Virtual Review in VR Before Installation

Installation errors in industrial facilities are not merely a technical problem. They are situations that stretch schedules, eat into budgets, and at worst compromise safety — situations that often arise because the plan does not meet reality until the team is already on site. Virtual review offers a concrete answer to this: verifying the placement, installability, and maintenance access of equipment or structures takes place before installation, in a VR environment that corresponds to the actual facility. This is not future technology. It is the way engineering teams today are already reducing rework and improving the safety of work planning.

It is important to draw one terminological boundary right from the start. In automation engineering, “virtual commissioning” often refers to testing programmable logic controllers (PLCs) in a simulation environment before go-live. This article addresses something different: validating plans and reviewing installations in virtual reality using a 3D environment that corresponds to the actual facility.

What installation errors cost in industry

An installation error is rarely discovered on paper. It is discovered in the field, when the crane is on site, contractors are at work, and there is no slack in the schedule. At that point, fixing the problem costs many times more than prevention would have. A clash with a structure, missing maintenance access, or an incorrect access route are typical examples of issues that could have been identified in advance if the plan had been checked against the actual plant environment.

In industrial facilities, especially older brownfield sites, drawings and CAD models do not always reflect the current state of the plant. After years of changes, as-built documentation may not have been updated, and designers make decisions based on information that is no longer accurate. According to SolidComp’s estimate, up to 70% of experts’ time can be spent verifying conditions on site. This is a significant cost that accumulates quietly on every project.

How VR review works as part of the Reality Twin service

Reality Twin™ is built on top of measured reality. The starting point is laser scanning, which produces a point cloud of the plant environment as it currently exists, with millimeter-level accuracy. This data forms the foundation into which design models, new equipment, and structures can be imported and compared against the actual space.

VR is one of Reality Twin’s interfaces, alongside the desktop application, browser, and mobile. During a review, an object library can be used — for example, importing a forklift, crane, or new equipment unit — and it can be visually verified whether it fits in the space and how it is positioned relative to surrounding structures. A measurement tool allows distances to be measured directly in the 3D view, and a cross-section plane enables inspection of the interiors of structures. Gaussian Visuals brings near-photographic visualization that makes it easier to understand spaces, especially in complex environments.

A practical example: for positioning analyzers supplied by an equipment vendor, SolidComp scanned the site, processed the data for design use, and created a VR environment for design reviews. The fieldwork took two days and the processed data was delivered within ten days. This speed is possible because data collection and environment construction happen through a single partner from start to finish.

Improvements in work planning and safety in practice

Virtual review is not just a geometric check. It is also a safety tool. When an installation plan is walked through in a VR environment before going to the field, access routes, lifting areas, and risk points become visible to all parties in the same space.

This is especially valuable when multiple stakeholders are involved: the designer, the equipment supplier, and the facility’s own staff can all view the same environment remotely without traveling. A shared view reduces misunderstandings and speeds up decision-making. SolidComp and Seppo collaborate to use reality-based 3D environments for gamified safety training, which illustrates well how the same data serves multiple purposes.

From a work planning perspective, virtual review also supports lockout/tagout (LOTO) planning and contractor induction. When every party sees before work begins where they are going and what they will be doing, fieldwork proceeds more systematically and safely. This overall picture is also supported by Reality Twin’s occupational safety use, where risk areas and access routes are visualized directly in the 3D model.

What users say about the benefits of Reality Twin

A user survey conducted by SolidComp in May 2026 provides a concrete picture of the value that virtual review delivers in day-to-day work. The survey reached users from the paper, paperboard, mining, chemical, and process industries — exactly those heavy brownfield environments where the reliability of as-built information and reducing physical site visits are everyday concerns.

The single strongest result relates to the reduction in physical site visits. Of the actively responding users, 28 mentioned it as a concrete benefit, and 22 out of 32 respondents said that Reality Twin reduces the need to visit a site physically often or very often. The result is clear: a designer, maintenance professional, or contractor can check a site remotely before going there in person.

The second most common concrete benefit was time savings, mentioned by 25 respondents. Among those who were able to estimate the magnitude of the savings, the majority placed it at at least 15 minutes per use. Some estimated the savings at 30–60 minutes or even 1–2 hours. These time savings accumulate across projects, maintenance preparation, and meetings.

The third strong result concerned understanding of the site: 22 respondents said Reality Twin makes it easier to understand a space or facility. This is especially significant when a decision-maker is not familiar with the site in detail or is unable to visit it physically. Reality Twin does not just save time — it makes the industrial environment more understandable for all parties.

Users made the most use of Reality Twin for project, investment, and layout planning and for reviewing the current state of the facility, each receiving 24 mentions. Locating equipment and areas received 17 mentions, and supporting meetings and decision-making received 11. Support for the most important use case received a score of 4.12 on a scale of 1–5, indicating that when use is properly targeted, the tool delivers.

The average recommendation willingness was 8.31 on a scale of 1–10, and the result was positive when calculated using NPS logic. Users also identified areas for improvement: performance on standard work laptops, navigation, information retrieval, and importing custom 3D models came up most frequently. These do not diminish the perceived benefit, but they indicate where development should be focused next.

Who benefits most from virtual review

The greatest benefit applies to situations where design decisions carry a high cost and where the environment is complex or has changed over time. Brownfield facilities are a typical example: structures, pipelines, and equipment have evolved over decades, and no one can remember all the details from memory anymore.

Engineering managers and project managers benefit from the ability to conduct reviews without requiring all parties to be physically present on site. EPC companies can validate installation plans before the execution phase and reduce the number of surprises that arise in the field. For maintenance managers, virtual review offers the opportunity to verify the adequacy of maintenance access already at the design stage, not only after the equipment has already been installed. This is especially valuable in the context of plant design and layout rearrangement.

Equipment suppliers also benefit significantly. Instead of sending a representative to the site to verify installation conditions, the entire review can be conducted remotely in a 3D model that corresponds to the actual environment. This saves travel time and accelerates project progress. Based on the user survey, this — avoiding unnecessary site visits — is the clearest and most frequently mentioned benefit of Reality Twin.

Getting started with Reality Twin reviews in a project

Getting started is straightforward. If laser scan data of the facility already exists, it can be imported into the Reality Twin environment and a VR review can be arranged without a new site visit. If no data exists, SolidComp handles the scanning, data processing, and environment construction under the same partnership. What is needed from the customer is a contact person, site access permissions, and any existing source material.

A project can be launched in a limited area and expanded once the benefit has been verified. This approach is particularly suitable for organizations that want to see a concrete result before making a broader commitment. Based on the user survey, value grows with use: users who regularly use Reality Twin rate its usefulness significantly higher than occasional users. This supports the idea that adoption should be tied to one real work process from the very beginning. The Reality Twin onboarding process is designed so that it does not require significant effort from the customer’s team during the data processing phase.

If you want to find out how virtual review fits your project or facility, contact SolidComp. At the initial stage, the focus is on listening and clarifying — not yet on solving. The goal is to identify the use cases where the benefit is greatest and to build an operating model based on that.