3D animation for building insurance risk analysis
The use of sophisticated software animation techniques to provide images of how proposed developments will look are now established practice. Walk-throughs enable viewers to see everything from detailed internal layouts through to how landscaping will blend a new development into an existing environment.
Similar techniques can now be applied to the insurance of construction risks. This can be useful for example when insuring a complex development or engineering projects where construction activity is sequenced over a long period of time and, as a result, the level of risk, actual or perceived, can vary significantly from one stage to the next.
The use of animation to bring to life the actual sequencing of events, the positioning of key engineering elements such as tower cranes, and the storage proposals for valuable or flammable components results in a better process of evaluation of risk analysis and pricing.
And the use of such techniques is just as valid for property owners, where animation can be used to show exactly who occupies which space, what is stored there, what the sums insured for each area are, and so on.
A walk-through or aerial display can be generated so that underwriters can virtually “see” what they are being asked to insure even though it may be physically located on the other side of the world.
Just as the cost of assembling a development proposal increasingly includes the cost of producing a 3D model, so will the cost of insurance animation increasingly become part of the cost of obtaining best value from the insurance market.
Watch some examples of animations.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Architectural photography.
- Building Information Modelling.
- Computer Aided Design.
- Contractors' all-risk insurance.
- Directors and officers insurance.
- Professional indemnity insurance.
- Professional Indemnity Insurance clause in conditions of engagement.
- Real time.
- Residual value insurance.
[edit] External references
- NB This article is made available with the kind permission of 3 Dimensional Insurance Limited and Post Magazine.
Featured articles and news
Future Homes Standard Essentials launched
Future Homes Hub launches new campaign to help the homebuilding sector prepare for the implementation of new building standards.
Building Safety recap February, 2026
Our regular run-down of key building safety related events of the month.
Planning reform: draft NPPF and industry responses.
Last chance to comment on proposed changes to the NPPF.
A Regency palace of colour and sensation. Book review.
Delayed, derailed and devalued
How the UK’s planning crisis is undermining British manufacturing.
How much does it cost to build a house?
A brief run down of key considerations from a London based practice.
The need for a National construction careers campaign
Highlighted by CIOB to cut unemployment, reduce skills gap and deliver on housing and infrastructure ambitions.
AI-Driven automation; reducing time, enhancing compliance
Sustainability; not just compliance but rethinking design, material selection, and the supply chains to support them.
Climate Resilience and Adaptation In the Built Environment
New CIOB Technical Information Sheet by Colin Booth, Professor of Smart and Sustainable Infrastructure.
Turning Enquiries into Profitable Construction Projects
Founder of Develop Coaching and author of Building Your Future; Greg Wilkes shares his insights.
IHBC Signpost: Poetry from concrete
Scotland’s fascinating historic concrete and brutalist architecture with the Engine Shed.
Demonstrating that apprenticeships work for business, people and Scotland’s economy.
Scottish parents prioritise construction and apprenticeships
CIOB data released for Scottish Apprenticeship Week shows construction as top potential career path.
From a Green to a White Paper and the proposal of a General Safety Requirement for construction products.
Creativity, conservation and craft at Barley Studio. Book review.
The challenge as PFI agreements come to an end
How construction deals with inherited assets built under long-term contracts.
Skills plan for engineering and building services
Comprehensive industry report highlights persistent skills challenges across the sector.
Choosing the right design team for a D&B Contract
An architect explains the nature and needs of working within this common procurement route.
Statement from the Interim Chief Construction Advisor
Thouria Istephan; Architect and inquiry panel member outlines ongoing work, priorities and next steps.
























