If you’ve used Gravity Sketch previously, then it’s probably been through a VR headset. However the move to make the concept design software platform-agnostic sees the brand move onto the iPad to bridge the skill of sketching in 2D with digital 3D creation.

Under the hood Gravity Sketch says that the application is identical to its VR variant, using the same geometry engine and incorporating the majority of the tools available through VR devices. The app can be used standalone or in conjunction with the Gravity Sketch VR app, utilising LandingPad as a bridge between the two, and allowing sketches started on either device, VR or iPad, to be opened and further worked on in the other.

Not all features in the VR app have been implemented in the iPad app yet, including SubD modelling, although the team describes the launch release as a ‘work in progress’ and is working on adding more abilities with future updates.

The key target for the new app is sketching on the go – lots of designers have replaced their paper pads for an iPad and Apple Pencil – making it a more prolific and accessible hardware platform than VR. The new app looks to add benefits to 2D sketching, creating 3D models that can be moved into a virtual design environment when needed.

“We don’t describe Gravity Sketch as a VR application, but instead, acknowledge that VR is a great way of accessing digital 3D design,” said Gravity Sketch CEO Oluwaseyi Sosanya.

“The majority of CAD and 3D design software packages have introduced layers of cumbersome user interface making for a slow rigid experience, which has been perpetuated over the past 30+ years. VR initially gave us a way to remove this barrier to entry. Our mission has always been to create a tool that can be accessed from any device anywhere in order to give users access to the 3D design the same way we have access to our email or documents.”

The Gravity Sketch iPad app is available now free via the Apple App Store.

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Stephen Holmes discovers how a new waterside residential project in England has benefitted from high detail renderings to achieve planning permission for its ‘Paragraph 79’ application

Visualisation expert Visual Trick went into extreme detail for a recent project in leafy East Sussex as the project set out to add a new build to this rural lakeside location.

The developer of Hook Place was looking to secure ‘Para 79’ status (shorthand for the special circumstance set out in criterion of (e) paragraph 79 of the NPPF 2018) to allow new isolated homes to be built in the countryside, subject to certain requirements.

As a result, photorealism in presentation of the structure, showing how it would blend with the surrounding landscape and vegetation was of the highest importance.

The plant species to be used, their relationship with the countryside area, the choice of the materials and the appearance of the building in this particular context all had to be on the money.

Visual Trick began the project like it does all others — the client was asked to send over all the drawing, surveys, photographs and sketches necessary to understand the projects and the needs, but also to advise the best route to take.

A 3D model of the elegantly curving structure was created in SketchUp, allowing for camera framing to take place early and to establish the final composition for each visual.

Completing the scene and adding in the multiple other assets was done in Autodesk 3ds max, giving the foundation for the rendering engine, and allowing Visual Trick to utilise the Forest Pack plug-in from iToo Software.

Described enthusiastically by Visual Trick founder Paride Giancaterino as “One of the most stunning plug-ins on the market”, it allows for the dynamic creation for vegetation of any kind.

The lighting formed a key stage for the project, as the position of the lights proved fundamental to the sculptured shape of the model.

“Special care was taken in order to respect the real light conditions where necessary, without compromising the final result and in relation to the position of the camera,” explained Giancaterino.

The exterior was lit with image base lighting, using a dome light along with an HDRi image, while the creation of textures was a more hands-on affair, with each manually made from scratch, with Visual Trick justifying that having bespoke textures helped to achieve the photorealistic quality needed for this type of project.

Rendered using V-Ray Next, the scenes were then transferred into Photoshop for post-production, giving the early autumnal setting a crispness, and adding a smattering of fallen leaves.

Every element of the image had to be studied to convince the planning department of the quality of the architecture.

“Para79 buildings must take great attention to the natural beauty of the area, the countryside has to be considered the fundamental in every stage,” concludes Giancaterino.

Everything, from the light to vegetation, had to respect this rule; everything had to follow a natural look.”

■ visualtrick.co.uk

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The brief for this visualisation came as part of a series of studies to showcase the engineering side of the buildings featured; emphasising the client Newtecnic’s ingenuity for constructing the future.

In addition to the typical focus on the structure, renders feature futuristic construction systems, robotic materials delivery and holographic blueprints — highlighting potential upgrades that the building could embrace in the future thanks to Newtecnic’s engineering.

