We are thrilled to announce that IrisVR is joining forces with Autodesk. It wasn’t that long ago that IrisVR joined The Wild, united by a shared vision of providing immersive collaboration tools to the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry to drive efficiency and deliver value to our users.

2020 has been a year. Despite shutdowns and other pandemic-induced changes, the augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) space has seen tremendous growth. How industries work has shifted dramatically in 2020, with newly remote workforces demanding better tools and technology to stay productive and new pressures placed on old industries to rise to the needs and challenges of a COVID response efforts around the world. Few industries have experienced this as much as the built world. While the digital transformation of the AEC industries was already on the horizon, it has been dramatically accelerated in 2020. AR/VR - both hardware and software - is the answer to many companies’ sudden need for cutting edge technology to stay competitive in a fast-changing world.

As an architect, IrisVR Founder & CEO Shane Scranton saw the potential that early virtual reality technology had for the built world. Fast forward to today, the IrisVR team partners with leading AEC companies around the world, like Gilbane, making game-changing immersive technology simple for enterprise AEC.

Virtual reality has been talked about for ages now, mostly in the context of gaming. It’s become synonymous with “the future” by taking on a life of its own in futuristic sci-fi movies and art, making it feel like a bit of a stretch in this reality. It’s not. It’s happening right now. Yes, VR gaming is a thing, but also, and more significantly, virtual reality is transforming the industries that build our physical reality.

Image credit: Realite Virtuelle

The first wave of Oculus Quest 2 headsets ships out today and the self-proclaimed “most advanced all-in-one VR headset” will be released to the public, leaving many wondering how the new and the old stackup. So, let’s talk about the Quest 2 vs Quest and what these hardware developments mean for enterprise VR.

Facebook Connect, Facebook’s annual VR conference, delivered its message loud and clear: VR is the future and Facebook’s dedication to making VR more accessible to the masses is stronger than ever. The Oculus Quest 2 is coming in October - starting at only $299! While gamers rejoice, the implications of this extend far beyond the consumer world. The new Oculus for Business headset paves the way for true enterprise-grade VR. The initial investment in VR for business is now even lower with headsets starting at $799 (reduced from $999), making it easier than ever to add VR to your technology stack. VR for AEC has significant benefits - with innovative, early adopters already seeing results from virtual collaboration like faster decision-making, fewer costly errors, and a stronger spatial understanding of projects across various teams. The expanding ecosystem of immersive technology companies, like IrisVR, introduces cutting-edge VR software solutions to the AEC industry that empower teams to build better and faster than ever. So, what Oculus VR hardware changes should forward-thinking AEC companies know about? What can Facebook’s ‘Infinite Office’ and ‘Project Aria’ show us about the future of VR for business?