This technology firm in Beijing has created a complete virtual clone of China’s largest city.
Covering almost 4,000 square kilometres and built using information from satellites, drones
and sensors in the real Shanghai - the digital replica could soon have the power to simulate
events in the city’s future with astonishing accuracy.
Powered by Unreal Engine’s photorealistic graphics, covering thousands of buildings
and with the potential to impact millions of people, this is how China cloned Shanghai.
The extreme rise of technology over recent decades is now having a major impact on how we shape our cities.
Faced with several challenges - from the huge growth of urban populations to climate change
and pandemics - these centres are now using connected digital information to improve services,
plan development and optimise buildings.
But “digital twins” take things to a different level.
These models are precise virtual representations of physical assets that are kept continuously
up to date - and could cover anything from one small element of a building to an entire city.
That’s what Beijing-based developer 51World is planning to do with Shanghai.
Powered by Unreal Engine, the team has created a complete virtual model of China’s largest
city - that covers an area of more than 3,750 square kilometres.
Though the level of detail varies across the model, more than 20 landmark structures, including
the Oriental Pearl and Shanghai Tower were created individually.
Countless other buildings, roads, waterways and green spaces were then made using an algorithm
that converts data from a Geographic Information System into 3D information.
51World’s intention is to turn this model into a digital twin - a virtual reflection
of the live city that is continuously updated in near real-time as it gathers data from
geographic information sensors, satellites, drones and other sources.
It could allow its user to control a building’s systems, monitor traffic flow
or show citizens how a planned new project might appear.
With digital twins, designers can simulate ideas in the live city environment, before
they are constructed and the impact of decisions - from where to position a bus stop to how
large a new housing development should be - can be understood in advance.
51World’s models of other cities are already being used to create digital twins.
Perhaps its best example yet is in Singapore, where one has been built for a developer and the local government.
Integrating information on buildings, transport, parks, drainage and more, it allows city operators
to monitor traffic, building operations, bridge maintenance and simulate floods.
51World has also implemented several intelligent transportation projects across China,
offering solutions for 3D real-time monitoring and micro-traffic flow simulation.
To optimise the efficiency of real-time rendering in the Shanghai model, as a user moves across the cityscape,
the entire simulation is divided up into two-square-kilometre segments.
Closer objects appear in finer detail, showing accurate environmental reflections, soft shadows
on surfaces and lifelike shading effects in accordance with the weather.
To achieve these graphics, 51World turned to Unreal Engine - one of the industry’s leading platforms
for creating photorealistic visuals and immersive experiences.
As well as cutting-edge rendering capabilities, Unreal Engine gave 51World a real-time lighting
system that simulates the sun, photorealistic models of the city’s landmarks and the ability
to quickly find errors.
Digital twins in the hands of a private company or national government instantly raises questions
about rights, ethics and ownership.
All of the data used in systems like this is anonymised and facts about specific individuals
and their movements aren’t tracked - it’s more for looking at broader, trend-level information.
Notwithstanding that, the exciting advantages these digital twins bring come entwined with
challenging questions for our societies.
Though the Shanghai model is undoubtedly one of the most advanced that we’ve seen, several
other cities are now exploring the idea of virtual clones - albeit by creating advanced
3D models, rather than true digital twins.
In Finland, VR studio Zoan used Unreal Engine to create Virtual Helsinki - a digital replica
of the capital that’s used for everything from 360-degree virtual real estate tours to promoting
the city at international exhibitions.
And in New Zealand, Buildmedia and the city’s council used Unreal Engine to develop
an accurate model of Wellington. They now plan to integrate live data to create a true digital twin.
Though any SimCity or Minecraft fan will tell you that building city simulations with a
gaming engine has been possible for decades - this technology is now on course to transform
our real-world urban landscape.
What’s more, digital twins are still in their infancy and their potential is enormous.
With future models expected to be capable of autonomous decision-making, it seems that
the age of the truly smart city has only just begun.
51World’s model of Shanghai was brought to life with Unreal Engine.
To see what else is possible with one of the world’s most powerful visualisation tools, click the link below.
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