“Each portrait represents a particular phase of construction in the retrofit process,” says Arqui9 creative director Pedro Fernandes.

“Along with Newtecnic, we thought long and hard on how we could integrate various types of technological advances into each image, making sure we kept with the integrity and language of the project.”

In the visualisation, elements like the hybrid solar voltaic facade panels are enhanced more than they would be in other renders, as well as revealing the constructive systems below.

Fernandes says that it was important for Arqui9 to consider that buildings — such as the CBI, which has a delivery date of 2021 — have a huge lifespan and will need to adapt to the environment and times throughout in order to remain relevant and sustainable.

“We imagined a world where most of the works would be automated and symbiotic, where engineering takes a step forward to aid humanity and its inherent need for advancement.

“Focusing on the importance of good engineering for a sustainable future of the landmark building.”

Following initial storyboarding of ideas and scene concepts, the model data was initially provided to Arqui9 as a Rhino model from Newtecnic, which was then exported into FBX format and into Autodesk 3ds Max.

The studio, based in London, then began to add 3D elements, compose the scene and add the humans and objects that inhabit the render.

“Excluding the building we had no context to go off and had to reinvent the future of the place and the surrounding buildings and context machinery, which also proved to be quite tricky at times,” recalls Fernandes.

Aided by the realtime rendering in Corona Renderer, Fernandes’ team was able to develop and iterate several quick mood concept designs.

“We explore the scene and find a composition that fits best with our idea,” he says. “Many times, formulating a quick sketch on these in order to quickly develop and compose a few key shots.”

From these, a pair of images might move through to the next stage, with client approval, to the adding of textures and other refinements of the 3D model.

The next stage takes place in Adobe Photoshop, in order to add additional atmosphere and mood. “This is where we like to say ‘the magic happens’!” laughs Fernandes.

“We commence with a raw render straight out of 3ds Max, compositing various render passes, including reflections passes, ambient occlusion passes and Z-depth pass.

“We complement these with a lot of digital painting, of clouds, haze and atmosphere as well as using additional images from our photo reservoir, like sun and sky, as well as overlays.”

The goal of focusing on futuristic technical elements created some challenges for the team — namely imagining how the world would look and how construction work would be carried out in the near future.

Arqui9’s creative director concludes that from the very beginning they knew they were working with future thought provocateurs in Newtecnic.

“[They] wanted to push and test the boundaries of what engineering and architecture represented for humanity and its potential forthcoming technological advances.”

Expertly, Arqui9 matched this with images that encapsulate a gritty and atmospheric future that is perfectly believable.

■ arqui9.com ■ newtecnic.com

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Stephen Holmes highlights three architectural VR projects from around the UK, complete with tips on how to make VR work for you.

Approached by high-end London estate agent Knight Frank to develop an immersive experience of a Regent’s Park residence on the market for £13.75m, the creative technical team at Neutron VR started work with a handful of photographs and a floorplan of the grand neo-classical terraced house.

The goal was to give potential buyers a truly photo-realistic experience, right down to the views of the capital’s skyline from the property’s roof terrace.

They created the experience as a multi-platform solution, available on web, mobile, Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard. Despite the wide range of end-use hardware, the visuals were of sufficiently high quality to be used as high-resolution renders.

The assets were created in Autodesk 3ds Max, before being transformed for VR using Unity 5, an engine traditionally used for high-end 3D gaming. The project took a little over three weeks to complete, with Neutron’s crack team of three artists and a single programmer creating most of the work using VR-spec gaming PCs, running highend Nvidia GPUs.

“Using games technology to create realistic VR content is an ideal use of technology and process,” comments Neutron VR managing director Richard Coates. “Also, clients will generally ask for a small proof of concept before they commit to a full project,” he adds.

His advice to architects looking to use VR? “Reference is key to getting the property looking accurate. Having the CAD [data] for a property is a great starting point; however, the CAD [data] will need to be optimised for VR as its polycount is generally way too high.”

Be clear from the start about your budget and your intended platforms for distribution, he advises. Ask to see case studies and examples for previous work by VR studios. And think about how you can get maximum usage from the work you commission.

