-based web apps. The SDK takes care of the back-end, front-end, and hosting, so you can easily transform your Python scripts into any web app and start automating the boring.
 
2. The Workers: VIKTOR allows for seamless integration with other third-party software packages, such as Revit, Dynamo, ETABS, Grasshopper, and many more. The VIKTOR workers allow you to easily connect your app to these software packages by pushing and pulling data to and from them, eliminating the boring manual work. This way, you can create a whole new level of interoperability, all within a single app, making your VIKTOR app the single point of truth.
 
3. The Company environment: VIKTOR comes with a company environment, giving you the ability to provide access to users within and outside your company to use your apps. The company environment is a hub where all developed apps are stored and can be used, much like a library. To top that, end-users do not need to install any third-party tools that integrate with a VIKTOR app to be able to use them. The user management system lets you fine-tune user rights within applications (which have their own user management and database), while also providing valuable insights into app usage. This enables you to measure the adoption of the digital tools developed.

You can build any application you can imagine on the VIKTOR platform. Automating the boring tasks with ease, so engineers can fully focus on their engineering work again.
 
If this sounds interesting to you or your company, let's have a chat, you can reach me via: swolters@viktor.ai





Civil

Structural

small_building structural design tool thumbnail.png

thumbnail_building structural design tool thumbnail.png

building structural design tool thumbnail.png

Leading design, engineering, and management consulting firm Arcadis develops its own structural engineering tools to increase productivity and sustainability and save resources. Read more on VIKTOR.ai!

How Arcadis develops next gen structural engineering tools with VIKTOR

1. What is parametric design, and how is it evolving
2. Collaborative parametric design: working together for better results
3. How to make tools available to others
4. Active collaboration on parametric design tools
5. Parametric design in a billion-euro project
6. What collaborative parametric design means for you



large_Viktor White Paper The future of parametric design is_ COLLABORATION.jpg

medium_Viktor White Paper The future of parametric design is_ COLLABORATION.jpg

small_Viktor White Paper The future of parametric design is_ COLLABORATION.jpg

thumbnail_Viktor White Paper The future of parametric design is_ COLLABORATION.jpg

WP_white

large_parametric_steel_structure.png

medium_parametric_steel_structure.png

small_parametric_steel_structure.png

thumbnail_parametric_steel_structure.png

WP_white_2

Parametric design is a design approach that uses flexible models that can be adjusted and solved quickly. The goal is to see the effect of specific choices on your design by just changing the input variables. 

The benefits are:

- **Flexibility:** Parametric design allows you to react quickly to changes at a low cost. Always generate the best solution for your project no matter the time pressure.

- **Better decisions:** Automatically calculate thousands of different solutions, get deep insight, and mitigate risks. Make better decisions and provide more added value to clients.

- **Digital Assets:** Create models and data that are reusable in new projects. Improve them over time, building up digital capital

This white paper is for engineers, architects, project leaders, and innovation and business managers. You will learn how collaborative parametric design in the cloud helps organizations get better results with real study cases such as a billion-euro infrastructure project.
 
Additionally, we talk about how you can transform Python, Dynamo and Grasshopper scripts into user-friendly web apps and significantly impact your organization performance. 

Learn how collaborative parametric design models allow you to work together for better solutions.

Download the white paper and get INSPIRED

This white paper is for engineers, project leaders, and innovation and business managers that want to learn more about what collaborative parametric design can mean for them. Discover more about this new way of working in which stakeholders collaborate to find the best solution for a project.

The Future of Parametric Design is COLLABORATION

It all began with a pilot for a possible first application, on the VIKTOR platform, back in 2021 for underwater concrete floors. This application turned out to be the first of many more to come. Soon, other tools for designing submersible tunnels, noise barriers, underpasses, and more followed. Without comprehensive programming experience, people at Arcadis started developing tools for themselves and their colleagues. Because Arcadis is an international company that works in many countries the aim is to use tooling on platforms all over the world. The VIKTOR platform is one way to realize this.

In this article, we will discuss the first developed tool which by now has been used on several projects. One of those cases is a large underpass and aqueduct in the N247 highway in Broek en Waterland, commissioned by Province of North-Holland. 


![Blog_Arcadis_Rotonde](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/Blog_Arcadis_Rotonde_3d11885327.png)

*© Arcadis Architecten (Tom Kramer) commissioned by Province of North-Holland.*

</br>

## Semi to total automation

Why realizing this tool on the VIKTOR platform? For the design of underwater concrete floors, Arcadis always used to work with validated Excel sheets and off-shelf programs to perform calculations. To gather all necessary data to fill such a sheet, a lot of coordination between different divisions is required. This takes up quite a lot of time and is ultimately only good for the calculation of a specific design in one specific situation. That's why Arcadis started looking for a better way to automate this, by adding an extra dimension to the calculations that allowed them to quickly play around with parameters in search for the (cost) optimal   design which fulfills the requirements and is cost effective. 

## From under water concrete to construction pit

So, that's what they did by building a VIKTOR application around the validated Excel sheet. Now they were able to try different input parameters and swiftly asses how these parameters affect their design. To take it a step further, they also decided to link other processes into the application. Through an integration with Deltares’ D-Sheetpiling and D-Foundations, it became possible to automatically calculate tensile piles and sheet piles as part of the design. Additionally, a module was built to upload CPTs, enabling automated analysis of soil layers. Gradually, their tool for under water concrete floors got transformed into an application to calculate the entire construction pit. The application was finalized by adding a cost estimate based upon the generated design.

> “The tool was first created for under water concrete calculations but in the end, it became a total construction pit design-tool. We can now fully calculate the underwater concrete, the pile foundations, and the sheet piles of the construction pit itself.” – Mark van Esseveld, Project Manager at Arcadis

By extracting information from D-Sheetpiling to an Excel file, the tool can read all interaction forces that are transferred from one object to another. The pile reactions are extracted from Excel and sent to D-Foundations, where they're processed and returned as graphical visualizations in the tool's results section. Following the brute force tactic, this process is repeated numerous of times to generate many different design options. 

> “As an engineer, you use a lot of programs; for concrete constructions, sheet pile constructions, and geotechnical constructions. These often need to interact with each other. It’s great if you are somehow able to automate this. VIKTOR is a great way to enable these programs to communicate with each other and take out a lot of error-prone parts.” – Peter Konijnenbelt, Senior Designer at Arcadis

![App1.jpg](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/App1_7180d95812.jpg)

*Excavation results from D-Sheetpiling*

</br>

![App2.jpg](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/App2_94ab4f1d34.jpg)

*Optimal pile tip levels from D-Foundations*

</br>

## Optimal design based on costs

Usually, costs are determined based on the calculated construction. For this tool, however, a cost component was added; the construction is automatically calculated but at the same time also optimized based on cost parameters, like the amount of steel and installation costs. In the end, each design gets matched with a price tag based on the input parameters. Then, either Arcadis or a client can choose a design based on price per square meter construction pit, as can be seen in the image below.


