Your Immersive project

Create your digital replica or digital twin

Represent your site in 3D, then connect its equipment to data. A gradual process, from the first plans to a model that reflects your operations.

Explore the steps Prepare my project
The same building in a 3D cutaway: its digital replica on the left, and its twin with temperature, access status and alert markers on the right.
Concept illustration inspired by Immersive plans.

A shared foundation

The place, then what happens there

01 / Represent

The digital replica

A structured representation of your site, its spaces and objects. It helps people understand the layout, find their way and locate useful information.

For mapping, exploration and wayfinding.

02 / Connect

The digital twin

The same representation, connected to data from your systems. Equipment states and changes appear in the model, making the situation easier to understand.

For supervision and, depending on the project, historical analysis or simulation.

Start with a digital replica that is useful every day, then connect an initial group of equipment. Expand the scope as your needs evolve.

Implementation

A project built step by step

Each step produces a concrete result. Expand the technical sections for modelling and integration details.

  1. The starting point

    Define the spaces and use cases

    Choose the spaces to represent, the people who will use the map and the first questions it should answer. One floor or equipment family can be enough to start.

    Result: An agreed scope and clear priorities.

    Details: scope the integration

    Identify available sources, system owners and required data. Distinguish viewing, supervision and any control functions. Define permissions and acceptance criteria for each use case.

    Explore business use cases
    Photorealistic exterior view of the office building shown in the digital replica, with its glazed entrance and landscaped grounds.
    The starting point: the building you want to supervise. Photorealistic illustration based on the plan.

  2. Site documentation

    Gather plans and site surveys

    Bring together available plans, dimensions and photographs of the site. These references help establish the building’s layout and prepare its 3D model.

    Result: A set of source documents for building the digital replica.

    Details: prepare the source information

    Identify floors, rooms, access points and reference dimensions. Check the documents’ dates and consistency with the actual site, then fill any gaps with surveys or photographs. Specify the elements to represent within the agreed scope.

    See what to prepare
    An architectural plan of the same office building, drawn in white on a blue background, showing the meeting room, offices, circulation and technical rooms.
    Site plans provide the basis for the digital replica. A blueprint illustration of the building.

  3. The digital replica

    Model your site in 3D

    Forge

    Use plans and site surveys to build a readable model of buildings, floors, rooms and relevant objects. Match the detail and visual style to the chosen uses.

    Result: A structured 3D replica ready to explore.

    Details: Forge and the model

    Forge creates and organises the model. Rest Frontage stores it and makes it available to Beholder. Check dimensions, floors, object positions and readability before preparing equipment associations.

    Discover Forge
    The building’s blueprint gains volume: a few 3D walls and objects rise above the drawing to illustrate modelling in progress.
    From plan to 3D: the first walls and objects take shape. An illustration of modelling in progress.

  4. The equipment

    Link each equipment item to its 3D object

    Rest Frontage · Forge

    Identify the equipment to monitor, import it and locate it in the model. This association, called binding, links the equipment identity to its representation in the space.

    Result: Identified equipment linked to the correct objects.

    Details: import and binding

    Excel import into Rest Frontage prepares the equipment inventory and its properties. In Forge, drag and drop associates equipment with the corresponding 3D object. Check references, location and source-data mappings for each group or functional family.

    Understand binding

    Equipment list

    • 1
      Meeting room displayEQ-001 · Meeting room
    • 2
      Technical cabinetEQ-002 · Technical room
    • 3
      Entrance doorEQ-003 · Reception

    Objects in the 3D replica

    3D replica of the building. Markers connect the meeting room display (1), the technical cabinet (2) and the entrance door (3) to their entries in the equipment list.
    One piece of equipment, one 3D object: matching markers in the list and the plan show each association.

  5. Connecting the twin

    Connect data from the site

    Hub

    Connect systems that report what is happening on site: building management, sensors, business applications or other sources. Hub receives or retrieves their data and communicates it to Beholder.

    Result: A model fed by states from your systems.

    Details: connectors and data flows

    Select connectors suited to the sources: REST API, OPC UA, MQTT, Excel or a custom connector. Configure access and data mappings, then check reception and updates in Beholder. Historical analysis and simulation require data and configuration suited to the project.

    In this example, the door controller exposes a state through OPC UA, the cabinet publishes a state through MQTT, and the display uses a manufacturer protocol that needs a custom connector. The NodeId must match the OPC UA server and the connector’s filter. For MQTT, the topic identifies the path published on the broker; the handle path adds the prefix configured in the connector. Adapt these examples to the interfaces actually available, then verify the exchanges.

    Example MQTT handle path: Mqtt://grs/site-a/armoire-01/etat

    Discover Hub
    Photorealistic view of the building with three markers: the meeting room display (1), entrance door (3) and technical room area (2), linked to their Hub connection methods.
    1

    Meeting room display

    EQ-001

    Manufacturer protocol

    In this example, no supplied connector supports this display model.

    Custom connector to develop

    3

    Entrance door

    EQ-003

    OPC UA

    Open/closed state exposed by the door controller.

