Lake Flato HQ Remodel Experienced with Microsoft HoloLens 2

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...

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Trimble XR10 with Microsoft HoloLens 2 in Action

In today's post I will share some video of the new Trimble XR10 with Microsoft HoloLens 2 in action using the Trimble Connect workflow to load a Revit model into the device. Here at LHB, we have been using Augmented Reality in architecture for over two years, e.g. click here, and are excited to jump right in to this new technology and start leveraging its new features!

Last week I wrote about receiving this new device and offered up an unboxing video, which you can check out here: Trimble XR10 with Microsoft HoloLens 2 Unboxing Video

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Microsoft HoloLens 2 is Coming - This Will be Awesome for the AEC Industry!

Coming soon... a more powerful HoloLens with a "greatly increased" field of view! Including more natural use of hands to interact with holograms and eye tracking.

I have written a number of posts about our professional, on real-world projects, use of the HoloLens in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry; see a list of links below. We have two Microsoft HoloLens devices with the Trimble hardhat (original versions for both, of course).

I am super excited to get my hands on the new Microsoft HoloLens 2 and test it out! And, not that this was too hard to predict, but I did in this Enscape blog post:)

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Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) - VR/AR Presentation

I had the opportunity to present to the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) - Twin Cities chapter - at a meeting hosted by LHB this week. We had a great turn out and many thoughtful questions! What is SMPS exactly?

From their website: 

"The Twin Cities Chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS-TC) has a mission to be the premier provider of marketing and business development resources to the architecture, engineering, construction (A/E/C) industry by promoting the profession of marketing through education, networking and career development."

I love LHB's willingness to share knowledge on occasion. I think it pushes us to do even more work and research to stay current and relevant, in a practical and meaningful way, for our clients.

In the presentation we talked about ways in which we use VR/AR tech in the context of...

MnOPS 2018 Pipeline Safety Educational Conference

As a multi-disciplinary firm, LHB does work in Public Utilities, Industrial, Pipeline and Land Survey. An important event we usually attend each year is the Minnesota Office of Pipeline Safety (MnOPS) 2018 Pipeline Safety Educational Conference.

MnOPS inspects natural gas, propane and hazardous liquid pipelines, and investigates leaks and accidents. The conference educates operators on a number of issues including best-practices, regulations, and new technologies.

In addition to having a booth in the Exhibit Hall this year, we also presented a "New Technologies" session on our application of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) in this space. We have used this technology with our clients and at public meetings to help with key stakeholder design comprehension and buy in.

Here is a picture of our booth (which was not completely set up yet).

As part of describing our design services, we offered two real-world AR project examples using...

First Look - Trimble Hard Hat for Microsoft HoloLens

We were lucky to get early access to the official Trimble Hard Hat for Microsoft HoloLens. They arrived today, so I will offer my first impressions in this post.

But first, why would anyone need a hard hat for the HoloLens? If you want to even step foot on a construction site today you must have proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); hard hat, safety glasses, reflective vest, etc. At LHB we have a profession Safety Coordinator to ensure we stay in compliance in general and on the various government and industrial projects we work on. Thus, if we want to start exploring uses for Augmented Reality on job sites, a hard hat that accommodates the HoloLens is a must.

I can sum up my first impression in one word...

LHB Hosted IEEE - VR/AR Presented

Tuesday evening, this week, I had the opportunity to present to the the "Arrowhead Section" of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). We had a great turnout, as you can see in the images below. Several students also attended, which was great.

I think everyone had a great time and was impressed with the technology. Only one person had tried the HTC Vive before, but not wirelessly. So, between the Vive and the Microsoft Hololens, everyone was able to try something new!

Nick Johnson, from LHB, is the current Chair and helped organize the event. We had a few LHB electrical staff in attendance.

The presentation started in our training center (we call it Studio 4). I was able to do a dry run of...