flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

A carboard box by Google can bring virtual reality to architecture

BIM and Information Technology

A carboard box by Google can bring virtual reality to architecture

The simple smartphone accessory simulates what it looks like to be in a building not yet constructed.


By BD+C Staff | April 9, 2015
A carboard box by Google can bring virtual reality to architecture
A carboard box by Google can bring virtual reality to architecture

The global search engine giant has launched a new product, Google Cardboard, that easily allows users to experience virtual reality.

This, according to ArchDaily, can make waves in the field of architecture.

Imagine Google Maps, but for proposed projects and designs. A client will be able to tilt his or head up, down, left, or right, and see what a room will look like from various angles.

But unlike Google Maps, the user isn’t limited to a two-dimensional screen. Renderings are tweaked into a “Photo Sphere,” which look distorted when seen normally with the naked eye.

The image is then sent to a smartphone, and the smartphone is placed inside the Google Cardboard, a specially-designed, collapsible box that functions like a stereoscope.

“The simple yet elegant technology gives the [viewer] free will,” ArchDaily reports. “You can choose where to look, and linger where you like. You are in the space and you yourself are ‘to scale’.”

ArchDaily has the full report.

Related Stories

| May 3, 2014

4 easy steps to being a great project manager

Managing a team of people, especially creative people, is a task that not everyone is up for. Keeping your team on the same page while maintaining a schedule and budget that can keep your corporation happy will take confidence and bountiful people skills. Here are some tips for effectively managing a project. SPONSORED CONTENT

| May 1, 2014

Super BIM: 7 award-winning BIM/VDC-driven projects

Thom Mayne's Perot Museum of Nature and Science and Anaheim's new intermodal center are among the 2014 AIA TAP BIM Award winners. 

| Apr 23, 2014

Ahead of the crowd: How architects can utilize crowdsourcing for project planning

Advanced methods of data collection, applied both prior to design and after opening, are bringing a new focus to the entire planning process.

Sponsored | | Apr 17, 2014

Technology enables state transportation agency to make the leap to digital design review

Earlier this month, my colleague and I presented a session to a group of civil engineers and transportation agencies about the tech trends in the AEC space. Along with advice on how to prepare your plan for controlled collaboration, we also talked through some practical use cases. One such use case was especially interesting, as it outlined a challenge not unfamiliar to government agencies who are contemplating the leap from paper to digital processes: how to securely migrate workflows. 

| Apr 10, 2014

Submit Your Project for a Bluebeam eXtreme Award!

Bluebeam is holding the second annual Bluebeam eXtreme Awards at the 2014 Bluebeam eXtreme Conference in Hollywood, Calf. 

| Apr 3, 2014

Security, accountability, and cloud access: Can you really have it all?

I’ve heard countless stories of conversations between project engineers and IT professionals who can’t come to an agreement on the level of security needed to protect their data while making it more accessible—not only externally, but also internally. 

| Apr 2, 2014

New Autodesk software allows visualization of more realistic bridge concepts

The Autodesk InfraWorks 360 family of offerings now includes enhanced roads and highways capabilities, better representations of graphical information, and fixed-length pipe modeling capability.

| Mar 26, 2014

Zaha Hadid's glimmering 'cultural hub of Seoul' opens with fashion, flair [slideshow]

The new space, the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, is a blend of park and cultural spaces meant for the public to enjoy.

| Mar 20, 2014

Fluor defines the future 7D deliverable without losing sight of real results today

A fascinating client story by Fluor SVP Robert Prieto reminds us that sometimes it’s the simplest details that can bring about real results today—and we shouldn’t overlook them, even as we push to change the future state of project facilitation. 

| Mar 12, 2014

New CannonDesign database allows users to track facility assets

The new software identifies critical failures of components and systems, code and ADA-compliance issues, and systematically justifies prudent expenditures.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




Great Solutions

41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors

AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021