Construction managers require innovative techniques to assist them in producing accurateplanning tasks such as resource allocation and costing because of unique characteristics of theconstruction industry. Visualisation technologies have potential to improve communications andcoordination amongst project stakeholders and assist to optimise onsite productivity and cost throughvisual simulation of construction process. This paper introduces a framework of a 4D planning tool for thegeneration of earthwork progress profiles and production cost profiles of a road section automatically. Thetool assists in visualising the impact in progress profiles and production cost throughout constructionprocess of earthwork operations. The framework is designed and developed by integrating road designdata, quantities of cutting and filling sections, variable productivity data, algorithms for modelling terrain,and a road progress and cost profile visualiser. The paper details the tool that has been developed torecognise the framework outlined above. The model is validated with a real life case study in a roadproject and was found that the model to be beneficial in generating the terrain surfaces of progressprofiles and cost profiles during construction operations under variable soil characteristics and analysingwith variable productivity factors. The 4D planning tool will be an aid to support project planners andconstruction managers in producing efficient construction scheduling and resource planning
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