![App4.jpg](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/App4_61703132b4.jpg)

*Presentation of the optimization results via a parallel coordinates plot*

</br>

![App5.jpg](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/App5_b83d2e2694.jpg)

*Alternative representation of the optimization results via a contour plot*

</br>

> “We can basically say: “We can provide the client a full and transparent insight in a valid design spectrum given a preset range for several parameters”. Based upon this insight, a preferred design (e.g. cost/preferred dimensions) can be selected. Thus, the basis for the design of a construction pit can be determined for any given № of cross sections” – Mark van Esseveld, Project Manager at Arcadis   

## The most significant benefit

Regarding the question about the most significant benefit of their tool, Arcadis agrees on the improved work-efficiency. Mark: “… and with that we can offer good work for a good price, which is a big advantage for our client. We can consider the design spectrum in higher detail in less time, which means we can do more at the same cost whilst the design is being optimized simultaneously”.

Where Arcadis first needed two colleagues – a designer and geotechnical engineer – to work on a project, it's now possible for one colleague to calculate the entire construction pit in much less time. Only some basic Geotechnical and structural knowledge is required here. Of course, specialists are involved to check the calculated results, but less time is needed because steps are automated. All steps of the process are integrated in one system with multiple colleagues, meaning all in- and output is programmed and runs smoothly. Intermediate steps are taken out of the equation (i.e. transfer of data), saving time and reducing chance of errors.

> “The user-friendliness in the design process through which the designer or geotechnical engineer is guided makes it a lot easier for them to do their job.” – Mark van Esseveld, Project Manager at Arcadis

## Tools for non-experts

With a broad range of features, the construction pit tool is widely used within Arcadis. For example, by both the Construction and Geotechnics divisions, who use the tool to specify project details. And when it comes to pricing, the Costs division gets involved too. Thanks to the user-friendly and intuitive interface, using the tool is no problem for non-experts.

> “The VIKTOR platform is very user-friendly for colleagues who are less committed to programming, scripting, coding, all that stuff. They simply use the tools and are assisted in an intuitive manner. This characterizes itself through a good process flow that guides users through the design steps. Another big benefit is the calculation output being depicted and visualized very clear and efficiently. The calculations speed also rises significantly, the quality increases, and generation of calculation reports becomes easier.” – Mark van Esseveld, Project Manager at Arcadis

## Organization-wide development

Besides the divisions that already worked with the tool, other parts of the organization are affected by it as well. For example, a lot of code is currently available from all the projects colleagues at Arcadis have been working on, which can be reutilized to build new applications in the future. 

> “We are composing a beautiful code library that makes it more profitable to create apps for specific projects later on.” – Peter Konijnenbelt, Senior Designer at Arcadis

An example of such a spin-off application is the construction pit tool used in the Buildings   and Water division, inspired by the construction pit tool from this article. Where the original tool was created for tunnels and underpasses, this one is used for buildings. All by simply altering some parts of the code!

## About VIKTOR

You've just read one of the many use cases of the VIKTOR platform. I hope you found it an interesting read! However, there is much more to the VIKTOR platform than only this specific case. Let me tell you more about us:

VIKTOR is a low-code application development platform that empowers engineers and other domain experts to revolutionize their workflow by effortlessly creating user-friendly web applications with nothing more than Python. The VIKTOR platform consists of the following pillars:

1. The VIKTOR SDK: Application development is time-consuming and not the core business of many engineers, but web applications are truly an amazing asset. With the VIKTOR SDK, you can build your own Python-based web apps. The SDK takes care of the back-end, front-end, and hosting, so you can easily transform your Python scripts into any web app and start automating the boring.
 
2. The Workers: VIKTOR allows for seamless integration with other third-party software packages, such as Revit, Dynamo, ETABS, Grasshopper, and many more. The VIKTOR workers allow you to easily connect your app to these software packages by pushing and pulling data to and from them, eliminating the boring manual work. This way, you can create a whole new level of interoperability, all within a single app, making your VIKTOR app the single point of truth.
 
3. The Company environment: VIKTOR comes with a company environment, giving you the ability to provide access to users within and outside your company to use your apps. The company environment is a hub where all developed apps are stored and can be used, much like a library. To top that, end-users do not need to install any third-party tools that integrate with a VIKTOR app to be able to use them. The user management system lets you fine-tune user rights within applications (which have their own user management and database), while also providing valuable insights into app usage. This enables you to measure the adoption of the digital tools developed.

You can build any application you can imagine on the VIKTOR platform. Automating the boring tasks with ease, so engineers can fully focus on their engineering work again.
 
If this sounds interesting to you or your company, let's have a chat, you can reach me via: swolters@viktor.ai






Geotechnical

D-Sheet

D-Foundations

medium_Blog_Arcadis_Westrijbaan

small_Blog_Arcadis_Westrijbaan

thumbnail_Blog_Arcadis_Westrijbaan

Blog_Arcadis_Westrijbaan

Arcadis builds user-friendly web apps with VIKTOR to automate and optimize engineering processes.

Arcadis accelerates digital transformation with VIKTOR

## Get the white paper

**INDEX**

1. Construction companies and digital transformation
2. Technology trends for a different approach
3. Technology trends in the construction industry
4. A new technology trend for the construction industry
5. Low code for the construction industry
6. The VIKTOR platform
7. What does it cost?
8. How to start
9. What's next?

small_White Paper Digital Transformation Engineering and construction industry.jpg

thumbnail_White Paper Digital Transformation Engineering and construction industry.jpg

WP_dark_blue

large_gravity-based foundation application.jpg

medium_gravity-based foundation application.jpg

small_gravity-based foundation application.jpg

thumbnail_gravity-based foundation application.jpg

Customer_case_centralizing_data_faster_gravity_based_foundation_analysis_2


What are the current trends in digital transformation and how do they affect the engineering and construction industry? 

This white paper is for every engineer, manager, director, or anyone else that wants to learn more about (new) technology trends that help boost digital transformation in engineering and construction, such as BIM, parametric or generative design, and low-code and no-code. 

Discover how web applications can help you find the best solution fast, get the best insights, capture knowledge into assets, and make work more joyful! 






Learn about trends in digital transformation and how they affect the engineering and construction industry.

This white paper is for every engineer, manager, director, or anyone else that wants to learn more about (new) technology trends that help boost digital transformation in engineering and construction, such as BIM, parametric or generative design, and low-code and no-code. 

