Throughout history, designers, artists, architects, and engineers have always thought of ways to create innovative tools for their own use and exhibition of design creation and sale. In our current times, technology is constantly advancing the edge for the state-of-the-art status of hardware and software designers use to further their frontiers and visions. Today, we are going to explore a particular piece of technology that is becoming increasingly popular and talked about. It is considered a gateway to the future of the design industry for its many applications in illustrating and selling art or design work. It is called Virtual Reality also known as “VR”. Even though it is not a new technology, it has now reached a noticeable level of reality simulation, has provided more manipulation capabilities, and is more affordable and readily available.
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Virtual Reality is a computer-generated environment that simulates reality. As compared to “Augmented Reality” or “AR”, Virtual Reality completely immerses the user into a non-physical world that mimics all five senses of the human brain using a headset or head-mounted display (HMD), and motion detecting/tracking accessories to interface with the computer program. AR, however, is another handy tool for designers where three-dimensional graphics are super-imposed onto a real-world view and can be seen and interacted with through a tablet, smartphone, camera, and/or PC. AR does not need an HMD but one can be used too.
Photo Credit: Pexels.com
Photo Credit: Pexels.com
For those of us in the architecture and design industry, one of the most exciting examples of this technology in action is Revit’s new “Revit to VR” plug-in applications which allow the user to translate the model and its settings (such as sun, materials, textures, etc.) into VR and then, by using a third-party software dedicated to VR rendering performance, a fully immersive experience can be created to explore the model and its features. There are many VR Rendering services available and many price ranges depending on the complexity of your model and desired quality or performance. VR Rendering software uses the same rendering engines used in video games to deliver the feeling of reality to the user. This experience can enhance the way designers showcase their work and the way the client is able to perceive it and digest it.
Photo Credit: Pexels.com
Photo Credit: Pexels.com
When it comes to interior design, a conventional, beautiful static rendered image of a room can only convey so much to the viewer, but an up-close view of the work itself in the 3D world can serve many purposes beyond just persuasion. At SR/A we are especially intrigued by the ability to give our clients a complete experience of walking into their property before a single brick has been laid. Being able to walk through a model can help to point out potential issues, and undesired conditions, and expansion of options for a certain space to include a range of colors, and their look at day and at night. The flow of ideas that the client and designer can come up with becomes effective and productive. It eliminates doubt or hesitation and reinforces confident decision-making on the fly and is particularly helpful for clients who have trouble visualizing a space from a package of 2-D drawings and material images. We have already begun testing VR technology in-house and hope to be able to offer the service to our clients in the not-so-distance future. The possibilities are endless for this exciting new tool and as we move forward, more intense and truly immersive technology will be within reach!