“Remember: almost everyone has a smartphone in their pocket and access to the Internet, both of which can also supply a great architectural visualisation experience, but clients can also use artwork from VR experiences to generate marketing images and maximise their budget.”

■ neutronvr.com

Whirlpool Kitchen of the Future by Hammerhead VR, Gateshead, UK

Whirlpool’s Interactive Kitchen of the Future was developed by the home appliance company as a way to showcase the latest smart products to attendees at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016 in Las Vegas.

The VR simulation places users at the centre of a futuristic kitchen experience, in a fully fitted room and allows them to see how families like their will interact with smart technologies from Whirlpool in future.

For example, using a smart backsplash and smart countertop, the kitchen anticipates and adapts to the needs of users, personalising their favourite recipes, for example, or providing breakfast ideas based on how much time a parent has available before the school run.

At CES, the Interactive Kitchen of the Future gave VR users the opportunity to explore the kitchen and dining rooms on their own terms, picking up objects and interacting with products.

The three-month project for Hammerhead VR, a Gateshead, UK-based VR and immersive entertainment studio, involved 10 members of staff who built out the room and all its detailed features using 3ds Max.

Using custom-built PCs, the VR experience was then developed in Unreal Engine, pushing the technology to produce realistic, real-time architectural renderings for a variety of end-use headsets.

Says Yush Kalia, marketing and customer relations manager at Hammerhead VR: “The team particularly focused on the quality of material textures and the impact [that] lighting design would have on the user in the simulation, ensuring that it appeared at its best, not only on the Oculus Rift headsets used at CES, but also on the more accessible Google Cardboard and YouTube 360 formats.”

That’s particularly relevant advice for architects looking to use VR in their own projects. “Only use VR to show people how they could live if you’re committed to quality finishes. It is the single most important thing. Any compromise on visual quality will break the magic and ruin the overall effect,” says Kalia.

VR isn’t for everyone, he adds, “but when your client can’t physically be at a location to view the space, or has difficulty imagining what could be done, then VR comes into its own.”

■ hammerheadvr.com

Greenland Group by VRoom, London, UK

Claiming to be China’s biggest VR supplier to architects, VRoom has recently opened a EMEA and Americas office in London, from where it intends to recruit new customers for its multi-user VR system.

In China, the company’s project for home building giant Greenland Group involved various designs, both for design verification of the whole estate from a walk-through perspective, but also to showcase interior materials options to prospective buyers later on in the sales process.

The VRoom team built and rendered assets for the building entrance and exterior, a whole estate of outside space, complete with water features and children’s’ play areas, as well as more refined interior designs.

Using Unreal Engine, this was developed for VR and the VRoom multi-user solution, where body tracking allows up to four people to be in the same virtual environment together. One person acts as a guide, and using the HTC Vive’s ‘room scale’ technology, are able to move around the space and point to various parts of the room.

The virtual spaces were created using Armari ReVeRie ‘VR-ready’ compact workstations, equipped with Intel Skylake processors, which together with internal AMD FirePro 9100 and AMD Radeon RX480 GPUs allow for smooth walk-through experiences.

A team of almost 50 people was able to create a 300 square metre project (around three apartments) in just over two weeks.

“We believe that it is very important to visit a virtual space together with someone else who can guide you and show you how to interact with the space,” says VRoom’s tech evangelist, Thomas Gere. “By ‘interact’, we mean being able to move objects, change the texture of the walls, floors, furniture, switch on the lights.”

“The other very important aspect is mobility: to be able to truly walk in the VR space reduces the risk of nausea as there is true body movement coordination within the virtual space in parallel with the real one.”

His advice to architects looking to use VR? “Ask your VR solution provider to include some of the outdoor space in order to offer a more complete experience to clients, where they start outside and then take a lift to the property in question, for example.”

VR in real estate is now a “no-brainer”, he insists. “It is so immersive and real that it eliminates the need to build physical showrooms and costs ten times less for a development time of 15 days.”

■ Vroom.estate

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Understanding and communicating the form of one of the world’s most complex building designs was a tricky task. Stephen Holmes looks at how Killa Design used 3D printing to breakdown the intricacies of Dubai’s Museum of the Future

Dubai’s Museum of the Future is one of the most complex structures ever built. Its curved exterior and steel skeleton make it almost impossible for some to comprehend. Standing at 78 metres high and with barely a straight line in sight, its elliptical design has turned it into a landmark design in a city not short of adventurous architecture.