Digital Transformation: Engineering and Construction Industry

## Automating the design process

The [parametric design](https://www.viktor.ai/blog/46/parametric-design-cloud-engineering-construction) tool allows J.P. van Eesteren to generate the optimal designs of residential towers: As high as possible while using as little surface as possible. Visualizations of the parametric models are shown on a standard map in which all kinds of elements, such as apartments, elevators, and staircases can be seen as well. It is easy to adjust aspects such as dimensions or to add elements like additional walls by simply changing the input for the parameters. The impact of the design changes is immediately shown on the map. 

See here how engineers at J.P. van Eesteren use the application to create the optimal design for residential towers:

<div style="padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;"><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/670120716?autoplay=1&loop=1&autopause=0"h=7298f72eb4&amp;badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" title="J.P. van Eesteren - LinkedIn demo (1 min 25 sec)"></iframe></div><script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script>

> “It is a design tool that can be used to draw and calculate simultaneously. Regularly, we come up with an idea from which the architect creates a design. Naturally, this is not immediately sufficient. So we start calculating again, and again, and go on. With our application, we can combine drawings and calculations, which means we can iterate much faster and cheaper!” – Max de Vries, Project Developer at J.P. van Eesteren

## Securing rules in Python

How did they establish the parametrization of residential towers? The answer is: By securing rules. According to Max, digitizing is all about rules: “These days, there are many requirements and rules that need to be tended to. What we need is a system to secure them. When we developed our tool, we started looking for ways to incorporate all of these rules, both written and unwritten. If we were not able to program them, we were not being sharp enough.”

For each project, a residential tower is put together in the same way. Nevertheless, there is an entire design process that precedes the construction every time, and every time it ends with the same result. That is why engineers at J.P. van Eesteren figured that securing rules for the automation of this process was the most logical thing to do. Now, their work starts with a result: The design of a residential tower. What follows is the optimization of these designs.

## Unique designs

A lot of people think that standardization leads to the mass production of a lot of identical-looking residential towers. However, J.P. van Eesteren has a whole other opinion about it: 

> “Every person is unique. There is a certain structure in every body that contains a skeleton, heart, liver, and go on. These are all kept in logical places for a good reason. If we start shuffling them around, something will go wrong. The same goes for residential towers. There are certain parts of a them that are unique, the same as with a person: The length of the arms and legs, hair and eye color, these all grow differently and can be changed if needed". - Max de Vries, Project developer at J.P. van Eesteren

With their application, J.P. van Eesteren has found a way to secure certain parts (the skeleton, organs) while also having the freedom to change other aspects (height, hair and eye colour).
 
## Transparancy

For the engineers at J.P. van Eesteren who use the application, it's important that their tool is transparent. Instead of using a black box that simply tells them whether a design is feasible or not after inserting certain parameters, they want to be able to know the ‘why’ behind it all. 

> “We have specifically chosen that the person who is using the application is also the one that is really behind the steering wheel.” – Max de Vries, Project Developer at J.P. van Eesteren

Because their application is so transparent, engineers can guide the project in the right directions where and whenever needed and decide for themselves what the best alternative would be in certain situations. This way, they can first tell the architect about their rational approach, only after that he starts making it into a fancy residential tower. 

Max: “Once we combine our rational approach and their design approach, we can review whether the tower can be made into a feasible design. Because the architect doesn’t have to think about the rational approach anymore, we gain a lot of time. The building is like a body: We make sure that the organs are there and in the right place and the architect decides on the length, eye- and hair color.”

## Realistic environments

A nice addition to the application, is that J.P. van Eesteren is not only able to quickly visualize the design of their own projects but of the surrounding environment as well. First, they place a building on the map by selecting a location and defining the area. Then, they can select the surrounding buildings and visualize these as well by using data from the open-source data model [3D BAG](https://www.viktor.ai/blog/48/open-source-data-building-visualization), by the TU Delft. This way, they are able to [create realistic environments](https://www.viktor.ai/blog/48/open-source-data-building-visualization) to match their realistic-looking residential towers within the app.  

![parametric design residential tower realistic environment](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/CC_JP_van_Eesteren_3_D_Bag_fef59394d3.png)


> “Building our own parametric design tool enabled us to generate the most efficient design for the available space, and save a considerable amount of time while doing so.​" - Martijn de Rog, BIM director at J.P. van Eesteren

For example, we were able to re-calculate the design for a  residential tower that could host the same fascilities, only with two floors less!”​ - Martijn Rog, BIM Director, J.P. van Eesteren​


Find out more about [Cloud-based parametric design](https://www.viktor.ai/parametric-design-software) on the VIKTOR platform. 

[![CTA_try_for_free](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/CTA_try_for_free_6af1b46cf2.svg)](https://m.viktor.ai/free_version)

## About VIKTOR

You've just read one of the many use cases of the VIKTOR platform. I hope you found it an interesting read! However, there is much more to the VIKTOR platform than only this specific case. Let me tell you more about us:

VIKTOR is a low-code application development platform that empowers engineers and other domain experts to revolutionize their workflow by effortlessly creating user-friendly web applications with nothing more than Python. The VIKTOR platform consists of the following pillars:

1. The VIKTOR SDK: Application development is time-consuming and not the core business of many engineers, but web applications are truly an amazing asset. With the VIKTOR SDK, you can build your own Python-based web apps. The SDK takes care of the back-end, front-end, and hosting, so you can easily transform your Python scripts into any web app and start automating the boring.
 
2. The Workers: VIKTOR allows for seamless integration with other third-party software packages, such as Revit, Dynamo, ETABS, Grasshopper, and many more. The VIKTOR workers allow you to easily connect your app to these software packages by pushing and pulling data to and from them, eliminating the boring manual work. This way, you can create a whole new level of interoperability, all within a single app, making your VIKTOR app the single point of truth.
 
3. The Company environment: VIKTOR comes with a company environment, giving you the ability to provide access to users within and outside your company to use your apps. The company environment is a hub where all developed apps are stored and can be used, much like a library. To top that, end-users do not need to install any third-party tools that integrate with a VIKTOR app to be able to use them. The user management system lets you fine-tune user rights within applications (which have their own user management and database), while also providing valuable insights into app usage. This enables you to measure the adoption of the digital tools developed.

You can build any application you can imagine on the VIKTOR platform. Automating the boring tasks with ease, so engineers can fully focus on their engineering work again.
 
