News From Arch Virtual
The latest in architectural visualization and virtual reality application development.
$85 million Rutgers School of Business recreated virtually with Unity3D game engine
Check out this virtual preview of the new $85 million Rutgers School of Businesses, designed by Ten Arquitectos and replicated with the Unity3D game engine.
3D mesh imports now (finally!) possible in Second Life! No, seriously… I have screenshots to prove it.
This long awaited ‘holy grail’ feature in Second Life has now finally arrived! The subject of numerous false starts, April fool’s jokes, and much controversy – it is now possible to import 3D models directly into Second Life.
New site is live!
It's been a while since our last post, but we've been hard at work on some new work we hope to publish soon! In the meantime, check out our newly renovated website: https://archvirtual.com We've made some exciting progress in technologies and methods for bringing...
Converting your OpenSim island into Unity3D
Tipodean Technologies is pleased to announce the launch of a service that can convert your OpenSim islands to COLLADA to run directly in Unity3d. With OpenSim content converted and imported into Unity3D, it can then be run within a Web site, Android/IOS, or as a stand-alone executable to increase your deployment options.
Behold, the future of design
While designing in a virtual world, with shadows looming below objects as you create and modify them, you instantly 'feel' their weight and visual impact in a way no other architectural technology or design method affords. When you finish modeling an idea, you can...
Architectural Innovation in Immersive Virtual Worlds
Immersive Virtual Worlds as Innovation Platforms: Quotes from a paper describing the use of Second Life to design physical retail spaces for a Fortune 500 firm.
From Auckland to Aalborg: The Architecture in Virtual Worlds Dialog
(video intro) There were more than 42,000 kilometers separating this group if you connected our locations around the globe. For Amr Attia, in Cairo, Egypt, it was 10:00 in the evening. For Judy Cockeram, it was just 9:00 in the morning – but it was the next day for her, half-way around the world, in Auckland, New Zealand.
Fragility of Spaces: French Architecture Students Present Second Life Work at VWBPE
This video shows French architecture students presenting virtual designs they developed during a week-long ‘intensive’ at Paris-Malaquais using the virtual world Second Life. The presentations were made during the ARCHI21 presentation at the VWBPE conference.
The Many Advantages of Virtual Collaboration
The results of this Harvard Business School study, and many others like it, provide enough ample and compelling evidence to suggest that virtual collaboration can be a powerful means of achieving new levels of efficiency and effectiveness. As information-based virtual collaboration gradually turns the corner to mainstream adoption, it won’t be long until the benefits of 3D collaboration are as unequivocally proven (if they haven’t already), and virtual worlds like Second Life and OpenSim will soon prove to be an ideal modality for gathering a virtual team together to collaborate within a realtime, 3D collaborative environment.
Virtual Worlds and the Built Environment – White Paper published by Daden Limited
Daden Limited’s new white paper, ‘Virtual Worlds and the Built Environment’ (download here) provides an insightful overview of several Second Life case studies relating to architecture, engineering and construction industry projects, along with descriptions of what make virtual worlds a useful tool for AEC industry projects.
Special issue of ITcon dedicated to the use of virtual world technology in architecture, engineering and construction
If there was ever any doubt that virtual worlds have a place in architectural practice and education, this month’s special issue of ITcon presents a staggering amount of content that is sure to help promote the use of virtual worlds and game engines within AEC industries and beyond. The Journal of Information Technology in Construction (ITcon) is a peer-reviewed scholarly publication recently published a special issue dedicated to the use of virtual world technology in architecture, civil engineering and facility management.
The Architecture of Healing: The Making of the Veteran-Civilian Dialogue Space in Second Life
The Veteran-Civilian Dialogue space would soon be hosting some of the deepest and potentially life-changing conversations on the grid, and the architecture of this space would need to play an integral role in organizing, nurturing and encouraging a variety of emotionally powerful experiences. This is the story of the creation of the virtual VCD space, and how the architecture of this space would need to play an integral role in organizing, nurturing and encouraging a variety of emotionally powerful experiences.
20 minute study model in Second Life (video)
As the pendulum swings back into Second Life for some exciting new consulting projects, I’m reminded just how fun it is to build with prims and how much potential virtual environments hold for architectural practice and collaboration. You can quite literally *feel* the space as it takes shape, understanding and perceiving it in a way that no other medium affords.
Virtual Architecture 101: Design Fundamentals, Processes and Strategies for Virtual Worlds
Virtual Architecture 101 is a free, interactive, self guided, educational installation in Second Life, designed to provide visitors with a sampling of architectural fundamentals, design processes, strategies and best practices for creating effective virtual world projects.
What features would you like to see in the next Basic Architectural Assets Pack for for Unity3d?
We’ve been hearing a lot of positive feedback following the release of Architectural Beginner’s Kit 1 and Architectural Beginner’s Kit 2 packages and tutorials for use within the Unity3D game engine. In fact, those who purchased the kit have reported reductions in development time (up to 2 weeks) and development cost savings when compared with having to develop these assets from scratch.
Games + Learning + Society Conference – June 15 to 17 Madison, Wisconsin
How lucky am I to have such an incredible conference in my own back yard here in Madison, at the University of Wisconsin? Mid-June is an incredible time of year in Madison, and I would encourage anyone interested in the intersection of virtual worlds, game development and education to make the trek to this conference.