Primarily an exhibition space, which will showcase innovative and futuristic concepts, the building was designed by architects Killa Design.

Its futuristic torus-shaped structure won the design competition for the building in 2015, with its unique shape and column-free interior space attracting the attention of the judges.

Concrete in structure from its basement levels to the top, 1,024 exterior panels are supported by a steel diagrid structure — a framework of 2,400 intersecting steel members — with composite concrete floor slabs.

“Frankly, the floor plates are the only thing that are flat in the entire building,” says Shaun Killa, design partner at Killa Design. “Everything else is curvaceous, the overall form is parametrically designed.”

The creation was voted ‘Most Complex Building in Construction’ earlier this year so that explains why Killa’s team turned to 3D printing to help explain the build.

Architects use 3D models to prepare for construction

The team used a number of in-house Ultimaker S5 3D printers to create models to give contractors, manufacturers, and government review engineers a complete understanding of the building before construction began.

Killa, said: “3D printing helps us to present and explain ideas during creative brainstorming sessions, and significantly speeds up the design process.

“For challenging and organic designs, like the Museum of the Future… we find traditional methods of model-making inefficient and sometimes unworkable.”

The Ultimaker S5 is a desktop FDM 3D printer. It has a build volume of 330 x 240 x 300 mm and the benefit of dual material extruders.

With one nozzle outputting a PVA support material, it can build models with sharp overhangs and gradients, such as the Museum’s elliptical shape, with the support material simply dissolved with water once the part has finished printing, leaving the PLA or ABS plastic structure.

The S5 has also added simplicity with 24/7 automated material handling and filament humidity control, as well as efficient air filtration with its Pro variant – creating an ideal package for an office-based 3D printer.

A 3D printed model of the Museum of the Future

With so many complex shapes to work with, the design team needed as much help as possible.

Tommaso Calistri, architect at Killa Design, said: “You need your brain to work in a complete three-dimensional environment – as much as your brain can be good, you have some limitations, and that’s why we had to have some external tools. In that case our 3D printer was extremely helpful.”

In addition to the exterior shape, the company printed cutaway models to show the relationships between the building’s core steel structure and concrete panelled exterior.

While FDM 3D printers are not renowned for their ability to print in fine detail, the output of the Ultimaker S5 allowed for detailed cross sections showing the individual steel girders, interior and exterior cladding, and slab flooring – right down to the individual coupling methods.

3D printed segments were used to provide a clear insight into the museum’s interior space arrangement and, more surprisingly, the printed model of the museum also helped to create a cleaning strategy for its façade.

The Ultimaker S5 desktop FDM 3D printer

The outside of the structure is decorated with phrases written by Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum in giant Arabic calligraphy, with the script creating the form of the building’s windows which, with the help of 14km of LED lighting, also create a night-time spectacle.

By being able to sit down around 3D printed scale models, specialist maintenance staff were able to plan how each element would be accessed by ropes for cleaning and future repairs.

By allowing such quick access to 3D printed models for all manner of stakeholders involved in a project, Killa is adamant that in future the practice will be able to push building designs to even more ambitious levels.

A cutaway model shows the interior structure

“With Ultimaker we have innovated our process of design and we are confident the technology will help us to coordinate problems much clearer and faster, allowing us to create even more complex buildings in the end,” he said.

■ killadesign.com ■ ultimaker.com

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London-based firm looks to simplify 3D printing process by eliminating the need for arduous remodelling

Fixie, a 3D printing bureau, has received £100,000 from Innovate UK to help build an automated online platform to cut the time it takes architects to create physical models from digital designs.

Fixie’s platform looks to simplify the architectural 3D printing process by eliminating the need for arduous remodelling, which can currently take days to convert an architects BIM model into a 3D printable version.

The company, headquartered in East London, specialises on the architectural sector, and for this venture will be supported by the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC).

“We started Fixie to give more architects the opportunity to benefit from rapid prototyping,” said Fixie founder Ronan O’Boyle.