If this sounds interesting to you or your company, let's have a chat, you can reach me via: swolters@viktor.ai





Architecture & Planning

Cloud-based parametric design tool optimizes residential towers

medium_CC_J.P._van_Eesteren_residential_tower

small_CC_J.P._van_Eesteren_residential_tower

thumbnail_CC_J.P._van_Eesteren_residential_tower

CC_J.P._van_Eesteren_residential_tower

Discover how real estate firm J.P. van Eesteren build their own parametric design building generator tool on VIKTOR.ai

Parametric design app for optimized building | VIKTOR.ai

Parametric design tool generates the optimal residential tower 

large_bimcity.png

medium_bimcity.png

small_bimcity.png

thumbnail_bimcity.png

bimcity.png

Unleash the power of BIM with VIKTOR - the intelligent platform that streamlines your workflow and maximizes your efficiency. With web-based apps to interoperate different software integrations and utilize the BIM innovations.

small_MicrosoftTeams-image (4) (2).png

thumbnail_MicrosoftTeams-image (4) (2).png

MicrosoftTeams-image (4) (2).png

Utilize various software integrations, let different software speak to each other without data-loss

large_MicrosoftTeams-image (3).png

medium_MicrosoftTeams-image (3).png

small_MicrosoftTeams-image (3).png

thumbnail_MicrosoftTeams-image (3).png

MicrosoftTeams-image (3).png

VIKTOR helps in BIM 7th dimension of facility management, by controlling Digital twins and harvesting data from sensors.

large_MicrosoftTeams-image (5) (1).png

medium_MicrosoftTeams-image (5) (1).png

small_MicrosoftTeams-image (5) (1).png

thumbnail_MicrosoftTeams-image (5) (1).png

MicrosoftTeams-image (5) (1).png

 VIKTOR empowers BIM professionals to optimize their designs in the early stages, taking into account financial, environmental, and design analysis factors

medium_Capture (1).png

small_Capture (1).png

thumbnail_Capture (1).png

Capture (1).png

Engineers are meant for awesome tasks only. All repetitive and boring tasks should be automated. VIKTOR has been used by engineers in automating reporting, calculation and generative design optimization.

large_Group 23.png

medium_Group 23.png

small_Group 23.png

thumbnail_Group 23.png

Group 23.png

# Interoperability


VIKTOR enables all users to thoroughly exploit the whole BIM ecosystem. Therefore, VIKTOR empowers users to harness the full potential of the BIM ecosystem, building upon the principles of parametric design. By promoting interoperability and seamless data exchange across various platforms, VIKTOR ensures that all users can effectively leverage the BIM ecosystem's capabilities. Python plays a vital role in achieving this goal by providing a common medium for data translation and minimizing data loss. VIKTOR can integrate data with various platforms individually and channel the data between them, making it possible to integrate with any software that allows for external integration.

large_Group 12.png

medium_Group 12.png

small_Group 12.png

thumbnail_Group 12.png

Group 12.png

# Digital Twins

VIKTOR provides BIM professionals with the ability to create a digital twin of a physical building, which can be used for simulation, analysis, and optimization. With data integration from various sources such as sensors, BIM models, and IoT devices, VIKTOR enables the creation of a virtual replica of the building and its operations, allowing for efficient building maintenance and management. By providing a platform for hosting information from sensors and automatic failure detection, VIKTOR offers an alternative to periodical maintenance visits, increasing the overall effectiveness and accuracy of the maintenance process.

large_closeness centrality.png

medium_closeness centrality.png

small_closeness centrality.png

thumbnail_closeness centrality.png

closeness centrality.png

# Early-stage Design Optimization

To ensure effective BIM management right from the start, early-stage design optimization is critical. BIM LOD 100 plays a crucial role in this by offering a framework for developing detailed building models, enabling architects, engineers, and construction professionals to streamline workflows and make informed decisions. With the integration of powerful Python packages like Topologic, and Ladybug Tools, AEC professionals can analyze cost estimates, energy modeling, and thermal comfort analysis, facilitating the identification of areas for improvement from the early stages! eventually, guaranteeing successful project outcomes.

medium_Group 29.png

small_Group 29.png

thumbnail_Group 29.png

Group 29.png

# Automation


VIKTOR is a powerful platform for BIM professionals that offers automation capabilities to streamline workflows. With VIKTOR, BIM data can be automatically extracted and analyzed, allowing for early-stage design optimization and informed decision-making. The platform's automation features also eliminate the need for manual data entry, reducing the risk of errors, saving time and most importantly exploring a vast amount of generated solutions in a few clicks. By leveraging VIKTOR's automation capabilities, AEC professionals can focus on more complex tasks and drive innovation in their projects.

Our experts can help you find the right opportunities, set realistic goals, and meet deadlines.

Effortlessly integrate with industry-leading software, the Python Ecosystem, and modern development tools.

Why VIKTOR for BIM

VIKTOR’s software solutions are designed to support BIM methods, providing engineers and other domain experts with an array of benefits that help streamline the design process, reduce waste, and cut down on costs. 

BIM & VIKTOR: Unlock your full engineering potential

[Building Information Modeling (BIM)](https://www.viktor.ai/blog/100/how-BIM-innovations-transform-AEC) has redefined the way professionals in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry approach the design, construction, and management of buildings and infrastructure. VIKTOR’s software solutions are designed to support BIM methods, providing engineers and other domain experts with an array of benefits that help streamline the design process, reduce waste, and cut down on costs. 

thumbnail_mark van den brink.jfif

mark van den brink.jfif

Original article: [VIKTOR en WSP werken samen aan applicatieontwikkeling](https://www.wsp.com/nl-NL/nieuws/2022/WSP-en-VIKTOR-werken-samen-aan-applicatieontwikkeling/)

[WSP](https://www.wsp.com/nl-NL) starts building Cloud-based Python applications with VIKTOR, the [web-based development platform for engineering applications](https://www.viktor.ai/platform). WSP started using the VIKTOR platform back in 2021 with two successful Prove of Concept’s (PoC’s), in which within two shorts sprints (four weeks) two applications were already developed.

## Partnership WSP - VIKTOR 

This successful approach is now continued through a partnership that has been signed by both parties as of this week. 

> “Our goal for this year is to provide our colleagues with easy-to-use Python applications. Additionally, we want to professionalize our application development. The reason for this partnership with VIKTOR is because their platform enables our engineers to develop Python applications themselves and distribute them amongst colleagues in a secure manner. These colleagues don't need to have any programming experience to use the applications. Before, it took our coding engineers lots of time per colleague to whom the application had to be made available. Now, the VIKTOR platform enables us to do this all at once. So far, this has already been very promising and that is why we are now continuing at high pace!” - Mark van den Brink, Digital Transformation Lead at WSP

## First two applications finished

The applications that were developed within the first sprints are the ‘cross-section tool’ and the ‘remmingwerken tool’ (with the purpose of slowing down ships whenever they approach e.g. a bridge). Both tools can be used within WSP by colleagues without any programming knowledge, enabling them to benefit from the programming experience of their colleagues that do have programming experience, without constantly requiring their interference. 

