Overview

What is planning in 3D?

We are helping to uplift Victorian council planning capabilities by providing access to 3D spatial data and the tools we use to perform complex spatial analysis and development assessment.

The Vic3D spatial platform can enable collaboration, analysis and visualisation of planning data in your council.

Our 3D built form modelling service is available to councils for requests ranging from development proposals to large scale activity centre/precinct wide 3D modelling.

Our 3D visualisation service gives councils the ability to communicate development activity and asssessments through flythrough videos and rendered still images.

3D modelling and visualisation

How we plan in 3D

We use advanced 3D modelling and visualisation technology to model, analyse and visualise planning development proposals for buildings, activity centres, precincts and infrastructure.

We have extensive experience applying advanced digital tools, customised scripts and plugins to deliver complex built form modelling across a single site, activity centre or precinct.

Watch the video to see how 3D modelling and visualisation supports statutory and strategic planning projects.

3D modelling and analysis:

Modelling for strategic planning projects including activity centres and precinct wide built form capacity.

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Knowledge and enterprise precinct

Primary location for office, education and function centre uses.

Campus form, mid-rise development incorporating character of the wool store and new council office.

Blue buildings show visualisation of knowledge and enterprise precincts potential buildings in 2050.

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Visualise and assess:

Test development proposal's impact on its surroundings.

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Support ministerial submissions:

Technical built form analytics for VCAT and Panel hearings.

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Determine potential build form:

Test envelopes and alternative scenarios for strategic sites, significant places and urban renewables.

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Represent planning schemes:

Visualise in three dimensions and assess compliance.

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The Footscray Precinct roadmap provides a framework that builds on Footscray's strengths and aligns redevelopment.

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Flythrough videos and animations:

Communicate planning instruments and support community consultations.

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Digital twin Victoria and VIC3D integration

All 3D models and 2D layers generated can be easily integrated.

Please contact visualisation@delwp.vic.gov.au for more information.

Project showcase: Geelong growth capacity modelling

Central Geelong required a clear vision and high-level guidance for land use and development for the next 30 years to develop the Geelong Framework Plan.

We created a 3D solution of parametric modelling on a web based spatial platform using game engine technology to develop growth capacity modelling.  We provided 3D modelling and visualisation support, including procuring a contextual dataset to help the planning team understand and communicate potential growth capacity for Central Geelong in 2050.

7 emerging precincts were identified based around key land use themes:

  • Major retail and hospitality
  • Health and well-being
  • Arts and culture
  • Knowledge, innovation and learning
  • Services
  • Inner urban living
  • Waterfront

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Visualisation of central Geelong potential building skyline in 2050:

The model shows the potential form of buildings, assuming that not all sites may be fully developed or re-developed at all (as currently occurs). While the buildings shown are within the proposed controls in the draft central Geelong framework plan, as a potential visualisation of the future it does not show the extent of every site.

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The central Geelong framework plan is setting a new vision for Geelong CBD for the next 30 years. The framework plan will see the updated land use and development planning controls for the Geelong CBD through eight new precincts.

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Station Precincts:

Transport interchange with accommodation, government services and retail.

New character, taller development, increased activity, amenity and access.

Blue buildings show visualisation of Station Precinct’s potential buildings in 2050.

Green space shows proposed parks.

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Knowledge and enterprise precinct:

Primary location for office, education and function centre uses. Campus form, mid-rise development incorporating character of the new wool stores and new council office.

Blue buildings show visualisation of knowledge and enterprise precincts potential buildings in 2050.

Green space shows proposed parks.

Red lines show retail active streets.

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Retail core precinct

Primary location shopping, eating and entertainment

People prioritised, with historic and permeable streets, low-level development with mid-level heights on large sites.

Blue buildings show visualisation of retail core precincts potential buildings in 2050.

Green space shows proposed parks.

Red lines show retail active streets.

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Health precinct:

Primary location for health/medical facilities.

Evolving character, amenity for patients and residents, tall hospitals with mid-level buildings to low-level at city edge.

Blue buildings show visualisation of health precincts potential buildings in 2050.

Green space show new parks.

Red lines show retail active Streets.

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West village precinct:

Mixed uses including residential office, retail and home businesses.

Evolving character, amenity for residents. mid-level buildings to low-level at city edge.

Blue buildings show visualisation of west village precincts potential buildings 2050.

Green space shows proposed parks.

Red lines show retail active streets.

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Cultural precinct

Primary location for cultural and art facilities integrating with Johnstone Park.

Eclectic character, mid-level buildings to low-level in the east.

Blue buildings show visualisation for cultural precincts potential buildings in 2050.

Waterfront precinct:

Central Geelong's iconic tourism and leisure destination.

Public space and connections along/to the water, low level buildings enhancing existing character.

Waterfront precinct envelopes not shown as buildings will be limited on public land.

