With increasing technological progress (most of all in the technology to create 3D configurators on WebGL-basis), the ability of designers and renderers to integrate people into their designs is also growing. In the following article we will present 5 such technological innovations.
The 3D visualization and rendering industry is often at the forefront of innovation in software technology. As the computing power of computers and server farms has become more efficient and powerful over the years, so has the power of designers to create images, videos and interactive multimedia experiences. The goal should be to find the sweet spot between efficiency and results. In this was, people living further away can be brought into work and pay in an innovative and easy-to-understand way.
Therefore, rendering artists are always looking for new ways to cultivate this experience. Whether still image, video or something completely ne – innovations in software and computer technology pave the way for completely new visualization possibilities. In the following we would like to take a closer look at 10 such innovations in the market for visualizations.
Virtual Reality (VR) has caused a lot of hype in the last months. If two large technology companies like Facebook or Google are already investing heavily in this technology, you can be sure that VR will firmly establish itself in the mainstream. Probably in about 5 years head mounted displays in households will be as strong as e. g. toasters.
We won`t get into discussions here that VR could potentially create the danger of living to close to the digital fantasy world. Especially the design and construction industry will change a lot due to VR. Rendering artists are already using this technology to tailor ready-made experiences that allow customers and investors to literally get into design work. This conceptual framework will lead to new ways of interacting with architecture before a single shovel is pushed into the ground.
Owners and project managers can take a virtual tour of a building and use it to identify potential problem areas long before they emerge during the construction process.
Real- time rendering.
Real-time rendering is nothing new. The video game industry uses the technology to render their games quickly and in real time as the player moves their character through an environment.
Rendering artist begin to use this technology to create virtual can experiences that allow people to inhabit an unbuilt work of art or architecture. When you combine this technology with VR, you can see how powerful and important it is to reach this level of immersion. The only problem is the extremely high development costs. The cost of developing a video game is not exactly low and it is also the only reason why his technology has taken so long to gain a foothold in the construction industry. As technology becomes better and more affordable, design studios will be able to purchase such services at lower prices in the future.
Cloud computing.
Cloud computing is nothing new here either. However, the technology has only reached the point where it can be used by individuals and freelancers. If in the past you were interested in creating a high-quality rendered image of a design, the night before you were forced to set up the scene and hope that the computer would do the rendering properly during the night. One could only roughly estimate which result would actually be achieved the next morning. But in most cases the result deviated significantly from expectations.
Even if you don`t have a server farm, you can outsource this performance with one of the many cloud computing services. You should make sure you include these costs in your fee, as it`s not exactly convenient to use someone else`s server for your rendering tasks.
Quantum Computing.
With Quantum Computing we take a big step to the outer edges of science fiction. While you`re at it, just forget everything you`ve learned about how computers with 0, 1 bits and bytes work. Theoretically, quantum computing works on the principle that a quantum bit is not limited to being defined by a one or a zero. A quantum bit can have many potential states, or what scientists call superpositions of states.
Can you follow me?
So what happens when a single bit of data occupying the same amount of space brings with if the abilities to emerge in many overlaps of states? You have a really fast computer that would be able to process data and calculations exponentially faster than we currently can.
The only reservation is that we have not yet fully understood how to restore these quantum superpositions. But that is not quite right yet. This year, scientists have carried out on a very small number of quantum bits. This technology is still far from being used by a broad mass of users. But that doesn`t mean that renderers shouldn`t take notes.
Innovation in 3D visualization is not limited to virtual or digital areas. Before computers were powerful enough and appropriate software was easy to find, building physical models was the best and often the only way for designers and architects to give their clients an easy-to-understand visual presentation of the status of their design. But despite technological developments, physical models have gained importance in areas such as architecture.
Technological advances in 3D printing technology have changed a lot in practice, making it difficult for designers to return to the time of physical models. The 3D printers an offer are becoming cheaper and easier to use, as the software used today offers numerous interfaces to the rest of the 3D image processing world. Architects use 3D printers not only as a means of creating models for presentation, but also as a design tool.
Printing multiple iterations of design models gives the architect a new perspective on what he has seen only on a computer screen. It leads to better designs and better communication between client and designer.
So, what`s next? There will certainly be a new piece of software or innovative technology that could fundamentally change the 3D rendering and visualization industry. The closer we can bring people to a 1 in 1 experience of representing a real building, the greater the chance that designers can do their job well. So often the design intent is lost throughout the approval, coordination and calue creation process. Through successful virtual presentations, the designer can exert a stronger influence on the decision making processes of the decision makers.