### Cross-sections

> “The cross-section tool allows our engineers to easily define a large set of perpendicular lines along a line object (dike trajectory, railroad, go on), after which cross-sections of the ground level are generated by connecting with the AHN-web service. Additionally, the user has the possibility to upload grid files that function as data source. Examples of this are the extraction of hydraulic head from ground water models to calculate the hydraulic gradient on a dyke or to determine the local soil build-up by extracting 3D underground information.” - Martijn Kriebel, Flood Risk Consultant at WSP

![UI of Cloud-based Python Cross-section tool](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/Blog_WSP_partnership_cross_section_tool_888a9cde77.jpg)

*Interface of the cross-section tool*

### Remmingwerken

> “De remmingwerken tool allows our constructors to easily perform an iterative calculation of the energy intake of fenders in a 3D-environment. By automating the iterative non-linear analysis, a higher accuracy and time-gain can be achieved. Through a graphic web app, different software such as SCIA engineer and Excel work together to come to an answer. After the calculations, the results are presented in an interactive graph.” - Wichard Bron, Constructor Infra at WSP

![Visual UI Cloud-based Python Remmingwerken-tool](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/Blog_WSP_partnership_Remmingwerken_tool_2c15164caa.jpg)

*Visualization from the Remmingwerken tool*

## About VIKTOR

You've just read one of the many use cases of the VIKTOR platform. I hope you found it an interesting read! However, there is much more to the VIKTOR platform than only this specific case. Let me tell you more about us:

VIKTOR is a low-code application development platform that empowers engineers and other domain experts to revolutionize their workflow by effortlessly creating user-friendly web applications with nothing more than Python. The VIKTOR platform consists of the following pillars:

1. The VIKTOR SDK: Application development is time-consuming and not the core business of many engineers, but web applications are truly an amazing asset. With the VIKTOR SDK, you can build your own Python-based web apps. The SDK takes care of the back-end, front-end, and hosting, so you can easily transform your Python scripts into any web app and start automating the boring.
 
2. The Workers: VIKTOR allows for seamless integration with other third-party software packages, such as Revit, Dynamo, ETABS, Grasshopper, and many more. The VIKTOR workers allow you to easily connect your app to these software packages by pushing and pulling data to and from them, eliminating the boring manual work. This way, you can create a whole new level of interoperability, all within a single app, making your VIKTOR app the single point of truth.
 
3. The Company environment: VIKTOR comes with a company environment, giving you the ability to provide access to users within and outside your company to use your apps. The company environment is a hub where all developed apps are stored and can be used, much like a library. To top that, end-users do not need to install any third-party tools that integrate with a VIKTOR app to be able to use them. The user management system lets you fine-tune user rights within applications (which have their own user management and database), while also providing valuable insights into app usage. This enables you to measure the adoption of the digital tools developed.

You can build any application you can imagine on the VIKTOR platform. Automating the boring tasks with ease, so engineers can fully focus on their engineering work again.
 
If this sounds interesting to you or your company, let's have a chat, you can reach me via: swolters@viktor.ai





Application development engineering Python

Blog_WSP_partnership_engineer_developers

Discover how engineers at WSP use VIKTOR to develop their own Cloud apps for colleagues without programming experience.

WSP engineers build apps to automate processes with VIKTOR

WSP builds engineering apps for colleagues without Python experience

large_Why_VIKTOR_quote_WSP_mark_van_den_Brink

medium_Why_VIKTOR_quote_WSP_mark_van_den_Brink

small_Why_VIKTOR_quote_WSP_mark_van_den_Brink

thumbnail_Why_VIKTOR_quote_WSP_mark_van_den_Brink

Why_VIKTOR_quote_WSP_mark_van_den_Brink

Transformation lead at WSP

Mark van den Brink

thumbnail_Why_VIKTOR_Quote_Heijmans_Jaap_Wierenga

Why_VIKTOR_Quote_Heijmans_Jaap_Wierenga

## Dike design tool Wilma: a new, digital way of designing

The Wilma dike design tool, created on the VIKTOR platform, is a renewed design environment for the geotechnical consultant. The tool was developed by the Graaf Reinaldalliantie to be used on the Gorinchem-Waardenburg (GoWa) dike reinforcement project.

The innovation consists of the combination of cleverness and insights of the designer and the infinite computing power of the computer on the VIKTOR platform. For the Wilma tool, design software for the various design mechanisms (D-series and PLAXIS) is integrally linked and data is centrally managed in accordance with the BIM philosophy. Because of this, changes in starting points or other information can be made transparant very quickly, allowing the design to adapt quickly as well. This provides a certain flexibility in the design process that has proven itself to be very beneficial within this project. 

## A challenging reinforcement

The Graaf Reinaldalliantie was established to strengthen the river dike between Gorinchem and Waardenburg. The alliance consists of the Water Board Rivierland and the contractor consortium ‘Waalensemble’ consisting of Heijmans, GMB and de Vries & van de Wiel. Royal HaskoningDHV is associated with the alliance as an advisory party as well. 

This dike improvement project is approximately 23 kilometers long and is particularly complex in terms of tasks related to reinforcement. Not least because of the highly heterogeneous soil structure, which was created in the past on the north side of the Waal by the many old river channels and fillings, the diversity of soil layers and the filling in at the site of old dike breaches. The dike body itself also varies in structure due to the construction of the dike over the centuries and the reinforcements and relocations of the past decades. In order for this dike section to meet current safety standards, several improvement measures are needed that, together with the built environment, the soil conditions, and the transition to undrained modeling, make it a very challenging project.

## Taking initiative

In the tendering phase of the Gorinchem-Waardenburg dike reinforcement project, Waalensemble took the initiative to perform the design calculations in a smarter, more efficient way, based on the positive experiences from previous Heijmans projects (Wilhelminakanaal, Wintrack) where repetitive design issues in particular were efficiently automated. In these examples, design software (D-Series, SCIA, Excel) is linked by means of assumptions and existing equations, resulting in an automated process. This principle has been adopted by the Gorinchem-Waardenburg dike improvement project, further elaborated and further professionalised through the availability of the VIKTOR platform, among other things. The Viktor platform makes it possible to link design software in a much easier way and with extra functionality than was previously possible in the aforementioned Heijmans projects. During the project, the functionality of the dike design tool was expanded in various versions with settlement and failure mechanisms such as macro stability, piping and overtopping, which can be calculated simultaneously per cross section, for both embankments and dike relocations. An example of a schematic of a profile is shown in the picture below.

![An example of a cross section schematized by Wilma with a crown displacement and inward embankment in a D-GeoStability calculation.](/uploads/Cross_section_schematized_by_Wilma_8ed53a86da.png)

*An example of a cross section schematized by Wilma with a crown displacement and inward embankment in a D-GeoStability calculation.*

### The first development

The first development motif arises from the request to support the designer in achieving a higher quality of the stability calculations. The application of the undrained CSSM model requires a schematisation with boundary tensions and a course of the effective tension due to changed water levels and previous loads. Within the functionality of the then available D-GeoStability version 18, this required a far-reaching division of the soil layers with additional stress calculations by the designer. The first version of Wilma has been developed to achieve an accurate calculation of the stresses and to develop an efficient method to include these results in the D-GeoStability model.

