International Builders' Show (IBS) 2019 In Review | Augmented and Virtual Reality
As we near the 2020 International Builders’ Show (IBS), let’s first journey back to 2019 and spotlight the Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality solutions at the show.
This year marks the 5 year anniversary of introducing the first Augmented Reality (AR) app within the building products industry. While leading digital marketing at TimberTech and AZEK, we demo’d the AZEK 3D Deck Designer IBS. This AR app allowed users to place a deck on the back of their home and customize the profiles and colors of decking and railing. Years before “markerless AR,” we utilized a large “marker” to augment the decking and railing. Everyone was impressed - especially Tom Silva from This Old House!
I took a break from attending the International Builders’ Show (IBS) for a few years, and I was shocked when I saw very little augmented reality or virtual reality solutions in 2018. In 2019, it was exciting to see a dedicated section of the show for visualization solutions, which included augmented reality and virtual reality solutions.
Let’s review the different solutions, but first, here are my top 3 takeaways the show.
Virtual Reality for homebuilders is the quickest way for the industry to adopt AR and VR. It just makes sense. Building a home is incredibly expensive and labor intensive. Why not build the entire home in 3D and allow buyers to virtually walk through and interact with the home.
Augmented Reality will take a few more years to become mainstream within the building products industry. There was very little Augmented Reality solutions at the show. The few I saw were mostly vendors who walked the show, but didn’t have a booth. This is a huge miss for the industry and I truly believe AR will be a game-changer for manufacturers.
Web Visualization will be the key to Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) adoption. If you are a manufacturer, and you don’t have a web visualizer, you need to make it your #1 priority for digital marketing in 2020. Web Visualizers are expected from homeowners, and the assets can easily be transferred to AR and VR technology. I expect to see more Web Visualization and Virtual Reality combination solutions in 2020. If you need help, contact us!
Virtual Reality Solutions For Home Builders
This was by far the most common application for Virtual Reality. It just simply makes sense. When I managed the Toll Brothers Kitchen 360 VR solution, the number one request we received from users was, “can I walk through the entire home?”
The top selling home style for homebuilders is the demo house they build. Why? It’s simple. Buyers can walk through the entire house and experience it. The remaining homes are simply 2D drawings of the homes layout. They can’t experience it! This is why virtual reality is so powerful for homebuilders. They can take their Revit files and fairly easily and quickly build out a virtual reality experience allowing homebuyers to virtually walk through the entire home.
You can take it step further and allow for customization and interaction within the home for a more powerful and memorable experience. Allow the user to change the kitchen layout, paint the walls, add furniture to the rooms, or even experience different layout options (larger rooms, extended ceilings, etc…). The options are truly endless.
So what companies are using Virtual Reality to walk through homes? Let’s review. We will start with my favorite experience at the show.
Evolution Virtual offers many services including, but not limited to 3D Renderings, Animations, Virtual Staging and of course Virtual Reality. I was drawn to them, because they were also building the Toll Brothers 360 Kitchen V2 experience, which was a web visualizer solution that ported over to virtual reality.
Two things that make their solution a winner:
The realism and quality of the renderings were top notch
They had a web visualization and virtual reality combination solution
Having high-quality realism is critical to any visualization experience. Users need to truly feel they are standing in a real kitchen. The combination of the web visualizer and VR, allows users who aren’t comfortable designing with a headset on to get a similar experience on a computer. Or they can spend 90% of their time customizing on the computer, and jump into a wearable headset for 5 minutes to virtually walk their space. This combination is key for a successful Virtual Reality rollout and adoption.
NEEZO Studios is an award-winning creative studio and architectural visualization firm specializing in 3D animation, virtual reality, and interactive content for film studios and television, real estate and more. The realism of their renderings was high-quality and simple navigation to walk through the space in virtual reality.
Atlasiko showed off their 3D Rendering and Virtual Reality capabilities at IBS in 2019. The realism was good at the time, but looking at their website it looks like it’s taken a nice leap in realism quality. They’ve also built a web visualizer solution and I hope to see that at IBS 2020.
Virtual Reality Solutions For Web Visualizers and Design Software
We touched on Evolution Virtual above, but there were also a few other web visualizer and design software companies showcasing Virtual Reality.
Chameleon Power is known for their different web visualizers, but they’ve also been testing solutions for augmented reality and virtual reality. At IBS they showcased the ability to walk through a home and make changes to furniture, paint, flooring and more.
AutoDesk was clearly a frontrunner, showing solutions for augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR). Impressive solution that allows you to take you revit files and turn them into interactive experiences.
Chief Architect also demo’d a solution that allowed you to take your designs within their tool, and port them to Virtual Reality and walk through the space using a headset.
2020 is a kitchen and bathroom design software. Lowe’s Kitchen Designers use this software when designing your dream kitchen. They also showcased porting their designs into Virtual Reality. Starting the design process on the web and then allowing consumers to experience their design in Virtual Reality is a unique value proposition that will leave them wanting more.
Virtual Reality Solutions For Manufacturers
There were a couple manufacturers who were showcasing virtual reality solutions at their booth.
Andersen’s VR experience allowed users to customize the doors and window styles within a 3D model home. The concept of having a “pallet” of options to design with was a memorable experience. I’ll be curious to see if they showcase an updated VR experience for IBS 2020.
This was the second year that Rinnai showcased their Virtual Reality experience. It was a very fun, unique and memorable experience that trained users on how to install their water heaters. It was very interactive and the quality of the experience was incredible. It was so successful, that they took this VR experience on the road across the country. It had a nice mixture of marketing and training built into one solution.
The 2019 International Builder Show was a big year for virtual reality, and I look forward to seeing what innovations will be showcased this year in Las Vegas.
To all the manufacturers showcasing at the International Builder Show, it’s time to Start Building.