“Our platform means that you don’t need to have any prior knowledge to prepare your design for 3D printing – opening up the technology to those without the niche skills, time and resources.”

Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, is investing up to £191 million to fund single and collaborative research and development projects as part of the Sustainable Innovation Fund over the next two years.

The aim of these competitions is to help all sectors of the UK rebuild after the effects of COVID-19.

The Sustainable Innovation Fund is funding 1,103 projects, 1189 UK businesses and totalling over £130 million in support across the UK.

Fixie CEO added, “This grant award recognises the potential social and economic impact of Fixie’s platform at a time when architects are rethinking how cities are used and designed.

“It’s an endorsement of our vision and the commitment to providing architects with tools to make practical and wider use of emerging technologies.”

The University of Sheffield AMRC is a network of world-leading research and innovation centres that work with manufacturing companies of all sizes around the globe.

The organisation, part of the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult, transforms industrial and economic performance by making step changes in productivity, increasing competitiveness, developing new products and processes and training new talent and skills.

Head of Digital at the University of Sheffield AMRC, Professor Rab Scott, said: “This is a hugely important project which is at the heart of what the AMRC has built its reputation on: transforming industry through collaborative research.

“Through the application of digital tools, architects will be able to produce digital 3D designs in hours rather than days. The development of this vital platform, increasing speed and cutting costs for the supply chain, will both enhance the sustainability of how businesses deliver for their clients and add value across the construction and built environment sector.”

Innovate UK executive chair Dr Ian Campbell, added: “In these difficult times we have seen the best of British business innovation. The pandemic is not just a health emergency but one that impacts society and the economy.

“Fixie, along with every initiative Innovate UK has supported through this fund, is an important step forward in driving sustainable economic development. Each one is also helping to realise the ambitions of hard-working people.”

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At this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, reality capture technology from Bentley Systems was used to produce a giant 3D model of the historic event’s most famous stretch of track — the 1.2 mile Hill Climb, writes Stephen Holmes

The roar of engines and crowds is something most people might not expect to encounter on a genteel English country estate. The annual Goodwood Festival of Speed (FOS) is a notable exception and the 2017 event, held in July, had more technology on show than ever.

As part of this year’s event, Bentley Systems joined technology partner Siemens in the Festival’s new FOS Future Lab, where visitors could experience a wide range of engineering and design technologies – from virtual reality (VR) to 3D printing.

All the data for the models was collected in under 2.5 hours

The pride of the event is its world-famous 1.2 mile Hill Climb. It’s a driveway to the stately home for 360 days of the year — but for five of them, the sliver of narrow asphalt becomes the venue where the latest supercars, F1 cars, and historic motors compete against the clock in a race to the finish.

Using its reality capture technology to bring the audience even closer to the action, Bentley captured the entire Hill Climb in one giant 3D model and, in its own race against the clock, performed all the scans necessary to do so in under two and a half hours.

Topcon took photos using a drone. The photos were then turned into a reality mesh

Melding data from a car-mounted laser 3D scanner with photogrammetry from a drone flying the course from above, and adding additional detail from key points along the track using a standard DSLR camera, all the information was fed into Bentley’s ContextCapture software.

Designed to build accurate 3D models from a range of sources without the need for expensive or specialised equipment, ContextCapture can produce precise real-world context for design, and construction projects.

Working with up to 300 gigapixels of photos taken with an ordinary camera and/or up to 500 million points from a laser scanner, the software automatically identifies the relative position and orientation of each photo and data point, reconstructing, texture mapping and re-texturing the data to deliver accurate models.

With its details accurately captured down to centimetres, the giant Hill Climb model shows every tyre skid mark from the start line, every stone in the flint wall, and every straw bale along the course — all of which can be explored on screen or in VR.

Topcon captured data from a car-mounted laser 3D scanner

Although the Goodwood crowds were delighted to be brought virtually onto the track, the technology has more purpose in construction sites and facilities management. The tools give the ability to regularly monitor how a build is progressing, or assess how a factory plant has been set up for manufacturing, utilising low-cost, high-speed data collection.

