The Tech Behind Bentley’s Immersive Digital Twins

• 15 March 2026
• Construction Focus
• 183 Views

In the world of massive infrastructure, the biggest challenge isn’t just building a bridge—it’s helping people visualize it before it exists. Bentley Systems is solving this through its iLab innovation hub, where lead designer Liana O’Cleirigh is deploying a suite of high-tech tools that turn complex engineering data into immersive, human-scale experiences.

At the heart of this transformation is the iTwin Platform, which creates “digital twins”—exact virtual 3D replicas of physical structures. By integrating this with Cesium geospatial technology, Bentley allows engineers to place their designs directly into a digital version of the real world, complete with existing buildings and terrain from Google Maps.

This means a designer in London can “walk” through a project in Amsterdam, feeling the scale of the structures relative to their own body.

One of the most groundbreaking technologies O’Cleirigh is currently championing is Gaussian splatting. While traditional 3D modeling often struggles with fine details like thin wires or glass reflections, this new technique uses millions of intelligent “splats” to create photorealistic scenes from ordinary photos.

When viewed through the Apple Vision Pro, these “splats” allow stakeholders to experience a site in stunning high definition, even simulating scenarios like being waist-deep in water to understand flood risks.

Bentley is also making these tools more accessible through iTwin Capture, a workflow that removes the need for expensive hardware by processing massive datasets in the cloud. By using these “show, don’t tell” models, Bentley is helping city planners and engineers win public trust.

Instead of looking at a flat blueprint, a resident can put on a headset and see exactly how a new stadium will cast shadows on their home, making the future of our cities more transparent and interactive than ever before.

• Bentley
• Bentley Systems
• Cesium
• iTwin
• iTwin Capture