AURA is a game engine-based and visual 3D virtual environment for visualizing, simulating and digital twins of changes in the built environment. Aura offers a highly visual and intuitive user interface for observing and understanding both static and dynamic data within built environment.

AURA is Sitowise's virtual environment for urban modeling, data management, real-time simulation and interaction. With AURA you can see how modern game technology takes urban planning and communication to a new level.

Data model based design and data management

AURA supports data model-based planning and project information management. GIS and BIM data, design and urban models, and point cloud data create a virtual environment that is complemented by material textures into a high-quality and understandable visual 3D model - making urban environment changes more apprehensible.

AURA-virtuaaliympäristö Verkkosaari

Communication and interaction

AURA's visual language creates a virtual environment that everyone can understand, facilitating the communication of project impacts and changes across language boundaries. An easy-to-understand 3D model enhances the interaction of the project between different stakeholders and improves communication between city residents and planners. Decision-making becomes easier and faster, problem areas and conflicts to be solved become visible, and solutions open up easily to the viewer.

Through AURA, you will receive all the necessary project presentation material. AURA is an easy-to-use and ready-made 3D environment where the user can freely take their own perceptual images from the camera angles of their choice or make automatic videos between two pixels.

The 360 ​​image feature creates a new kind of comparative perceptual image technology where the image and the designed environment can be compared directly from the right location without a forced angle of view. Free simulation of daylight and seasonal natural light, as well as weather conditions, make it possible to look at the environment as realistically as possible.

Dynamics and gamification

AURA brings the movements and dynamics of a living city into an easily perceptible entity. Street furniture, animated people and vehicles facilitate scale views from a human perspective and create a realistic picture of urban space changes.

Free navigation with the mouse or game controller gives the user a free hand to define the desired viewing angles for the design solutions. In addition, the user can fly, walk, ride a bike or even drive a car in a model. Game technology enables a versatile and imaginative way to play and engage urban planning as a new human digital interaction tool.

Simulations

AURA serves as a 3D platform for various urban space simulations. AURA enables simulations of lighting, traffic, cameras, 5G base stations, energy and air quality, among other things. Motion-responsive smart lights, 5G base station carrying capacity or traffic congestion analysis at AURA create a content and technological extension over traditional demonstration models.

VR creates a digital landscape of tomorrow's city

Implemented with the Unity game engine, AURA enables modern virtual environment publishing channels in addition to the traditional on-screen viewing. AURA also supports virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) publishing, as well as models presented in virtual cave spaces.

Future design becomes a more immersive experience, with solution models sought within 3D models through real-time design. Changes in the environment at street level can be envisioned with VR glasses and, for example, by analyzing gaze tracking.

 

Port of Oulu Digital Twin powered by AURA

Digital twins

AURA offers the full technological prerequisites for building a real-time, dynamic Digital Twin. AURA receives the intelligence of data models and combines real-time data visualization.

The AURA virtual environment brings the invisible technologies of a smart city to life. Information about intelligent traffic, smart streets, buildings and street furniture, or even human flows, comes to life in 3D. In the digital twin, our three-dimensional real view expands to more dimensions, and the analysis of data flows and their common effects are visible in the digital twin alongside the real world.

Features of the AURA virtual environment

  • High quality and easy to use visual 3D virtual environment
  • Dynamic model-enabled motion visualization, such as animated people, cyclists, and traffic
  • A freely navigable environment, by flying, walking, cycling or driving
  • Take screenshots from any camera angle or create video between two or more images
  • An interactive 3D platform creates a playful city model
  • Simulation of natural light and weather conditions
  • Simulations and visualizations of data analyzes such as traffic, lighting, 5G, cameras and air quality
  • 360 ° views and observation images
  • Supports a variety of presentation technologies such as VR, AR and virtual cave solutions
  • Allows digital twin creation (IoT, sensor, real-time data).