■ bentley.com/en/products/brands/contextcapture

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The race for enterprise VR is heating up. Stephen Holmes gets hands-on with Varjo’s first headset and discovers an experience that goes far beyond anything he’s seen before

While the low-end consumer market for virtual reality (VR) headsets has become a mass-produced race to the bottom, vendors developing new technologies have shifted their sights away from mere entertainment, to focus on the needs of high-end professional users.

Varjo, meaning ‘shadow’ in Finnish, is a good example: its VR-1 head-mounted display (HMD) has an effective resolution of 50 megapixels per eye, over twenty-times that of consumer devices.

With that in mind, the company is focused purely on industrial sectors requiring pin-sharp visual fidelity, including architects, automotive and product designers.

The design of its headset owes much to a pedigree that stretches back further than its February 2019 launch might suggest.

In fact, the Varjo team came out of Nokia and its ill-fated acquisition by Microsoft. Its members helped to develop the latter’s HoloLens mixed reality headset for the enterprise sector, before leaving to set up on their own, raising some impressive funding along the way.

The fruits of this can now be seen in the VR-1. It’s a polished product, in many senses. A mirror-finish front gives it a strong visual identity in a market crowded with matte black plastic. And careful thought has clearly gone into materials, fit and the process of putting the headset on: a self-tightening headband mechanism makes it fast and simple to achieve a comfortable fit, but users can also opt to simply hold the VR-1 up to their face, in order to perform a quick check of a 3D model, for example.

Connected to a workstation via a USB-C Link Box and 10 metres of optical fibre cable, the headset is a little heavier than others we’ve tried (the kerb weight is 905g, compared to the 550g of the HTC Vive Pro), but given the quality of fit, it makes little difference once you’re strapped in.

Two eye surrounds come as standard: a spacious universal fit that can accommodate a wearer’s thick-rimmed spectacles; and a tighter fit that narrows the perspective and brings the user closer to the action.

Comparison images shot through HTC Vive Pro (left) and Varjo VR-1 prototype (right). Image courtesy of Varjo

The VR-1’s ‘human eye resolution’ capability works just as the name suggests: an item in the centre of the viewing window is seen in rich detail, while those in the periphery are presented at similar resolution to other high-end HMDs.

The VR-1 does this by using two different displays within the headset: the high pixel density ‘focus window’ in the centre, and the ‘context display’ for the peripheral vision, with the images from both displays blended together.

It takes a little time to get used to this set-up and some deliberate head movement is required to position the focus window on what you want to examine in detail, but the rewards are great in terms of clarity and resolution.

In short, it quickly becomes clear why the VR-1 should be on the wish list of anyone working in high-end visualisation. Stitching and the grain of leather furniture and the exact finish of concrete walls pop into life in realistic detail. Tiny text, which might be nothing but a blur on other headsets, is easily legible. And the effort that goes into lighting a virtual scene truly pays off here.

The depth of field created by the effect of peripheral vision soon becomes second nature, just as it does with human sight, and adds an extra degree of realism to the experience.

Eye-tracking capabilities

High resolution is just the first trick up Varjo’s sleeve. Its proprietary eye-tracking technology adds another string to this device’s bow and gives a tantalising glimpse of the direction of travel for VR.

After a pleasingly brief calibration set-up (you only need to focus on half a dozen dots, and you’re done), a demo seats you in a virtual airport control tower, whereby your eye movement highlights different vehicles and buildings, bringing up useful information or activating animations.

At present, this might seem like a slightly gimmicky sideshow, but Varjo’s aim is to eventually match up the VR-1’s high-resolution focus window with its eye-tracking capabilities, to more closely mimic human sight and add true depth and realism to immersive experiences. This is truly the Holy Grail for VR, and achieving it will require further hardware and software development.

For now, the next step on the horizon is an augmented reality (AR) upgrade, whereby the mirrored front of the existing HMD pops off, and the VR-1 can be used to overlay digital content on the real world, with its eye-tracking proving useful in a range of scenarios, such as training.

Next steps

Looking forward, Varjo promises to provide native support for a range of architectural CAD and visualisation software, beginning with Autodesk and its VRED software favoured by the automotive industry.

It already has the four-channel output required to power the two displays needed for each eye in the VR-1’s Bionic Display, and was made ready for the headset back in January with release 2019.3.

A quick demo of VRED with the VR-1 is as sharp as expected, allowing the wearer to move around a virtual car, with real-time editing of the design and the same pin-sharp focus-window details.

