Enter the CAVE (Computer Aided Virtual Environment) – national building contractor Suffolk’s virtual reality space that allows clients like Related Group, developers of Manor Riverwalk, to "step inside" a three-dimensional, visual representation of the project. The height of the ceiling is more than a measurement in a blueprint; it’s visible over your head.
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Wow! What fascinating concept. I've always wondered what would come after 3 D renderings in the design world- I guess virtual reality makes a lot of sense as a successor to 3 D renderings on a computer. Beyond simply being able to visualize an environment, designers and clients could literally experience the space! What really impresses me about this CAVE system, though, is not the VR headset. I am blown away by it's project management capablities. As the author describes it, "the Smart Lab features four walls (nine screens) of connected Smart Boards used to measure progress on each project. It functions like a series of stickie notes in a visual flow chart. A new apartment building would start with the macro level notes, like square-footage, and then divide into smaller tasks, from choice of wall material to how many workers will be required to frame each room, all with a swipe across the screen. What makes this "drawing board" truly valuable, however, is that those steps transfer instantly to a work schedule displayed on another series of Smart Boards, spelling out each trade partner’s assignment and timing – and real-time price estimates. This wall includes an adjustable 3-D project model that even shows sunlight at different hours." Wow! This technology really allows an incredibly complex project to be broken down into more manageable chunks. I can only imagine how useful it would be to project managers, stage managers, and technical directors in their respective fields. It's like what the invention of the graphing calculator did for high school math students!
It is so amazing where technology is taking and where it will go to next. Virtual reality hasn’t been booming in the technology world but it has been being used for a multitude of different purposes. The virtual reality being used as a smart lab is really nice from the perspective of those who deal with the inner working as well as their clients. I know that if I could see things as though the actual building was there I would be way more comfortable saying yes or asking for changes than had I not seen it. This is what the technology is offering and despite the amount of work that is being put into this for every project. I’m sure it is well worth it. Being able to actually “step” into the building and see things is phenomenal and more importantly being able to change things and it actually adjusts all the calculations and everything for you; that is really useful. It still isn’t the same as actually being in the building but because it isn’t built yet and can do so much, it seems to be a real revolution in technology and one that I am all for.
Virtual reality is almost itching to be used in design and construction as a whole. The system of being able to physically experience with your eyes parts of a space that typically in the past you would only ever be able to see in scale at best is amazing. Firms that are able to use this technology sooner will be able to gain clients at a much higher clip then those behind as I know as a client if I were given the ability to experience a space in Virtual reality I would definitely be more likely to approve of the job then in the traditional medium. i have had the privilege of experiencing some pretty advanced VR set ups and when they are executed to the potential that they are capable of then they are something truly amazing and allow the user an experience that is hard to explain. It's almost as if you subconsciously forget that what you are experiencing is not reality it's truly special and will quickly take advantage of the design space as the more and better tools we have to articulate our ideas the more successful we will be.
Though this technology sounds really exciting and promising for construction projects, I think they are too ambitious in how much time this program will save. Though it will give clients who may not have the ability to visualize what is on the page a way to understand the final product, I don’t think it will prevent having to re-do drawings or doubling back during meetings. Changes are still going to be made even though people can see the outcomes in VR. At best, I imagine that the changes could potentially be caught earlier saving the company both time and money. Despite how cool this is, I wonder if it is superfluous. I would think that 3D models, virtual modeling software, and other programs that run budget analysis could give the same effect and results. Overall, this project sounds really cool. I wonder if it will catch on and VR construction plans start to become prevalent.
I think that this idea is absolutely fabulous. With the developments in virtual reality and computing I feel like it was only a matter of time before this happened, but I’m glad that it happened so soon. I’m very excited to hear that they are opening a branch in Boston, so I may be able to go and see this in person. I think that the use of smart boards to have live updates on price and time depending on changes made in the VR is absolutely genius. Part of why I love working on designs as 3D models is because of the way I can test out the way that multiple materials work on a surface very quickly and decide what I think looks best. This new technology will let architects do the same with, including how it looks with the natural light from the surroundings. That is another thing that is done brilliantly. The fact that they figured out a way to survey and get what I’m assuming is a massive HDR image so that you can see what the views out the different windows looks like. I would have loved to work on the team that designed this.
This is a super innovative technology that will make the linguistic disconnect of big numbers connected to seemingly benign changes to the client so much easier to comprehend. As we have seen many times at CMU, the designers do not always see the larger impact a change to the scenery or movement of the actors has on the footprint and budget pertaining to the build and tech of a show. With this virtual reality showing live updates of changes made to certain rooms and different information feeding through based on times of day and other factors, I can imagine much more ergonomic homes and buildings being built because a designer saw at a certain time of day the sun hits the fridge thought the window and makes a terribly obnoxious glare. These pieces of information should start a revolution of time enhancements to everyday life and an even more finished sense for the designers.
This article shows an interesting new development in the world of construction with the addition and usage of virtual reality to give a more in depth view of projects, “Enter the CAVE (Computer Aided Virtual Environment) – national building contractor Suffolk’s virtual reality space that allows clients like Related Group, developers of Manor Riverwalk, to "step inside" a three-dimensional, visual representation of the project. The height of the ceiling is more than a measurement in a blueprint; it’s visible over your head.“ this usage of technology is absolutely fascinating especially when you add this technology to the suite of other technology that they have with smart boards. You are able to have a incredibly detailed view of what is happening on the job site with out having to actually go there. It’s also interesting because it put all of the data of the project in front of you including scheduling and materials. I don’t know how theatre industry would use it but it’s still cool.
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