### The second development

After a successful application of the first version, the second development started almost immediately. The functionality has been extended to centrally manage the input and output of the various design software. This is in line with the BIM method for quality assurance and version management. In a design analysis, the geotechnical properties per soil layer and the derived parameters that are determined by means of a calculation method, always originate from Wilma and are independent of other design calculations. The old and the new process diagram, where the [parametric design tool](https://www.viktor.ai/blog/46/parametric-design-cloud-engineering-construction) is central, is shown here:

![Traditional vs Parametric vs Generative designwilma design process (1).svg](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/Traditional_vs_Parametric_vs_Generative_designwilma_design_process_1_dcdd3d64a0.svg)

*Traditional design process versus new design process with Wilma.*

From this central position, Wilma compiles the input files and sends them to the existing design software, such as the D-series or Plaxis. The results from the design software are then collected and presented via the [parametric design tool](https://www.viktor.ai/blog/46/parametric-design-cloud-engineering-construction). By automating the data flow in the design process, the effort for the designer has shifted from drawing up calculation files to supervising the quality assurance of the calculations and assessing the results.

[![CTA_start_using_PD](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/solutions_page_banner_4_f474c9c318.svg)](https://www.viktor.ai/blog/46/parametric-design-cloud-engineering-construction)


## A new design methodology
The greatest gains, however, come from a different design method. The traditional design method is based on the manual input of cross sections by a consultant, which forces planning to make choices about how many cross sections can be calculated. In a complex project such as this dike improvement, this quickly means that major simplifications are needed to realise a design within time and money. One calculation that is normative for hundreds of meters of dike is common. As a result, the design is over-dimensioned, which in principle is not wrong from a safety point of view, but does lead to strict and heavy measures that affect the environment and are therefore not always desirable from stakeholders.

### An automated way
A new automated way of calculating means that it will be possible to calculate a very large number of cross sections, instead of one standard profile. In theory, a transverse profile can be calculated with possible variants for each dike stretch where a different situation arises. This is shown schematically in figure 3, where each block represents a new situation.

![The schematic choice for a standard profile (red) or several representative profiles (yellow)](/uploads/the_schematic_choice_for_a_standard_profile_red_or_several_representative_profiles_yellow_1acc3b2033.png)

*The schematic choice for a standard profile (red) or several representative profiles (yellow)*

The ability to design a large number of profiles provides the following benefits:

1. The consultant needs considerably less time to calculate cross sections, which means more time for interpreting and analysing results and translating them into the design. This leads to great efficiency.
2. There is the possibility to perform sensitivity analyses in a simple manner with all kinds of starting points, so that a better insight is obtained which parameter influences the calculation result. This makes it possible to conduct targeted additional research quickly.
3. The calculations were adapted and carried out very quickly. While changes in the traditional design process can have major consequences for the interfaces of the design, this is no longer a problem due to all the connections built up in Wilma. Adjustments to the design or starting points can now be directly calculated for the entire route.

### Qualitatively better design
All this results in a qualitatively better design, whereby freedom is created in choosing a design solution based on the calculation results. It is therefore no longer necessary to funnel the output data in advance to compose a benchmark profile, because making the assessment is more extensive than designing an additional profile. In addition, the thinking for weighing up the various possible normative aspects is retained in the result of an additional design profile. The figure below shows this as an example through sketches and illustrations, in which the dike sections are the product of a normative cross section and the white line represents a possible design profile that, as is to be expected, more closely follows the soil structure found. Because the design profile of the white line has actually been calculated, it is possible to choose a more average design profile that fits better in the landscape. The robustness of the design is known at that time.

![The division into dike sections with a schematic representation of the design assignment.png](/uploads/The_division_into_dike_sections_with_a_schematic_representation_of_the_design_assignment_7ac20fa4a5.png)

*The division into dike sections with a schematic representation of the design assignment*

### Inclusion of additional soil research
An additional positive effect is that carrying out additional soil research now pays off because it can be processed more easily in the built-up subsurface model. With the traditional design method, additional soil investigation is often intended as a risk mitigation to verify the subsurface model. This advantage remains, however, with the design method with Wilma, the additional research is immediately included in the calculations and the design is adjusted.

## Quality assurance

### Processing results
Quality assurance of the design calculations is not formally included in Wilma. The role of the parametric design tool is to compile and start the calculations and to process the results. These design calculations are always performed with the original (and therefore validated) design software. For example, a stability calculation is performed in D-GeoStability, after which the files are also available, in such a way that it looks like a colleague has supplied the calculations. Each calculation is delivered separately from the tool and manually checked by the designer. This workflow of the calculation files also makes it possible to deliver and view the design without having Wilma.

### Centralized storage
The quality assurance of the design calculations has deliberately been left with the designer. However, the parametric design tool makes it easier for the designer to perform the checks. Firstly, because the process of illustrating through schematics, calculating and checking is almost continuous because the lead time for a design calculation is next to nothing. In addition, Wilma can compile overviews of the required control points. All basic principles and relationships important for the design can be checked because the results are stored centrally and are available to everyone.

An example of a simple check is a graphical representation of the stresses in the soil layers or the assignment of the rise height to soil layers. Such a control screen is shown in figure 5. The calculated values ​​are presented for each black-marked point in the design profile. The applied calculation values ​​can be checked at a glance because the assumptions and equations have been consistently and unambiguously applied by Wilma on the basis of the predefined protocol. There are no quality differences due to the preparation of cross sections by several consultants.

![Customer_case_calculations_with_cloud_computing_5](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/A_control_screen_in_Wilma_for_the_determination_of_the_boundary_voltages_7a07277148.png)


### Background testing
In order to properly verify Wilma’s work processes, various tests have been built into the Viktor platform during the development of the tool. This checks in the background whether the routines carried out by Wilma always run in accordance with the geotechnical specification. These tests roughly consist of three categories:

1. Rules of thumb; the obvious design rules are checked. Because Wilma applies standard rules, contradictions can arise, as a result of which the schematization steps are correct in accordance with the “design rules”, but the schematization as a whole is geotechnically incorrect. An example of such a test is the descending height to the hinterland.
2. Realistic modeling with fully elaborated schematics of calculations and links. When going through these tests, the routines must always give the same results.
3. Edge cases with exceptional cases to test the routines of the schematisation. During these tests, unrealistic situations are presented from a geotechnical and hydraulic engineering point of view. This ensures that the routines and rules of thumb are robust and that new exceptions are noticed.

