PocketCake is working with some of the nation's top architectural and engineering companies, converting their 3D models into stunning virtual reality simulations using the Oculus Rift.
PocketCake's simulations offer first-person interaction from the comfort of a laptop. You are in the driver's seat. From homes and churches to stadiums and fairgrounds, nothing enhances a client's - or an architect's - conception of a project better than virtual reality.
Instead of an abstract blueprint process, a virtual reality simulation ensures your concepts look exactly as you envisioned them. For a price that's comparable to traditional architectural illustrations, a prospective client can have an immersive 3D experience in which they inhabit real space, walking wherever they like.
BIM technology, once a rarity in the architectural industry, is now mainstream as a majority of buildings are crafted digitally. Virtual reality is the next logical step for BIM. PocketCake can also convert point cloud data into a mesh that's usable in a virtual reality environment.
PocketCake is currently developing a proprietary product called VRSCA (Virtual Reality Simulation Converter Assembly), which will allow architects and engineers to easily navigate up to four people through a virtual space at the same time and host up to 32 viewers remotely.
PocketCake, founded in November 2012, specializes in virtual reality simulations and custom mobile app development.
The firm uses the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset to immerse clients in project designs.
Related Stories
| Apr 3, 2013
Construction spending up 20% since 2011, growth will continue, says Gilbane report
The monthly rate of construction spending is up 20% in 24 months and increased in 18 of the last 24 months, which is a good leading indicator for new construction work in Q3-Q4 2013, according to Gilbane's latest Market Conditions in Construction report.
| Apr 3, 2013
5 award-winning modular buildings
The Modular Building Institute recently revealed the winners of its annual Awards of Distinction contest. There were 42 winners in all across six categories. Here are five projects that caught our eye.
| Apr 2, 2013
6 lobby design tips
If you do hotels, schools, student unions, office buildings, performing arts centers, transportation facilities, or any structure with a lobby, here are six principles from healthcare lobby design that make for happier users—and more satisfied owners.
| Apr 2, 2013
4 hospital lobbies provide a healthy perspective
A carefully considered entry zone can put patients at ease while sending a powerful branding message for your healthcare client. Our experts show how to do it through four project case studies.
| Apr 2, 2013
Green building consultant explores the truth about green building performance in new book
A new book from leading sustainability, green building author and expert Jerry Yudelson challenges assumptions about the value of sustainable design and environmentally-friendly buildings.
| Mar 29, 2013
Stanford researchers develop nanophotonic panel that reflects sun's heat out of the atmosphere
Researchers at Stanford University have developed a nanophotonic material that not only reflects sunlight, but actually beams the thermal energy out of the earth's atmosphere.
| Mar 29, 2013
Detroit's historic Whitney Building to be renovated for hotel, apartments
Detroit's David Whitney Building, a 19-story landmark erected in 1915, will be renovated for an Aloft hotel and apartments.
| Mar 29, 2013
PBS broadcast to highlight '10 Buildings That Changed America'
WTTW Chicago, in partnership with the Society of Architectural Historians, has produced "10 Builidngs That Changed America," a TV show set to air May 12 on PBS.
| Mar 29, 2013
Shenzhen projects halted as Chinese officials find substandard concrete
Construction on multiple projects in Guangdong Province—including the 660-m Ping'an Finance Center—has been halted after inspectors in Shenzhen, China, have found at least 15 local plants producing concrete with unprocessed sea sand, which undermines building stabity.
| Mar 29, 2013
Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee joins Clark Nexsen
Clark Nexsen, PC, headquartered in Norfolk, Va., has announced that the architecture firm Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee (PBC+L) of Raleigh and Asheville, NC, has officially joined Clark Nexsen.