Augmented Reality 2 (sports hall)

[AlanW]

 

[AlanW]

@Alex NicolHi I notice that AR on Nomad requires iOS11 devices with and A9 or later processor.

Works on my Iphone 6 but not on an Ipad 2 years old. Any thing in the future to support older versions???

If not just another excuse to upgrade

 

[AlanW]

@Alex NicolAR With Nomad is quite simple. Been playing with Vuforia and Unity to create AR. Is there a limit to file size and complexity for Nomad as yet???

[Guest Alex Nicol]

Since ARKit is software based, Apple put a lower limit on the supported devices and I don't see that changing. You must have a device that runs an A9 chipset or better.

 

There is a limit to the file size/complexity that Nomad AR can handle. Currently the app will freeze if you load a file that is too complex, but we will look into a better way to gracefully handle this situation.

[AlanW]

@Alex NicolHi, Been trying to do the AR on an android (Samsung Smart phone version IOS 6.0.1) and the AR component does not appear am i missing something??

Think I just answered as you said IOS11 required min.

Edited January 24, 2018 by Alan Woodwell

[Guest Alex Nicol]

Yes, ARKit is an iOS only feature. Google has a competing technology called ARCore, which is a developer preview SDK. It is limited to 3 devices at the moment. Google is a bit behind Apple in this regard.

 

https://developers.google.com/ar/

 

 

[AlanW]

@Alex NicolHi I notice that AR on Nomad the image props for trees etc show as crossed planes rather than facing the viewer all the time as it does in a normal walktrhough in VW.

Is there anything happening to change this as thinking about landscape architects using the landscape package and with most of the images being Image props they are going to run into issues with AR and VR.

 

Thanks

 

Edited February 8, 2018 by Alan Woodwell

[Dave Donley]

Hello Alan: That behavior of image props is unlikely to change, sorry.

 

[AlanW]

@Dave DonleyThanks for this. This will be the biggest stumbling block in AR & VR. Looking at landscape in gaming engines there are a lot of plants that appear real and sway with breeze etc, always the large trees still appear 3d and a bit clunky.

Big challenge for this one as image props are a lot less resource hungry.

[ajs]

This seems to have become a bit of a defacto Nomad AR thread sooo…

 

I’ve started doing some tinkering with AR in Nomad, iOS, v.5.9. Viewing on iPhone SE/128 running iOS 11.2.2, output from vwx 2018 SP2.
Mostly, it seems straightforward; I’m keeping the model pretty simple-a little event layout with a small ATV in front of a small stage, a video monitor on the stage, a small circular truss overhead with 4 lighting fixtures on it. Well and good. The ability to show/grey/hide layers is nice, too.

Here’s what I’m not finding a solution for.
There seems to be but a single render mode, and it looks like OpenGL w/o edges. Shadows are being cast, so there’s obviously a light source, though there isn’t one in my model.
For many applications for me, it’d be extremely useful to render in the equivalent of OGL with edges, but no colors, and Ambient Occlusion. It would make it a better presentation tool for me (perhaps others?), and remove the need to texture and color things before working out masses and locations. White model mode (if you will) would also help the AR insert to show up better against its background, and AO would, I think, drastically improve the rendered aesthetic, as well as making items in the model easier to see. In an utterly perfect world, I could use Artistic Renderworks, with AO, but I can guess at the processing overhead that represents, so I could happily live for a while with-
•Open GL, with drawn edges and no colors,
•Ambient Occlusion,
•and for extra Krispy Goodness, the ability for any screen images I’m using to show up, and in color. When things go in front of a corporate client, it never hurts to be able to put their logo on a screen. And if that’s the only thing in color on the model, even better.

•bearing in mind the aforementioned heavy lifting of Artistic RW (so maybe everything isn't available), the ability to set a render mode within vwx that'll carry through to Nomad. Perhaps OGL modes only?

 

Is there a way to do this on the app as it stands, and I’m missing it?

 

I tried setting the model up in vwx with those OGL settings (including AO), then exporting to Nomad, that didn’t do it, and one of the last things I’d want to do is go through an entire model recoloring things. Even if I did, it doesn’t seem like that would get me my screen image, since it doesn’t seem to appear in the colorful mode that I have now. I also think I still wouldn’t have edges. Ditto, keeping a separate bleached-out model for AR is extra non-billable work for me for something that seems pretty simple.

