(article previously published in January 2014)
I remember when in 1991 we went to Munich to give a lecture about 3D and architecture:
It was the first time I had the chance to put on VR goggles.
It was the beginning. It was the search for an immersive environment. When you put on the glasses, they became a blindfold to your real environment. You could only see what was projected on the two cameras that were a few millimeters away from your pupils.
The most surprising thing was not what was projected. What was most striking was that, with your head movements, you controlled what was visualized.
As you can imagine, more than 20 years ago, although the machines used were the most powerful of the time, the experience was far from real. You had to move your head very slowly and the graphics, within that immersive environment, were very basic. With the passage of time, the increase in the speed of processors and the necessary software, the experience of immersing yourself in an immersive environment improved.
The advantages that this surround technology could bring to fields such as medicine, automotive and, why not say it, to warfare and its disorders, were quickly understood.
Another day we will talk about other types of realities such as augmented reality , QTVR, 3D IMAX experiences and some others, and their link with architectural visualization.