Industry Summary Articles

IrisVR announced it was awarded Technological Innovation of the Year for 2019 by the New York City Construction Awards (NYCCAs).

The NYCCAs, which take place yearly at the Build New York Expo, aim to recognize achievements within New York's construction industry by awarding solution providers, contractors, architects, developers, and local authorities. IrisVR received Technological Innovation of the Year for Prospect, their VR software for immersive design review and collaboration.

Other companies that were considered for the award included PlanGrid, Assignar, and Reign Maker, among others. The judging panel for the award featured industry experts from top AEC firms - such as HOK, Stantec Inc., and AECOM.

Building a VR Tool for the Construction Industry

Prospect unlocks VR for decision making by instantly processing 3D models into VR experiences, allowing BIM (building information modeling) and VDC (virtual design and construction) teams to walk through models in an immersive, 1:1 environment. In 2018, IrisVR specifically focused on building and improving construction industry use cases for the software - including Multiuser VR Meetings and a BIM-friendly Navisworks to VR plugin. The NYCCAs recognized IrisVR in light of these advancements.

IrisVR officially released Multiuser VR Meetings last February, after unveiling the technology at AIA in 2017. IrisVR's Multiuser technology creates a workflow that is new to the building industry - offering a real time virtual reality environment with voice audio and motion feedback accessible to anyone.

Now, construction industry professionals can host guided walkthroughs of a space pre-construction, extending the concept of in-person client meetings and design review to the VR world.

2018 also saw the release of IrisVR's first-ever Navisworks integration. Navisworks is one of the primary project review programs used by the construction industry. With the ability to step into Navisworks models in VR, VDC and BIM teams can bring important parts of their virtual design workflows - such as coordinating trades, running QA/QC, and detecting clashes - into a more productive setting.

Additionally, IrisVR added the ability to access BIM data in VR for Navisworks and Revit files. With this addition, construction professionals can review materials, manufacturer data, budget, construction phasing information, and all the other data drawn from their original BIM file in VR for the first time.

"Prospect has been a tremendous addition to Gilbane VDC's tool belt," says Rawle D. Singh of Gilbane Building Company, one of IrisVR's customers. "[The software] helps our project teams better understand installation and sequencing requirements for complex spaces - and our designers can understand the impact of coordination issues and time constraints."

To view the original press release, please click here.

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