I recently shared the magic of the Microsoft HoloLens 2 with the office... and what better project to use for this demo than our own Lake Flato HQ remodel here in San Antonio, Texas. This is the topic of today's post...
Background
First, a quick bit of background... I have a lot of experience using the HoloLens in the field of architecture. Here is a 'case study' post I wrote 4 years ago (click here) which became the basis for a really fun AIA Minnesota Convention session (click here). In addition to buildings, I have also used the technology on civil (urban street renewal), bridge, and a couple industrial projects.
We are in the process of remodeling our 1920s era three-story office building (click here for a little more on this and our zero carbon initiative). The office is mostly emptied out, which is the IDEAL playground for the Microsoft HoloLens 2.
Big Picture
If you are not familiar with the HoloLens 2 (HL2), it essentially fills the ENTIRE building with a hologram of the proposed design. The caveat being that only people with HL2 headsets on can see the hologram.
The image below best describes the mixed-reality experience... looking in this direction I see the existing exterior walls and windows and a hologram of changes/additions we want to make, where this hologram almost completely obscures existing (i.e. realworld) items behind/beyond.
Hologram Calibration
The hologram is calibrated, to be full scale and properly aligned, using a QR code. First, a virtual QR code is placed within the Fuzor model (which was original exported from Revit). Then, a printed version of that same QR code is taped to the same location in the real-world. With the HL2, we use a voice command to initial the QR scan and the model is aligned and ready to go!
The image below shows a QR code taped to the first floor elevator door, as it is a consistent element that will persist into the future.
FYI: Fuzor has an ad on left left, click that for more info on their software. This is the best HoloLens software I am aware for architects, as it maintains geometry, includes textures, has voice commands, supports larger models, and more...
Here is a photo of Ted Flato walking all over the office, as the device is completely untethered, checking out the proposed design. Notice another QR code on the second floor elevator beyond.
It is also possible to view the model at a reduced scale. This offers a very interesting view of the model as a whole. This is also great for reviewing models of other projects, in the office... where the model could even be placed on a conference room table. Oh, and when you have multiple HL2s, they can all be sync'ed so everyone is looking at the same hologram, but from their own perspective.
The voice commands are really helpful. We can say "hide furniture" or "isolate existing" or "show all". We can also say "rotate 90 degrees" or "move up 3 feet" or "reset the model".
Video Examples
Here are two videos I recorded from within the HL2, walking around the third floor...
Related
Here is an Enscape rendering of the courtyard you see on the right, in the image above. This image was recently featured in an Enscape blog post I wrote on their new support for new NVIDIA graphics card technology. To see that post, click here.
Related post on Lake Flato blog, The Dogrun: MIXED REALITY AT LAKE|FLATO – FULL SCALE HOLOGRAMS WITH THE MICROSOFT HOLOLENS 2
Fun stuff!
For BIM Chapters updates, follow @DanStine_MN on Twitter or connect on LinkedIn
Check out my video-based courses on ArchSmarter.
I also write blog posts for Enscape - a new paradigm in rendering, animation and VR for AEC.
For BIM Chapters updates, follow @DanStine_MN on Twitter or connect on LinkedIn
Check out my video-based courses on ArchSmarter.
I also write blog posts for Enscape - a new paradigm in rendering, animation and VR for AEC.