iTwin Services are a set of cloud services for creating, visualizing, and analyzing digital twins of infrastructure assets that run on Azure. Digital twins are enablers of world-class operations and maintenance. They help operate assets more efficiently at higher capacity, extend asset life, and can increase whole-life value 10-40%.

iTwin Services enable capital project teams and owner-operators to create, visualize, and analyze digital twins of infrastructure assets. Users can “4D-visualize” and track engineering change including changes in real-world conditions from IoT connected devices, sensors, and drones. Users make better informed decisions, anticipate and avoid issues before they arise, and react more quickly with confidence. [1]

Figure 1. The Overview of iTwin Technology

Figure 1 shows iTwin is an innovative new file sharing and remote access device introduced by a company known as iTwin. It’s works like two ends of a cable, but without the cable. It’s as easy to use as a flash drive which is plug & play. iTwin can connect any two computers anywhere in the world which are online. iTwin enables you to have access to any or all of your home or office computer’s files and folders while you’re on-the-go. Amount of storage you can access with iTwin has no in built limit. The only limit is the size of your hard drives and the speed of your Internet connection.[2]

Features

• Combine engineering data in incompatible formats from multiple sources
• Immersive Visualisation: view infrastructure projects and assets in 3D/4D/mixed reality
• Timeline of Change: compare versions, visualise who changed what, when
• Understand impact of change on design, cost and schedule
• Validate BIM models against project rules to meet LOD requirements

Benefits

• Query, interrogate, visualise engineering data regardless of format or source
• Maintain a timeline to capture when engineering data has changed
• Check status of real-world conditions from IoT devices and sensors
• Create multidiscipline BIM models for collaborative working
• Empower distributed project teams to understand implications of decisions
• Compare versions of BIM models by date, status or phase
• Use artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance decision making
• Facilitate actionable insights across the asset lifecycle
• Better performing projects: improve project quality, reduce rework, meet deadlines
• Better performing assets: make better informed decisions, anticipate issues [3]

Disadvantages of iTwin:

iTwin connect is 3.5 inches long in total which means when the parts are divided they are very easy to misplace.

When the itwin connect USB dongle is plugged in it can slow down network performance.

You must set up files to share in advance in order to access them.

Software requirements: Requires min. 512 MB, 1GB RAM (recommended), requires 15 MB hard-disk space, USB 2.0 port and requires broad-band Internet access. [2]

References:

1. https://appsource.microsoft.com/en-us/product/web-apps/bentleysystemsincorporated-1164124.itwin?tab=overview
2. https://amrapali.ac.in/blog/2021/06/09/itwin-technology/
3. https://www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/g-cloud/services/496684718832547

Cite this article:

Thanusri swetha J (2021) Overview of iTwin Technology, AnaTechmaz, pp. 43