A mixed reality system for building form and data representation

The development of a prototype mixed-reality system for 3D building forms and data visualisation is presented. The requirements are: (1) allow user interaction with an external view of one or more buildings simultaneously; (2) maintain user contact with his or her normal working environment; (3) support multi-user input for collaborative design discussions; (4) facilitate intuitive navigation of the internal spaces; and (5) present data relating to multiple design solutions. This paper proposes that only by combining the relative advantages of augmented and virtual reality are these achievable. The overall goal is to successfully distribute an application that is accessible through inexpensive hardware, amongst the workforce of an engineering consultancy, whilst supporting more advanced input/output mechanisms. The guiding aim is to support the design process and to facilitate communication amongst the project team and the construction client. The paper presents an overview of the system and highlights key issues raised during the development process.