Unity, the world’s top leading platform for creating and operating real-time 3D (RT3D) content, announced the acquisition of VisualLive, a technology company enabling the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry to reduce costs and increase efficiency by visualizing and collaborating in augmented reality (AR).

Unity Reflect, the interactive collaboration and creation network that links individuals, project stages, and data through the digital building lifecycle, is enhanced by VisualLive’s technology. Unity’s strategic growth in the AEC industry will be bolstered by this acquisition, which will allow customers to achieve maximum production and cost savings.

“Unity’s real-time 3D platform transforms every stage of the AEC lifecycle. With Unity Reflect, AEC professionals can unlock building information modeling (BIM) data through immersive real-time experiences,” said Julien Faure, General Manager of Verticals, Unity. “Adding VisualLive to our portfolio better allows us to connect the field with the design office, bringing BIM data via augmented and mixed reality to drive better quality assurance and project tracking. This will fundamentally change how design reviews, construction planning, field inspections, and facilities management are conducted.”

The current job site walkthrough method for building and facilities management is prone to human error and reality capture. The method of portraying the physical world and putting it into virtual reality is time-consuming and costly.

VisualLive allows users to inspect and check prototypes in real-time, avoiding costly errors. VisualLive collaborates with industry leaders in fields ranging from architecture to renewable energy. Employees from VisualLive’s headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, will join Unity.

“We’re incredibly proud of the rapid growth and market adoption of VisualLive products by the AEC industry since our founding in 2017,” said Saeed Eslami, CEO and Founder of VisualLive. “VisualLive has excelled in creating a software solution that works on multiple devices to enable field workers to overlay CAD/BIM models onto the job site in AR within a few minutes to review the design, validate against the existing conditions, verify install completion, create reports, and collaborate with the rest of the team in real-time. Together with Unity, we can expand the platform’s capabilities and scale globally.”

Top AEC companies use Unity to streamline real-world architecture, construction workflows, and engineering. In 2018, after announcing Autodesk collaboration, Unity had expanded to support a suite of Autodesk products. This also helps to fulfill the gap between design and construction by allowing Autodesk users access to real-time 3D experiences on a range of AR and VR.

Irrespective of platform/device, model size, or geo-location, Unity Reflect connects all project stakeholders to build real-time collaborative environments facilitating faster, effective decision-making throughout the entire building and infrastructure process.

The transaction’s closing took place on March 4, 2021. Its legal and financial terms are yet to be announced.