**4. Conclusions**

classroom‐based education. They can also be used to assist professional training and distance learning based on e‐learning technology. When this visualization tool was being designed, human perceptual and cognitive capabilities were taken into account [18]. It means that the program is suitable for use in a wide range of learning environments or stages of education.

The traditional way to present the curricular subjects involved in these virtual models is through 2D layouts or pictures. By using the 4D models, teachers may help the students to visualize and engage with the construction process more interactively. The following are some

**•** The 4D bridge models show the complexity associated with the construction work on the deck. The models also illustrate, in detail, the movement of the equipment. In class, the teacher can/has to explain how the process must progress and the way the equipment

**•** The incremental method model presents the geometry of the different elements and the materials used in real work processes in all their complexity. The camera movement shows the model in a consistent manner when presenting the sequences of all events that are programmed. It allows the user to acquire a correct understanding of the most important aspects of the construction method. In addition, to allow consultation of the required data in any phase, information about the construction process is integrated into each new

**•** The fact that the models are going to be used by undergraduate civil engineering students was taken into consideration. The models support the learning process by illustrating the bridge construction issues and by presenting the geometric details involved and the technical information that must go with each constructive step. The details available in the 4D models complement the educational applications, rendering them more useful and efficient. The students will get better understanding of the construction operation and be able to make full use of this knowledge when they go on an educational visit to the con‐ struction site as they will have been previously exposed to the essential information This type of model allows the participant to interact in an intuitive manner with the 3D space, to repeat the sequence or task until the desired level of proficiency or skill has been achieved,

with the extra advantage of this practice being carried out in a safe environment.

models, is important in a modern class setting and deserves attention.

learning process for civil engineering education.

The introduction of the VR model as a new teaching tool in construction and bridge disciplines has been well accepted, although some difficulty in the manipulation of the model was reported. However, this kind of new technological material, based on 3D/4D interactive

Teachers are the key players in the educational process and are the main determiners of quality in the classroom, so they must be kept up to date with new technological material that can contribute to the enhancement of quality in education. Therefore, this new concept of VR technology applied to educational models can bring new perspectives to the teaching and

advantages of using the 4D models:

component or step (**Figure 20**).

operates (**Figure 19**).

70 Structural Bridge Engineering

Aesthetics has an important role to play in civil engineering education and must become an integral part of all civil engineering disciplines in order to minimize their possible negative impact on the environment and maximize the possibilities of improving it. The world is becoming more sensitive to this necessity, and the range of tools at our disposal for this is increasing. The new technologies are becoming more powerful, and we should make them more usable. This work describes the implementation of software that contributes to the visual analysis of bridge structures. A generative program to define bridge decks with several cross‐ sectional types was created by using 3D geometric bridge deck models. The usefulness and applicability of the program were successfully tested on several cases showing that the 3D models are simple to create and to adapt with those modifications clearly needed during the development of the bridge design.

In addition, the text describes the implementation of interactive models that simulates the construction work activity of some constructive processes concerning bridge deck methodol‐ ogies. Virtual reality (VR) capacities applied over the 3D models of the bridges allow interac‐ tion with the construction process contributing to better understanding of the whole construction methodology. The model 4D (3D + time) offers important advantages in the construction field, allowing the student to learn about the composition of a bridge, the sequence established for each construction method and observe the movement of the equipment.

The text shows the application of new technologies to stimulate the diffusion of aesthetics in engineering projects, to follow the construction process and to simplify bridge analysis. The bridge VR/4D tools developed can be considered as improvements when compared with traditional ways of presenting the bridge construction issues in support of the construction activity and of training in these processes.

The main objective of this practical application of the model is to support the understanding of the construction process and to assist training professionals. This chapter shows that the applications with these characteristics make the advantage of using techniques of virtual reality more self‐evident, especially when compared to the simple manipulation of complex models, which cannot be broken down, in it a useful contribution to the field.
