Imagine an experience where A/E and client teams can walk through their projects in real-time or spin buildings around on their desktops with their hands…

That future is coming our way faster than one might think.

Situated next to the scenic Vancouver Harbor, the greatest minds in computer graphics came together under one roof this month at the Vancouver Convention Center for SIGGRAPH 2018. This five-day experience sailed deep into the latest innovations in animation, virtual reality, mixed reality and emerging technologies. Hallmarking the trend toward augmented reality and collaborative virtual experiences, a computer animation festival was also held, entirely in VR. I was joined by BRPH Architects Henry Marroquin and Cody Kotrlik.

SIGGRAPH is the culmination of years of advances in film and gaming technology and the trends, best practices and outcomes discussed each year shed light on the trickle down of technology into other applications, such as how the AEC industry can optimize visualization in the design process. This was also the first SIGGRAPH to offer a full course on Realistic Rendering in Architecture and Product Visualization. For BRPH, it was immensely gratifying to see architectural visualization recognized among the vast array of computer graphics subsets.

Sharing the limelight at the Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) booth was BRPH’s newly-formed Creative Group, which crafted a virtual theme park modeled in 3D Max, Sketchup and Revit, then ported it into the Unreal Engine, furnishing a unique virtual experience demo in AMD’s Reactive VR & Visualization presentation on the exhibition floor. This imaginative demo provided a wholly new opportunity to showcase our market sectors in a VR world, complete with animation, VFX, and spatial audio.

BRPH went into the expo planning to gain cutting-edge insight into the next generation of 3D printers and laser scanners, as well as collaborative viewing platforms for virtual reality. In addition to learning about the latest innovations in those areas, we also had an opportunity to explore the future of GPU-based rendering, which enables BRPH to process data into imagery much more quickly and efficiently than ever before. Applying these technologies to our business practices results in significant benefits for our clients, who will ultimately enjoy more immersive, realistic environment previewing opportunities as a result. These applications also allow our design and engineering teams to identifying possible challenges in new spaces before they are fully built out, which can save significant time and money for our clients as well.

3D Printing

3D printers have come a long way in just the past few years. Printing 3D architectural models can be invaluable in the master planning process. While several 3D printer manufacturers were showcased at this year’s show, Ultimaker was of prime interest because of its’ quiet operation, dual filament simultaneous printing and large print area, which enable us to create larger scale models with multiple colors at higher resolution, providing clients with more realistic representations of our designs.

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality was also a hot topic at this year’s convention. The application of AR technologies will breathe new life into BIM coordination meetings when the scale model of a client’s design is on a table in front of them in 3D, with an added ability to explore the building’s systems in real time. Digital projection mapping, in conjunction with 3D printing, will create this memorable augmented reality experience. And while AR hasn’t yet reached the tipping point of full adoption in the AEC world, emerging companies like Magic Leap are furthering progress within the market.

BRPH is excited to continue to partner with leading innovators to beta test the latest industry solutions that will benefit our clients.

With the changing landscape of VR, the stereoscopic experience is no longer a future enigma– it’s a present-day reality creating new and exciting visualization possibilities in our offices – and for our clients – across the country.

We look forward to continuing to attend and learn at these national and international industry conferences – and bringing the latest innovations and best practices to our client work.

For more information about BRPH’s use of this technology contact Todd Reed, Graphics Manager, at treed@www.brph.com or (321)751-3057.

BRPH Graphics Manager Todd Reed is a skilled leader with 24 years of computer graphic design and management experience. He possesses the creative, detail-centric, technical, 3D knowledge to assess, budget, storyboard, design, manage and execute large scale projects. He is a visionary team player with imaginative problem solving, and decision making skills.