BIM News: Built on Apple technology, Vectorworks Unveils New Cloud and Mobile Features
New capabilities in the Nomad mobile app and Vectorworks Cloud Services make use of cutting-edge Apple technology for reality capture, more...
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This month, Vectorworks, Inc., a leading provider of BIM and design tools, announced new cloud and mobile product advancements. Built on Apple technologies are these new features and functionalities.
The two new Apple technologies in question are Apple's new RoomPlan API for LiDAR-based room scanning and Apple's new photogrammetry API (Apple Object Capture Framework).
Enhancements to Reality Capture
Reality capture technologies are one of the main AEC/O technological changes by theme. These tools use cameras to observe job sites, construction sites, and structures both old and new. They then turn that data into time-saving, helpful information that can speed up various operations.
Digital twins, another emerging technology (emTech), are being pushed forward with the aid of reality capture technologies. AEC/O architects and designers may greatly benefit from both technologies, and the Vectorworks team has taken advantage of Apple's APIs because the iPhone and iPad have some of the greatest and most popular cameras in the business.
Customers of Vectorworks Cloud Services can use the Photos to 3D Model function in the cloud application and take advantage of Apple's new Object Capture photogrammetry API on macOS. This framework is now used for job submissions throughout the Cloud infrastructure, desktop application, web site, and Nomad mobile app.
Cloud Delivers for Apple
In order to make these special Apple features available to Windows Vectorworks users as well, Vectorworks has macOS servers at AWS, as was covered in a recent feature piece.
According to Iskra Nikolova, manager of quality assurance for Cloud and mobile at Vectorworks, "We are utilizing the power of the Cloud to offer the most recent Apple technologies to our consumers and speed up and optimize their reality capture workflows."
The photogrammetry framework we previously utilized to create 3D models from images has been replaced by Apple's Object Capture framework. It produces a more optimal shape faster and with higher success rates, according to Nikolova. Additionally, the system uses additional metadata produced by supported iOS devices to retrieve true item size and orientation, which was previously not possible.
Apple RoomPlan LiDAR
Now Vectorworks Nomad, the company's mobile app, has been integrated with Apple's new RoomPlan API technology. Using scans from iPhone and iPad cameras, the Nomad app can create models with automatically identified geometry, such as walls, windows, doors, and other features. These are quickly loaded into the Vectorworks model after that.
Users can easily build a reliable reality capture that is accessible and simple to use by rapidly scanning an existing room layout with their iOS mobile device.
Nikolova praised Apple's RoomPlan scanning framework for its ability to quickly and easily import existing room layouts into Vectorworks.
Unity-based Nomad Nomad is based on the Unity engine, giving it a ton of room to take advantage of cutting-edge technology present in the incredibly well-liked gaming engine platform.
These most recent changes to the new Nomad enable users greater direct control over how lighting are shown in the 3D model. To help with presentations, a new Lights panel in the viewer gives users control over lights' settings and visibility. The viewer allows users to independently switch on and off certain light objects extracted from (.vwx) files.
Additionally, while opening a model in the Unity-based 3D viewer, heliodon or directional lights can now also set the location of the Light direction control.
How to access Vectorworks Cloud Services
By logging into cloud.vectorworks.net, users can test out the most recent Vectorworks Cloud Services features. Download the most recent version of the Vectorworks Nomad mobile app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to access the new features.
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