Current planning and scheduling techniques are carried out in an unstructured form with considerable reliance on planners judgement, imagination and intuition. The final product of such techniques is typically a lengthy textural and tabular report and/or symbolic network. This serves as an abstract rather than visual modeling of the real construction process. The availability of advanced computer hardware and software allows us, today, to develop new planning and scheduling techniques to overcome the current limitations.

Computer-Aided Design (CAD) is a computing system which makes extensive use of computer graphics. The use of CAD systems in construction presents a great opportunity for integrating engineering and construction processes in a more cost effective way. The combination of computer graphics, animation, and 3D computer modeling can be extremely effective for real-time simulation and visualization to support engineering and construction from the conceptual design to the construction process.

This thesis presents a new planning and scheduling system. The system combines a construction scheduling network with 3D computer models to form a Visual Scheduling Simulation (VSS) of the construction process. The VSS system simulates, or put into motion, construction activities so they can be viewed at a graphics display.

The VSS system allows the user to view the actual and planned construction sequence. The user has the option to view either: planned schedule; actual schedule; or both schedules shown side by side for quick visual comparison. The user has the option to visually simulate the entire construction project, or any specified time period. This simulation can be viewed for a partial segment or the entire configuration of the project.