For architectural visualisation we saw a number of demos for showcasing interiors – changing the furniture, fixtures and fittings on the fly – visually all a class above what else is out there. Yet, the same showcase also had ability to strip everything back to show the building as a shell, acting as an X-ray for where the utilities and HVAC run.

While the minute detail might not be a key requirement for positioning pipes and cables, the level of realism did make the process feel much more natural, and additions such as pop-up labels powered by the eye-tracking would find great use here.

Additionally, we looked at some HDR images captured from existing buildings. From an inspection point of view, being able to read small text on signs would prove very useful for virtual site visits.

Yet there may be a snag for some prospective customers: one reason Varjo is targeting professional users is that all this wonderful technology doesn’t come cheap.

Current HMD offerings, including Facebook’s Oculus Rift, HTC’s Vive and Sony’s PlayStation VR, all cost below $500. The ‘prosumer’ HTC Vive Pro is around $800, and the newly announced HoloLens 2 and Magic Leap will start at around $3,500 and $2,295 respectively.

So buyers need to be prepared for quite a ramp-up in price when it comes to the VR-1: the headset retails at a cool $5,995, plus an additional annual service licence of $995 – and that’s before you consider additional GPU hardware requirements.

The smooth-azs-silk output that we experienced, for example, was provided by a Nvidia GTX 2080, while a GTX 1080, or the latest range of high-end Quadro GPUs, will also provide enough grunt to power scenes.

At the same time, the technology here goes way beyond what we’ve previously seen in HMDs for pro users, and Varjo is targeting the VR-1 at the upper echelons of design and architecture, where price should be less of an obstacle.

Beyond power walls and cave set-ups, few VR technologies are able to conjure this kind of experience, let alone this level of close-up detail.

■ varjo.com

See Varjo at NXT BLD on 11 June

Varjo will be showing off its latest developments at at NXT BLD in London on 11 June. Experience this amazing VR headset for yourself.

■ nxtbld.com

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Soluis Group revolutionises Radisson Red hotel design with Unreal Engine. By Stephen Holmes

With the launch of a new upscale hotel brand, inspired by the lifestyles of Millennials and by contemporary art, design, music and fashion, achieving the right ‘feel’ was key for Carlson Rezidor’s Radisson Red hotels.

To create a completely new brand identity, it was decided that a stack of rich photorealistic media including images, videos and interactive visuals, would be needed to assess the project as it came together and, further on, to help with the marketing.

“Instead of taking a more traditional approach and creating still images or an animation, we decided to create a virtual reality experience,” says Scott Grant, CEO of Soluis Group, the visualisation experts charged with creating Red’s digital embodiment.

Working from sketches to build the client’s aesthetic vision and creating the right feel with lighting and layouts proved the hardest part of the process. However, Soluis had a plan: it would use real-time game engine technology.

“We took the engineering drawings and models provided to us and created a 3D model using a design workflow similar to that of the video game industry, but with an increased emphasis on photorealism,” says Grant. “We were able to make live edits to the project with the client seeing updates in real time, without the need for rendering time. This made the process much faster and a more efficient use of time.”

Hand-drawn sketches were used as the basis for creating the 3D environment

Design exploration

Traditionally, it might take several hours for each frame to render, making the design process drawn out and cumbersome, especially where small tweaks to the lighting and materials were needed.

The game engine approach, by contrast, was ideal for both the designers and Soluis, says Grant. “It also opened up opportunities for design exploration, which was thoroughly appreciated by our clients.”

While the 3D model was produced in Autodesk 3ds Max, once taken into Unreal 4, all of the materials and finishes were completed within the real-time rendering engine. Post production tools within Unreal, meanwhile, were critical to achieving the final look and feel that the client desired.

Initial modelling was done in 3ds Max before being brought into Unreal Engine

Ultimately, the project became a high-end, fully interactive virtual environment, explored using HTC Vive headsets, or Soluis’ Immersive Reality Portal.

The Portal is used to showcase designs in a way that allows a group of people to simultaneously experience the same visualisation.

Running a number of projectors to produce an image that is wider than the human field of view, its domed enclosure can fit up to eight people inside. This creates an immersive shared visual experience, in which a group of stakeholders can ‘walk’ through the environment without the need for headsets.