By continuously testing with both realistic modeling that is expected within the project, and with edge cases, the behavior of the tool becomes predictable, so that the quality control focuses on exceptions. These exceptions in turn complement the design routines. The systematic elaboration of these exceptions in a design rule results in a more substantiated design methodology and the percentage of exceptional cases is further reduced. This continuous development of the parametric design tool with the insertion of exceptional cases has resulted in the design capacity increasing quadratically. This increase is based on the difference between the number of design profiles per consultant in the exploration phase and the plan elaboration phase.

## The next step
The tool is currently being further developed for more geotechnical functionalities and applications throughout the design process. The possible future expansion of the functionality of the tool can be sought in expanding the tool in the field of computing in the cloud, but also in adding IoT data from sensor technology in dikes. Both seem far away for now, but will sooner or later enrich the world of the civil industry.

See how you can [develop your own parametric design tools](https://www.viktor.ai/parametric-design-software).

[![CTA_start_building_PD_apps](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/Group_1_32a326f910.svg)](https://www.viktor.ai/blog/46/parametric-design-cloud-engineering-construction)


Customer_case_calculations_with_cloud_computing_9

Heijmans: “The luxury of having a tool that takes over 80% of the work, quickly becomes your standard”

Dike design automation tool leads to better solutions

large_Why_VIKTOR_Quote_Heijmans_Marcel_Simons

medium_Why_VIKTOR_Quote_Heijmans_Marcel_Simons

small_Why_VIKTOR_Quote_Heijmans_Marcel_Simons

thumbnail_Why_VIKTOR_Quote_Heijmans_Marcel_Simons

Why_VIKTOR_Quote_Heijmans_Marcel_Simons

Design Leader at Heijmans

Jaap Wierenga

thumbnail_Martijn Rog JP.jpg

Martijn Rog JP.jpg

small_0.0.1-haut-jhml2203-0009 (3).png

thumbnail_0.0.1-haut-jhml2203-0009 (3).png

0.0.1-haut-jhml2203-0009 (3).png

BIM Director at J.P. van Eesteren

Martijn Rog

thumbnail_1570701977851.jfif

1570701977851.jfif

small_0.0.1-haut-jhml2203-0009 (2).png

thumbnail_0.0.1-haut-jhml2203-0009 (2).png

0.0.1-haut-jhml2203-0009 (2).png

Designer Engineer in Arcadis

Igor Pecanac

The [tunnel](https://www.cowi.com/solutions/infrastructure/northern-europe-largest-construction-project) is 18 kilometres long and will consist of a four-lane motorway and two electrified railway lines. This new tunnel will reduce travel time for from more than an hour by ferry to 10 minutes by car and 7 minutes by train. Besides reducing travel time, the tunnel will also lead to a [reduction in traffic emissions](https://femern.com/sustainability/the-fehmarnbelt-tunnel-will-be-built-sustainably/). This is due to the transfer of freight from road to rail and the fact that some lorries will take a shorter route as they will no longer have to cross Storebælt, Denmark, which will result in an overall decrease in CO2 emissions. 

In cooperation with COWI a [parametric design application](https://www.viktor.ai/blog/46/parametric-design-cloud-engineering-construction) will be developed to optimise the design of the tunnel. The tunnel consists of 79 tunnel elements, each 217 metres long. Each element has slightly different loads and soil conditions, so the optimal required steel reinforcement in the concrete is different. The total amount of steel used in the tunnel is equivalent to about 50 Eiffel Towers and each tunnel element weighs 73,000 tonnes. 

The VIKTOR platform will be used to development the [parametric design application](https://www.viktor.ai/parametric-design-software) which will be used to design the tunnel, which will help COWI find the optimal design in an automated way, so they can engineer the awesome! 

 
![Blog_Fehmarnbelt_infographic](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/Blog_Fehmarnbelt_infographic_622daea8ce.png)

## About VIKTOR

You've just read one of the many use cases of the VIKTOR platform. I hope you found it an interesting read! However, there is much more to the VIKTOR platform than only this specific case. Let me tell you more about us:

VIKTOR is a low-code application development platform that empowers engineers and other domain experts to revolutionize their workflow by effortlessly creating user-friendly web applications with nothing more than Python. The VIKTOR platform consists of the following pillars:

1. The VIKTOR SDK: Application development is time-consuming and not the core business of many engineers, but web applications are truly an amazing asset. With the VIKTOR SDK, you can build your own Python-based web apps. The SDK takes care of the back-end, front-end, and hosting, so you can easily transform your Python scripts into any web app and start automating the boring.
 
2. The Workers: VIKTOR allows for seamless integration with other third-party software packages, such as Revit, Dynamo, ETABS, Grasshopper, and many more. The VIKTOR workers allow you to easily connect your app to these software packages by pushing and pulling data to and from them, eliminating the boring manual work. This way, you can create a whole new level of interoperability, all within a single app, making your VIKTOR app the single point of truth.
 
3. The Company environment: VIKTOR comes with a company environment, giving you the ability to provide access to users within and outside your company to use your apps. The company environment is a hub where all developed apps are stored and can be used, much like a library. To top that, end-users do not need to install any third-party tools that integrate with a VIKTOR app to be able to use them. The user management system lets you fine-tune user rights within applications (which have their own user management and database), while also providing valuable insights into app usage. This enables you to measure the adoption of the digital tools developed.

You can build any application you can imagine on the VIKTOR platform. Automating the boring tasks with ease, so engineers can fully focus on their engineering work again.
 
If this sounds interesting to you or your company, let's have a chat, you can reach me via: swolters@viktor.ai






 

 

large_COWI Fehmarnbelt.jpg

medium_COWI Fehmarnbelt.jpg

small_COWI Fehmarnbelt.jpg

thumbnail_COWI Fehmarnbelt.jpg

Customer_case_automating_longest_immersed_tunnel_world

Discover how parametric design is used in an application to automate and optimize the design of the world's longest immersed tunnel on VIKTOR.ai

Automated design of world's longest tunnel | VIKTOR.ai

Automating the design of the longest immersed tunnel in the world 

## The Digital Engineering Community is exanding

After successful initial developments, the community is now expanding with Boskalis, Dura Vermeer, Mobilis, Van Oord and Volker Wessels. “In the past period, we have learned how to work together more effectively without losing our distinctiveness: increasingly focusing on digital building blocks. In these building blocks, standard actions are automated based on which each participant can build their own strategic application. We are therefore calling on more market parties to participate!”.

## The starting point
Heijmans is one of the first companies to use the VIKTOR Platform on a larger scale. Great digital successes have been achieved on a number of projects such as Wintrack, Wilhelmina Canal and Dike Reinforcement Project Gorinchem – Waardenburg. Combining the technical challenges of these projects with automation of the design and construction process proved very valuable, allowing knowledge and know-how to be scalable, and increasing the number of generated solutions. For example, for the Wilhelmina Canal project, all kinds of damage scenarios could easily be calculated, making it possible to discuss all options with the client. With the Wintrack II project, it was possible to design the most optimal foundation based on construction-related criteria at the touch of a button, and with the Dike Reinforcement Gorinchem – Waardenburg project, the design stability calculations can be finished in a fraction of the time compared to before.

