CAD is great at rendering exact dimensions of a system, but the vertices add up and are becoming increasingly (and needlessly) computationally intensive. Companies like GTP Services, owners of Field Orderz and STRATUS, are now turning to game development software for inspiration – and even to form the backbone of future releases.

“The buildings that we're building, the intricacy of them, the detail of everything of them, everything that has been holding us back in the CAD programs that exist today, the gaming engines can handle that,” says Jonathan Marsh, CEO of Steel Toe Consulting and co-developer of Field Orderz. 

“They understand that they don't need to have everything in frame. They understand the way that things move. We even have gravity,” he adds, noting the funding available to game development software pales in comparison to the construction industry.