Clients could experiment and adjust different elements live, allowing them to experience what the finished design would be like.

Grant proudly admits that the ‘before and after’ images are remarkably close, while the VR technology also provides them with new and exciting ways to realise and present an architectural space.

Additionally, the 3D content was reused on several occasions, in other elements of the project.

Using the same model information that had been created for the visualisation phase, Soluis was able to produce high-quality presentation films for marketing, and a fully interactive app for mobile devices that included configurable augmented- reality floor plans and real-time walkthroughs of interior spaces.

from promotional film of as-built hotel

Still from Unreal Engine

■ soluis.com

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Epson’s new entry-level large format printers put the functional first, writes Stephen Holmes

Epson has launched two new large format printers in an effort to woo the AEC sector over to the benefits of its piezo printhead technology.

It might have been expected that the Japanese brand would go after HP at the top of the tree with an all-singing, alldancing, multi-function printer/scanner.

However, Epson seems to be modestly aware of where its technology can make the biggest impact – at the entry-level, targeting price conscious architects and engineers who simply need a fast, reliable, large format printer for small workgroups.

The 24-inch (A1) SC-T3100 has the smallest footprint of its class, and along with the 36-inch (A0) SC-T5100, is available as a desktop or floor-standing model, both utilising Epson’s excellent piezo printhead technology.

Its accurate nozzles, fired by piezoelements, which apply a voltage to the ink, rather than the more familiar thermal inkjet technology, mean there are fewer heating and cooling stresses applied to the Epson printhead.

The latest PrecisionCore MicroTFP model installed here is capable of firing through an A1 CAD line drawing print in 31 seconds. Plus, from a running cost perspective, Epson states that the printhead will last the lifetime of the machine, so it’s one less potentially expensive consumable to worry about.

The technology also has added benefits: the ink used is not the typical dyebased, but a pigment ink.

While a four-colour set-up means there’s no gloss or matte black for the fancier marketing posters, it makes way for Epson’s UltraChrome XD2 ink that is doggedly smudge and water-resistant.

We tried our hardest to smear the finest lines straight off the printer, and they refused to budge. Additionally, this ink is fade resistant – so for archiving or for plans pinned up for long periods in design offices, damp site cabins, or on outside boards these have huge benefits.

The inks are slightly more expensive than typical dye-based alternatives, but this cost is generally offset by not having to regularly replace the printhead, and the results are accurate and the colours bold and realistic.

Both printers seem happy sitting somewhat discreetly on any large desk, while the purpose-built stands and the overall office installation can easily be done by the user and is much simpler than putting together an average IKEA bookcase.

Users can print from CAD or PDF in a variety of ways – over USB, Ethernet or WiFi. Apple AirPrint is also supported for easy printing from iOS devices. When a WiFi network isn’t available or only exists in the form of a closed corporate network, users can connect directly to the printer using Wi-Fi Direct.

It’s also possible to print directly from a USB flash drive or other storage device using the in-built touchscreen, which although quite small by today’s standards is a clear and easy way to navigate without instruction.

Both machines have relatively modest capacity ink cartridges for their size (up to 50ml colour and 80ml black) and accommodate a variety of media – rolls up to 24- and 36-inches and up to 50 sheets of A4 and A3 paper through the auto sheet feeder with autoswitch, as well as cut-sheet papers up to A1 (24”) or A0 (36”).

This variety coupled with some rather blunt product design mean that both the new models are meant to be used as workhorses, not take up space as decorative office furniture.

That said, these are not the most advanced printers on the market, and they lack the features of competitor HP printers, like the ability to print remotely over the internet.

There’s no built-in scanner for either model, although the printers can be connected to third party document scanners, and offer auto enlarge controls via their touchscreen controls.

Both models are marketed as being designed for users ‘looking for a compact plotter that fits neatly in their workspace’, and they are certainly that.

For any AEC firm needing simple printing capabilities, especially for CAD drawings and renders that are likely to be exposed to the outside elements or used for archiving, then these will hardly break the bank while offering great detail prints.

The SC-T3100 retails at £875 and the SC-T5100 retails at £1,295.

■ epson.com

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