This could become a powerful presentation tool, especially for clients that have a hard time visualizing, but for me, lacking these abilities, it ain’t quite there, yet. I’m hoping I’m missing something, so input is welcome, and I thank you in advance!

 

 

-andrew saboe

www.saboedraws.com

 

[Guest Alex Nicol]

@ajs Thank you for taking the time to write this!

 

You are correct that there is a single render mode. We are placing a light source in the model at an arbitrary location and doing basic openGL rendering w/textures. The AR rendering engine is totally different than what is used in Vectorworks and any rendering settings do not carry over into the Nomad AR viewer. What you want to do is set the fill color of the objects in your model to white.

The viewer does not currently support draw edges or ambient occlusion. I have gotten similar feedback to yours so I will bump up the priority of this wish.

 

Here is an example of a model where all the objects have a white fill:

 

[Ben Beaumont]

Hi @Alex NicolBen here from OzCAD. Just got my hands on a new 10.5" iPad Pro. I don't get the option to view the model .vgx model in AR via the Nomad app. Any ideas? 

[Dave Donley]

Hello Ben are you running the latest iOS 11?

 

[Guest Alex Nicol]

Yes, this is odd. A new iPad Pro meets the specs hardware-wise. If it required an update for iOS 11 you may need to uninstall and reinstall the app.

[Ben Beaumont]

@Dave Donley Thank you for the responses. The new iPad didn't actually ship with iOS11. As soon as it installed it behaved. Very exciting new feature. I'll be showing it off at the trade show. Regards, Ben. 

[Dave Donley]

OK great!

 

[jbtroost]

Just a summer update: my instruction videos on how to use AR in interior design projects are in the making. Would be nice though if Nomad would be able to link to OneDrive as well, not just Google Drive and Dropbox. I read in the FAQ you’re thinking of maybe adding other third party cloud drives, but can uou be a *little* more specific? Next fall would come in very handy. Just saying… ;-)

[inikolova]

Hi @Jan-Burger TROOST,

 

Integration with OneDrive is a very popular user request, so if we start working on another third-party cloud storage integration, chances are, it will be OneDrive. We don't have an estimate of when or whether this could be done yet, but it is on our radar, for sure.

 

Thanks for your valuable feedback!

Iskra Nikolova

[jbtroost]

Hello Iskra,

 

Thank you for your quick answer, this makes me hopeful 😇

 

I’m a complete null in using Service Hooks and things like that, but it seems doable to have a third party app connect to their cloud: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/vsts/service-hooks/?view=vsts

 

Adding this particular cloud to your raindance would make some thousand of Interior Design students very happy!

 

Cheers, JB

[Matt Overton]

I guess it's too early to say anything but will we see Nomad upgraded to use AR persistence in iOS12?

 

It would be great to be able to you on site drop a placeholder model into position then share it and updates to the client.

[Guest Alex Nicol]

Hi @Matt Overton,

 

This is a very interesting idea. So you want to persistently anchor a model on a site, then have the cloud automatically update it when you update your VW file? 

[Matt Overton]

11 hours ago, Alex Nicol said:

Hi @Matt Overton,

 

This is a very interesting idea. So you want to persistently anchor a model on a site, then have the cloud automatically update it when you update your VW file? 

 

Well not continuously but every week or so. Would be completely ok if it wasn't automatic and required publishing, but yes if we as designers could train the model to know how it fits in the space and clients could then using their own device see the same model that would be a game changer.

[jbtroost]

Now that ARkit 2.0 can share a live projection, our students can project their 3D rendering onto a printed floorplan when presenting their design to the client. Client will be able to scan the same QRcode on the plan and see the design for themself. #dreambig

[Guest Alex Nicol]

Yes, ARKit 2.0 is very cool! It allows developers to map virtual 3D content onto 2D images, 3D objects or even a location in a room. You can stream these maps to others in the same room, or save them for later. The possibilities are endless, so keep posting ideas!

[AlanW]

It would be nice to have a seperate section in forum for VR as this will be growing.

would love to involved with a forum or webinar for VR and Vectorworks.

maybe @Jim Wilsoncould have a think and see what’s possible thanks.

Edited July 26, 2018 by Alan Woodwell