flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Startup PocketCake aims to bring virtual reality simulations to the AEC masses

Startup PocketCake aims to bring virtual reality simulations to the AEC masses

Founded in 2012, the development firm offers custom virtual reality simulations for the price of a typical architectural illustration.


By PocketCake | February 26, 2014

PocketCake is working with some of the nation's top architectural and engineering companies, converting their 3D models into stunning virtual reality simulations using the Oculus Rift.

PocketCake's simulations offer first-person interaction from the comfort of a laptop. You are in the driver's seat. From homes and churches to stadiums and fairgrounds, nothing enhances a client's - or an architect's - conception of a project better than virtual reality.

Instead of an abstract blueprint process, a virtual reality simulation ensures your concepts look exactly as you envisioned them. For a price that's comparable to traditional architectural illustrations, a prospective client can have an immersive 3D experience in which they inhabit real space, walking wherever they like.

BIM technology, once a rarity in the architectural industry, is now mainstream as a majority of buildings are crafted digitally. Virtual reality is the next logical step for BIM. PocketCake can also convert point cloud data into a mesh that's usable in a virtual reality environment.

PocketCake is currently developing a proprietary product called VRSCA (Virtual Reality Simulation Converter Assembly), which will allow architects and engineers to easily navigate up to four people through a virtual space at the same time and host up to 32 viewers remotely.

PocketCake, founded in November 2012, specializes in virtual reality simulations and custom mobile app development.

 


The firm uses the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset to immerse clients in project designs. 

Related Stories

AEC Tech Innovation | Oct 8, 2024

New ABC technology report examines how AI can enhance efficiency, innovation

The latest annual technology report from Associated Builders and Contractors delves into how artificial intelligence can enhance efficiency and innovation in the construction sector. The report includes a resource guide, a case study, insight papers, and an essay concerning applied uses for AI planning, development, and execution. 

Healthcare Facilities | Oct 8, 2024

Herzog & de Meuron completes Switzerland’s largest children’s hospital

The new University Children’s Hospital Zurich features 114 rooftop patient rooms designed like wooden cottages with their own roofs. The project also includes a research and teaching facility.

Mixed-Use | Oct 7, 2024

New mixed-use tower by Studio Gang completes first phase of San Francisco waterfront redevelopment

Construction was recently completed on Verde, a new mixed-use tower along the San Francisco waterfront, marking the end of the first phase of the Mission Rock development. Verde is the fourth and final building of phase one of the 28-acre project that will be constructed in several phases guided by design principles developed by a design cohort led by Studio Gang.

Brick and Masonry | Oct 7, 2024

A journey through masonry reclad litigation

This blog post by Walter P Moore's Mallory Buckley, RRO, PE, BECxP + CxA+BE, and Bob Hancock, MBA, JD, of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr PC, explains the importance of documentation, correspondence between parties, and supporting the claims for a Plaintiff-party, while facilitating continuous use of the facility, on construction litigation projects.

Glass and Glazing | Oct 7, 2024

Pattern language: An exploration of digital printing on architectural glazing

Architectural Glazing has long been an important expressive tool which, when selected and detailed thoughtfully, can contribute to the successful transformation of architectural concepts to reality.

University Buildings | Oct 4, 2024

Renovations are raising higher education campuses to modern standards

AEC higher ed Giants report working on a variety of building types, from performing arts centers and libraries to business schools. Hybrid learning is seemingly here to stay. And where possible, these projects address wellness and mental health concerns.

AEC Tech | Oct 3, 2024

4 ways AI impacts building design beyond dramatic imagery

Kristen Forward, Design Technology Futures Leader, NBBJ, shows four ways the firm is using AI to generate value for its clients.

Laboratories | Oct 2, 2024

Trends in scientific research environments: Q&A with Flad's Matt McCord

As part of an ongoing series, Matt McCord, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, Associate Principal with Flad Architects, discusses the future of the scientific workplace.

Museums | Oct 1, 2024

UT Dallas opens Morphosis-designed Crow Museum of Asian Art

In Richardson, Tex., the University of Texas at Dallas has opened a second location for the Crow Museum of Asian Art—the first of multiple buildings that will be part of a 12-acre cultural district. When completed, the arts and performance complex, called the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum, will include two museums, a performance hall and music building, a grand plaza, and a dedicated parking structure on the Richardson campus.

Data Centers | Oct 1, 2024

10 biggest impacts to the data center market in 2024–2025

While AI sends the data center market into the stratosphere, the sector’s accelerated growth remains impacted by speed-to-market demands, supply chain issues, and design innovation necessities.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

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

Â