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York precinct:

Residential with complementary mixed uses particularly facing Princes Highway.

Retain existing character, lower mid-rise buildings stepping down to adjacent residential.

Blue buildings show visualisation of York precinct potential buildings in 2050.

Submitting a 3D model to the Minister for Planning

3D models are submitted in areas where the Minister for Planning is the responsible authority and at key strategic sites. 3D modelling forms a key part of the assessment process for planning permits.

The 3D digital model submission guide provides guidance when submitting models for assessment.

3D digital model submission guide (PDF, 130.6 KB)

Get in touch

Our team can help with:

  • enquiries about Vic3D
  • creating a 3D model or visualisation of your planning project
  • help to submit a 3D model.

Complete the form below and we will contact you about your project.

How would you prefer to be contacted?

Vic3D

What is Vic3D?

Vic3D is our 3D web-based viewer that provides a range of tools to support 3D spatial analysis and visualisation.

Using Vic3D you can:

  • manage and monitor development activity in an easy to access and use 3D web viewer
  • dynamically display shadowing for a specific date or across a time span to understand overshadowing impact
  • take distance, height and area measurements of buildings or property parcels
  • mock-up massing envelopes to visualise built form and contextual impact
  • conduct viewline and viewshed analysis
  • generate sharable streetscape and aerial views of the model using the camera tool.

These tools are available to our State and Local Government colleagues and industry partners to enable all Victorians to access simple, effective spatial analysis.

Vic3D uses our deep domain expertise and engagement with users to develop a planning-centric platform that significantly uplifts the state’s planning capabilities and provides a suite of powerful 3D planning tools.

How you can use Vic3D

Vic3D provides users with a powerful interface to work efficiently with 3D and 2D spatial data.

Key features

The Layers tab provides flexibility to structure a range of 2D and 3D spatial and non-spatial data.

Layers give you easy access to information to support assessment and visualisation.

Dynamically display shadowing for a date and time, or across a time span.
Screenshot of Vic3D 'Shadow' interface showing 3D model and shadow controls.

Take 3D measurements within the interface. Distance and area tools provide a simple way to take accurate measurements
Screenshot of Vic3D 'Measure' interface showing 3D model and Measure controls.

Line of sight allows you to perform visibility analysis. Visibility between an observer and multiple target points is calculated against currently displayed content in the view including:

  • the ground
  • integrated meshes
  • 3D objects like buildings or trees.
    Screenshot of Vic3D 'Line of sight' interface showing 3D model and Line of sight controls

Viewshed allows you to define a point and generate a 360 degree viewshed for that location. Visible areas are marked in green and obscured targets are displayed as red.
Screenshot of Vic3D 'Viewshed' interface showing 3D model and Viewshed controls.

View Ray is a dynamic version of Viewshed, you can move the focus around the interface to determine what’s visible. Visible areas are marked in green and obscured targets are displayed as red.
Screenshot of Vic3D 'View ray' interface showing 3D model with visible areas shaded green and non-visible areas shaded red.

The sketch tool is a powerful feature to support visualising proposed buildings when the building model isn’t available.

You can sketch a building and define building segments with floors, floor heights and setback configurations. The buildings then form part of analysis in the interface, for example:

  • shadow visualisation
  • view analysis
  • height and area metrics

Buildings created using Sketch can be exported and shared with other Vic3D users.

Creating buildings in Vic3D is made easy with sketch:

  1. Define the base building footprint by selecting a property/group of properties or draw an outline of the footprint.
    Screenshot of Vic3D 'Sketch' interface showing 3D model and controls to configure step 1.
  2. Configure number of segments with individual floor height, and floor count definitions with setbacks.
    Screenshot of Vic3D 'Sketch' interface showing 3D model and controls to configure step 2.

Define specific view points within a scene to form part of fly view presentations through the interface. View points can also be converted to PDF or imported/exported.
Screenshot of Vic3D 'Camera' interface showing 3D model and camera controls.

Presentation mode allows you to present from within Vic3D, without the need to switch between PowerPoint and a web browser.

Presentation mode has similar features to PowerPoint, for example:

  • embed PDFs, images and text
  • setup defined viewpoint scenarios prior to a presentation
  • use embedded controls when ready to present.
    Screenshot of Vic3D 'Present' interface showing 3D model and presenting controls.

Shadow accumulation

Display the amount of shadow that a building casts over time.

Elevation profile

Generate elevational profile of streetscape.

Building elevation

Visualise (by colour) buildings according to height range.

Print

Create an image of the current display, that can be inserted into documents, emails and presentations.

Get in touch

Our team can help with:

  • enquiries about Vic3D
  • creating a 3D model or visualisation of your planning project
  • help to submit a 3D model.

Complete the form below and we will contact you about your project.

How would you prefer to be contacted?