Review
of Vectorworks Virtual Reality
By
John Helm, Architect
When Vectorworks Inc. releases their 2017 version there
will be one new feature that just may change the way we look at architectural
design. Virtual Reality, better known as
VR, is a hot topic these days; the big names are all involved as are a few
startups. For the last few months I
have been allowed to watch and even give a few suggestions as the programmers
at Vectorworks have developed their new feature Web View/Virtual Reality.
Here is a quote from one of the programmers: “We are
making Virtual Reality available to everyone – we are taking design out from
behind the flat computer screen, and placing it all around the viewer making
the design a very real physical experience.
The shape and forms surround the viewer and, this is available at any
time - for anyone.”
In keeping with their ever expanding list of tools for architects,
engineers, set and lighting designers, landscaped architects, and designers of
just about anything physical, Vectorworks will add this new feature which
allows the viewer of a design to immerse himself in the design. And the ability
to do this does not come with the usual heavy price tag. There is no need to buy anything other than
the Google Cardboard type headset which can be had for as little as $15. One would also need a pretty good
smartphone. But most of us already have
one.
So what does this thing do; how does it work. Simplicity is the key word. You the designer can take your 3D model, your
BIM, of your latest project to the level of detail you want. Then while being online click on a new export
feature that sends the model to the Vectorworks cloud. After a bit of a wait your model will pop up
in your internet viewer. Now you can
explore the model in 3D. You can send
the link to a client and by clicking on it the client can also view the model
in 3D. But here comes the fun part. Copy the link to and open it on a smart phone
then click on the Virtual Reality icon. Now the image of the model will change
to a stereoscopic view. Put the phone in
your Google goggles and you are in. That
is inside the model. You can walk around
and look around all you want. You can go
up and down stairs. Of course there are
a few limitations. It’s not going to be
high definition and I suppose there will be some limits on the size of the
model. There’s a little bit of a
learning curve in order to export the model and get oriented and in the right
location when you start viewing. But really
the sense of actually being in the space and being able to walk around in it is
amazing.
Imagine the set designer can put himself in the audience
and actually see what the spectators will see.
The landscape designer can walk through the garden. The interior designer can put his client in
the living room with all the new furniture in place and if the client hates it,
he can save making a big mistake. The
architect can walk through his design and get a real feel for it before letting
the client do the same while giving himself a chance to make changes. Or let the client and his partner view the
model using two different headsets and both can be exploring the new design at
the same time.
In my review of Vectorworks 2016 I mentioned the
possibilities of virtual reality, “The next step is the use of visualization
goggles to let the viewer immerse himself in our architecture before it’s
built. “ Well I didn’t think it would be
happening so soon. Vectorworks just introduced
this feature at their Design Summit and in a recent press release. This is the tool that will change how we
work.
Never before have we been able to actually put our
clients right in the middle of a design, then let them look around in all
directions. They can walk from room to room, even up and down stairs as if they
were actually in the completed structure.
The people at Vectorworks are not telling you to spend $3,000 on some
googles and upgrade your computer. It is
practically free and easy to use.
Let
your clients see how the remodel of their townhome will look as if inside it.
OK, so back to reality.
The system I have been trying out still needs a bit of work. But these guys at Vectorworks are like a
bunch of mad scientists working on this thing day and night. I’m sure that by
the time they come out with the official release version it will be beautiful.
I should also mention that this new feature is not just
for Virtual Reality. By putting it in
the cloud a link to the model can be sent anywhere and opened with a typical
web viewer and then viewed in normal 3D. One can then orbit around it or walk
through on the computer screen. That’s a
nice feature by itself.
The
Google Cardboard viewer, yes it is made of cardboard. But there are more sophisticated versions.
Conclusion
Virtual Reality viewing of designs from buildings to
gardens is the next big thing. Gaming
has made many if not most of us familiar with an immersive experience in which
we feel as if we are in a place or a world that does not really exist. Even though games are for the most part just
a pastime they have really paved the way for much more important uses of the
technology that has developed around them.
That technology is rapidly changing the way we view things, from
medicine to engineering and to all the fields of design.
Vectorworks is taking a big step in making Virtual Reality
available to anyone who has their program.
They are making it easy to export a 3D model, that once exported is very
user friendly. Any client can just put on his Google Cardboard headset and go Virtual.
It may be the one thing that brings many of those
reluctant to join the BIM movement into the community of designers already
working their designs in 3D.
