VR Collaboration Tool

BIMVAR – Building Information Modeling for VR and AR
UX Design, Unity Master Scene Setup & Editing, VR Setup

I participated in the 2016 Seattle VR Hackathon intending to work on some sort of architecture-related tool. I found a group of 6 other people who were interested in building an architectural collaboration tool, focusing on Building Information Modeling, or BIM, and specifically on ways of collaboration on clash detection or resolution.

When creating a large structure with many floors, there are many chances for 3d models from the various vendors to overlap with each other. These conflicts, or clashes, need to be resolved before construction begins or some pieces may need to be redone, which can cost lots of money. Clashes can also happen physically, when someone builds something in a different spot than was on the plan. ie, an electrical conduit was installed a foot to the left of where they were intended to go, and now the pipes are being installed and they won’t fit where they’re supposed to. On a large building, you may literally have to deal with thousands of clashes at various points in the project. A collaborative tool to resolve these points with the relevant contractor while being able to view the space together from across the country could save a large amount of money.

We showed our project at a Seattle VR Meetup the week after. One of the most amazing parts of of the project is getting to see people realizing that VR as a media is not just for gaming. I have so many thoughts on possible uses for vr. There is no limit there.

There are however limits on funding. If you have an idea for a project, attend a hackathon or a vr meetup if at all possible and talk about your ideas. Just know that it might be hard initially to find enough people to pay for your product unless it involves an industry which is willing to pay.