    NodeId · examplens=2;s=Door01.IsOpen

    OPC UA connector

    2

    Technical cabinet

    EQ-002

    MQTT

    Cabinet status published to an MQTT broker.

    Topic · examplegrs/site-a/armoire-01/etat

    MQTT connector

    Hub ImmersiveCollect status data for Beholder
    Connection example with fictional identifiers. Markers locate equipment within the building; the dashed connection represents the display connector, which still needs to be developed.

  6. Everyday use

    Make the data meaningful

    Beholder · JavaScript

    Show values with units, make states visible, animate objects or adapt an interaction. The model brings out the information each user needs.

    Result: A readable view tailored to business needs.

    Details: workspace and scripts

    Beholder loads the model and the workspace’s JavaScript scripts from Rest Frontage. Scripts transform how data is presented and adapt the model or application behaviour. Examples include formatting a temperature or showing a door opening based on its state.

    These examples build on the connections in step 05. Prepare the moving parts and their pivots, then link the opening state to their animation. For the screen, the custom connector or an API must provide an accessible screenshot; the script displays it on the 3D object and manages updates. The information card applies formatting and display rules to the measurements. Also handle unavailable values or screenshots.

    Explore scripting
    The same model, with or without scripting
    3

    Animate a state

    Entrance door
    Close-up of the closed entrance door in the 3D model before the script is applied. The same entrance door in the model, with both leaves open after the script is applied.

    Need: See immediately whether the entrance door is open or closed.

    The received state says the door is open, but the 3D object stays closed.

    The script translates the received state into an open door in the 3D model.

    Received data IsOpen = true
    1

    Mirror a display

    Meeting room display
    Close-up of the black meeting-room screen in the 3D model. The same 3D screen displays an illustrative screenshot with charts.

    Need: Check that the screen is on and see what it is displaying.

    A screenshot is available, but the 3D screen stays black.

    The script displays a screenshot from the television on the screen in the model.

    Received data Screenshot provided by the screen’s API
    2

    Create an information card

    Technical cabinet
    Close-up of the technical-room cabinet in the 3D model, without a customised information card. The technical room in the 3D model, with a temperature and humidity information card.
    Technical room
    Temperature
    21.2 °C
    Humidity
    45.6 %

    Need: Clearly read the temperature and humidity measured at the cabinet.

    Measurements are shown exactly as received, with all their decimal places.

    The script rounds measurements, adds units and creates an information card linked to the equipment.

    Received data Temperature = 21.2143772155528
    Humidity = 45.55332130201
    Illustrative demonstration: the same data, two representations. Simulated screenshot and measurements.

  7. Commissioning

    Verify, then expand the scope

    Compare the representation with the real site and validate the first uses with users. Once this scope works as intended, add more spaces, equipment or functions.

    Result: A validated initial scope and a foundation for expansion.

    Details: validation points

    Check associations, units, state changes, permissions and behaviour when data is unavailable. Check performance on target devices. Plan updates to the model and equipment inventory as the site changes.

    Browse training
    3D view of the validated first building, showing its rooms, an open window, the meeting room, the technical room and the toilets. Two buildings in the background represent future extensions. First building validated Next extensionBuilding B Next extensionBuilding C
    • WindowOpenOffice 1
    • Presence sensorOccupiedMeeting room
    • Room temperatures
      Office 1
      21.2 °C
      Office 2
      22.4 °C
    • User commentWater leak reportedToilets · Action required

    Need: Validate uses with teams, add new information and gradually extend supervision to other departments and buildings.

    Growing interest through new uses

    The first practical uses encourage teams to go further. By addressing new needs, Immersive renews and broadens its relevance across the business: other departments adopt it, contribute their information and imagine new uses. Its scope grows from one function to another, then from one building to another.

    • MaintenanceReports and interventions
    • FacilitiesOccupancy and comfort
    • SecurityPresence and openings
    • EnergyTemperature monitoring
    Illustration of an expanding scope: simulated states, temperatures and report. The comment bubble represents information entered by a user.

A concrete example

A door in the model

The same process applies to a temperature, a light or a technical asset. The object locates the information, the connection supplies its state and the script controls its representation.

  1. Represent itThe door is in the correct place in the 3D replica.
  2. Identify itBinding associates the door equipment with this object.
  3. Receive its stateThe source system reports “open” or “closed” through Hub.
  4. Make it visibleIn Beholder, a script adapts the 3D door to the received state.

Before you start

What to bring together

Start with the documents you already have. Connection requirements become clearer as the scope and use cases are defined.

Site plans and reference information
Available plans, floors, dimensions and photos. A site visit helps confirm the actual layout.
The equipment inventory
Names, references, families and locations of equipment to represent or monitor.
Data sources for the twin
Relevant systems, interface documentation, sample data and technical contacts.
Your priority use cases
Who uses the map, for which task, on which device, and with what information or actions?

Your initial scope

Let’s discuss your site

Tell us about your site and your first use case. Together, we can define what to model and which data to connect.

Discuss my projectSee the GMP project

Developer