Brok Howard

Team name: Owen Derby and Brok Howard from Team VRML (Virtual Review Management Loop)

[The original VRML can be found here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VRML – much respect to those champions who paved the way before us]

What Big AEC problem are you trying to solve?

The design process includes change, lots of interactions and fast. Communication with clients can be a challenge when trying to include them in the process. In recent months the evolution of Vurtial Reality has started to get a stronger foothold in the AEC industry. We are not building games, but real human experiences in the AEC world. We do not experience this through the flat 2D drawings or high resolution renderings. The hardware is starting to catchup to the dream of Virtial experience prior to construction with advancements in heads up display gear.

Using an Oculus Rift DK2, Revit, and open source we have linked the hardware, the design and the web. Using three.js and webgl and an OBJ file format we are able to view and move around using a url.

The client can simply open a browser link from an email, connect a future commercially available Heads Up Display (HUD) like Oculus Rift (launching next year) and see the design. “Can you change ‘this here’?” ask the client. Designer updates the design, saves and uploads the file, the browser refreshes and the client sees the change. They continue this process with the client using the same link. The url site can be accessed by anyone with the link and can be experienced by any number of people at the same time.

Can your solution be implemented on Monday?

Yes, this is mostly using existing tools and open source software.

How much of the code was built this weekend?

Because we’re mostly reusing lots of open source code, very little was built this weekend. However, all that was built by us Was built this weekend.

Technical difficulty?

Medium (Easy for the designer, medium challenge for developer). Using a very new web VR compatibility limited us to using the nightly build of Chromium, using a developer kit of a yet to be sold hardware Rift, and file sync system (in this case detopbox) created some challenges, but a simple understandable process.

Impressiveness?
Bonus: What open standards do you support or use?

We used OBJ open 3D file format, threeJS rendering in browser, and webVR open standards.

Bonus: Is your project open source? Yes, here it is on https://github.com/oderby/aec-hack-vrml

Here is us at AEC Hackathon 2.3 in the live demo on YouTube.

The AR heads up display UI designers had to have been inspired by the presentation by Jayse Hansen showing how he designed the HUD for Iron Man and Big Hero.

Helen Papagiannis plugs her book, not much was said.

Ralph Osterhout ODG R-7 and R-8 – 15 degrees of focus – suggest combine AR with VR. Why don’t we let technology control us, why not force technology to work for us? Good question Ralph, now can I get your technology for cheap?

Jon Cabiria said 1 in 3k startups survive after 5 years. Autopsyio – 

Johnny Lee – project lead Project Tango – Motion Tracking, Area Learning, and Depth Preception. I might just have to get a Project Tango device to explore at the next AEC Hackathon. 

AR vs VR Debate was awesome! 

Check out the Inspire Session on YouTube

Today we started in the big room with main stage keynotes. In general I was hoping for some inspiration and awe, what was presented reminded me more of a product LAUNCH presentation. One after the other, elevator sales pitch presentations. I did learn that HP has their own AR platform called Aurasma using Aurasma Studio. RJ Holmberg shared a bit.

Kayvan Mizra from Optinvent talked about their eyeware glasses they are shipping made of molded plastic ORA-1 for Enterprise use and touched on the social acceptance is the big barrier and are addressing that soon with their ORA-x. It looks more like headphones with a drop down eye lense on one side. 

Catchoom shared what they have been focused on, image recognition and making it available offline with their new craftar SDK.

I really like the ideas behind Scope AR – David N….. and Remote AR where you send video from expert to technician as a virtual support effort, like having someone looking over your shoulder. They have incorporated their technology into enterprise eyewear.

ODG Pete Jameson R7 smart glasses were very impressive, in short they are everything your smart phone is but in the form of glasses. I tried them out on the exhibit floor, there must be some intense processing going on cause they got hot to touch along the top.

Teri Aaltonen from Augumenta shared their virtual keyboard using nothing but hand gestures. They published a SDK last year and have a new SDK with several updates.

Zappar is one of many who are the business of content AR creation tools, but they seemed much cooler, maybe it was the accent and the fun game examples.

Pete Augmate shared a big challenge in deployment with what they called Glass at Work and offered a solution called WE (Manage) – Wearable Evironment. They intend to solve the implementation challenge with an integrated system. If I was looking for a solution, I would check them out.

Third Space Agency (Founder of Second Life) is working on emersive locations for artist.

I really enjoyed learning about the Bjork film MOMA instillation – check out YouTube called “Black Lake”. Brian Pene from Autodesk shared how some of their tools were used in the project including Autodesk Memento Beta. 

Xrez Capture 

Object Based Audio BarcoT and Twobig_ears Chris Pike from BBC R&D shared how the audio integrated with the full AR video experiance. Each of the 30 string recordings were placed in 3D space so you can explore the arrangements as you walked through the installation.

I went to a Smart Glasses Introduction where Astray and Shatter isle shared some insight. 

Future of play is physical with the digital was the big point from Haptics where they are linkinking AR technology with Nerf games. Laser tag people and virtual zombies. 

IntuitHouse 

John Shulters from Treehouse Designer ascension uses photogrammetry to capture reality to help designers make professional tree house design accurate.

Index AR Solutions shared how they are providing AR solution for complex  Newport News Ship Building projects.

Then I hit the Exhibit Floor.

Check out these session from the Demo Day on YouTube