The second option that was highlighted from the user studies was the ability to view the proposed development in different lighting situations. Currently within existing VR capabilities this is available however only with basic graphical representation.
This is in line with the objective of keeping users engaged and encourage them to assess their designs in varying lighting conditions through specific times of year. This is not anticipated to be as popular as some of the other ideas VR has to offer at its current capacity however, is relatively easy to implement and adds additional areas of interest into design. Currently GE does not support shadow casting, which is unfortunate as this is a major element of concern in our current practice.
E.g. On a previous project the architectural team allocated a large area of land for us (landscape architects) to address. The architects had little concern that the area the had suggested for the landscape was in shade for the majority of the year due to large existing buildings. Only through shadow analysis could we communicate this issue effectively for the issue to be readdressed.
In other VR applications the ability to control the lighting scenarios in realtime is one of the fundamental issues which I believe will draw users away from existing methods and onto VR. Currently we have to light the scene and then wait for a render of the result. This time required for the rendering process limits the amount of test that can be achieved thus often the best result is capped by time constraints. By seeing lighting and shadows in realtime users could explore many more options and make better, more informed decisions.
GE only provides a basic lighting system however adding this type of control to users will only increase the rate of adoption and help develop this area for future use.
Posted by cwayling 