## First collaboration

You would expect a construction company to keep these kinds of innovations under wraps to distinguish themselves from their competitors. “This was also the first thought”, laughs Marcel. “That is still very much in our genes.” Nevertheless, Heijmans chose to seek collaboration. This has to do with the fact that Heijmans made two important observations during its own developments. “On the one hand, we saw that fellow construction companies were doing more or less the same thing. And just as importantly, if everyone does this side by side, it is unnecessarily expensive and slow.” These reasons prompted Heijmans to approach several infrastructures companies through the VIB to develop a joint application. “This was in 2018 with a number of sessions on two exciting topics: digitization and collaboration. Halfway through 2019, we agreed with Ballast Nedam, BAM and Heijmans that we had to try this.”

## First development: soil layout application

This led to the start of the development of an application for soil layouts. To start development, a Product Owner (senior geotechnical advisers) was appointed from each of the companies to jointly consider what functionality was needed to make the application successful. It turned out that the wishes of the companies were not that different, so that selection for “must haves” and “nice to haves” were quickly made. An interesting moment in the development of the application was when the user of the application changed from the geotechnical consultant to another end user, the cost expert and the planner. The application makes it possible for both of them to look for the best design solution for the project, without the direct intervention of the geotechnical consultant (who simply approved the model in advance).

![Soil layout modelling application in VIKTOR platform](/uploads/Soil_layout_modelling_application_16580bb351.jpg)
*Soil layout modeling application*

The application is a success, which was not certain in advance since a joint development like this had not been done before. Collaboration between the companies was also very positive and the feeling arose that collaboration might be essential. From this, the DEC idea was born.

## Founding of DEC

### Joint development

In February 2020, the resulting application was presented to the companies first involved in the discussions in 2018. Since then, most companies had experimented internally with coding and application development, and they have undoubtedly concluded that professional development costs more time and money than initially thought. The time was right to investigate whether joint development is possible, and the DEC was established. After a number of meetings, the most important follow-up steps were taken, in which the parties defined the following developments that will be tackled jointly. A GWW application is being developed that makes a universal link to and from Civil3D, MxRoad and AHN. As a second development, an application will be made for the design of pile foundations, linking Scia Engineer and D-foundation.

### Fascilitating role

Eight construction companies participate in both developments. VIKTOR itself is not a participant, but facilitates on the basis of experience and expertise. The fact that the applications are developed on the VIKTOR Platform was a logical choice. “The platform has been specially developed for technical companies, it has a rich amount of digital building blocks for our rapidly growing sector and facilitates collaboration and application distribution,” explains Marcel. “It also has a more practical reason. All participants use the platform separately. As a result, we develop in the same way, making collaboration possible and efficient. The output is also readable (Python) code with which companies can continue to develop independently of the platform. In addition, we make use of their knowledge and experience. That is VIKTOR’s core business and by engaging them we put some of the responsibility outside the door. Our own developers learn from this collaboration, but at the same time there is a high degree of certainty that developments will be delivered within time and budget. The Product Owners of the companies remain responsible for the functionality of the application. The development of the dyke application has shown that this separation of responsibilities works well and strengthens cooperation.”

## Cooperative construction companies
Until now, the collaboration has been very easy, and requires almost no effort. Construction companies are used to working together on projects and this new theme shows that we can easily find each other in different subjects and builds mutual trust. Of course, matters such as IP are contractually recorded, but this is in broad lines only, and not in every in detail, therefore trust is central. We assume that everyone participates with a positive attitude and has a name to lose. Everyone is also free to choose to participate or not in a development, possibly by joining later. Different ways to participate are by supplying usable existing code, by making an experienced programmer available or simply in euros. In the future, expansion with other companies is the obvious next step.

## The future of the community
To give the community more visibility and recognition, the digitalengineeringcommunity.nl website was established.  “The purpose of the website is mainly to show who is participating and what we are all developing. Hopefully it will be more widely recognised in the market that, being on your own is alone and that the future lies in developing together. We therefore urge all parties in the sector to contact us!”

### About DEC
The Digital Engineering Community (DEC) is being set up (formal start at the end of February) and consists of a non-exclusive collaboration between the companies Ballast Nedam, BAM, Boskalis, Dura Vermeer, Heijmans, Mobilis, Volker Wessels and Van Oord. The affiliated companies can submit topics for development and discuss periodically who wants to participate in which development. There is no obligation to join all developments and it is possible to join later in the process. Within the DEC, digital building blocks are being developed in a modular way. These digital building blocks can be anything from general functions such as calculating headpile reinforcement to an integral link with Civil3D. Companies are then free to jointly develop these further together into integrated solutions such as the soil layout or to integrate them within an internal process of the company itself.

### About VIKTOR
VIKTOR is a web-based development platform for building online applications for technical processes. By means of an SDK and the programming language Python, employees of companies can automate processes more easily, integrate with other software and distribute to colleagues, either on their own or together with the developers at VIKTOR. A large number of standard building blocks are already included in the VIKTOR Platform, both general and industry specific. For example, for the civil engineering sector, there are useful ways to process soil information, mapping functionalities and integrations with the most commonly used software packages.

The VIKTOR Platform makes version and user management of the use of applications easy. Because data is stored centrally, a “Single Source of Truth” becomes standard for all users. Changes in assumptions or requirements are therefore immediately visible in all disciplines, making interfaces more manageable and controllable. This speeds up and improves technical processes such as the design process.

Source: Magazine Land+Water nr 1/2 – February 2021

Civil3D

large_first collective automation application.jpg

medium_first collective automation application.jpg

small_first collective automation application.jpg

thumbnail_first collective automation application.jpg

customer_case_first_collective_automation_application_BAM_Ballast_Nedam_Heijmans_3

The combination of technical challenges of projects with automation of the design and construction process already proved very valuable. The Digital Engineering Community wants to accelarate these digitalization processes together, through the VIKTOR platform.

Build and share
awesome engineering apps

Some of our partners that engineer the awesome

Create, use and share apps with everyone you want

Build apps with Python, incredibly fast!

Input fields

3D models & drawings

Interactive graphs

Maps & geospatial data

Reports

Integrate your complete workflow

Discover what VIKTOR can do for you

Mark van den Brink

Marcel Simons

Wiebren Koers

Jaap Wierenga

Build and share awesome engineering apps

Some of our partners that engineer the awesome

Create, use and share apps with everyone you want

Build apps with Python, incredibly fast!

Input fields

3D models & drawings

Interactive graphs

Maps & geospatial data

Reports

Integrate your complete workflow

Discover what VIKTOR can do for you

Mark van den Brink

Build and share
awesome engineering apps