Visual Fidelity brings focus to Spatial Computing

As remote work and virtual collaboration become more important, the visual fidelity and quality of virtual environments are an important way to humanize and enrich our digital lives. This is why at Altoura we have built a strong competency and unique offering with our collaborative solutions with photo-realistic environments. 

Just this week, Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, experienced our software and claimed it was “absolutely amazing.” We agree. But what makes it amazing is not just the science and artistry, but the way a virtual environment with high spatial fidelity improves the way people work, making them more efficient and productive.

Amazon HQ – Seattle. Image by Altoura Studios.

FROM ARCHITECTURE TO SPATIAL COMPUTING: A NATURAL EVOLUTION

As an architecture graduate student (some) years ago, my fascination with the complex relationship between our designed physical environment and its image began. The different ways we represent our environments (through drawings, photographs, 3D simulations) have a strong relationship with how we conceive of, think about, communicate and even use those environments. As a young architect, I soon discovered that I enjoyed the creative art of architectural graphics over the practice of the profession–something I still enjoy today.

Graphic abstractions like 2D plans, sections and other projection drawings have great value to those trained to decipher their full meaning, but many find them hard to understand and inaccessible. A different kind of image is needed. Fundamentally the kind of perspective imagery that is the basis of all 3D representation today prioritizes the individual’s point of view with a more human/user-centered representation.

Brunelleschi’s experiment … augmented reality in 15th century?

Since the advent of linear perspective drawings in the Renaissance, representations of our environments have trended ever more realistic and able to harness the full bandwidth of our visual sensory system.  Indeed, the power of digital artists to tell stories with convincing realism now knows few technical bounds.

Same image, different treatment makes all the difference

THE POWER OF AN IMAGE

Over the past 20 years my experiences in design, real estate, marketing and sales have proven the overwhelming value of an interesting and realistic image. From 2D static images, to CG animation and video, to fully immersive real-time environments, the emotional decision-making centers in our brains that rely heavily on visual information are gloriously able to absorb a flood of visual information all at once. Design decisions are made, consensus is driven, and purchase behaviors encouraged through images that we first see and then inhabit.

Graphics do more than just convince. More and more our most ambitious endeavors are collaborative. Like a room full of decision makers in mission control, collaborative group work is the hallmark of nearly every innovative company today. With more and more critical work operations, teams need high performance digital twins to train, test and collaborate within. Real-time environments of great detail and sensory fidelity better support and enrich truly collaborative interaction.

SPATIAL COMPUTING EXTENDS THE REACH OF 3D

Spatial computing extends the reach of 3D content into an exciting blurring world of data overlays and virtual training environments. Human interactions and productivity no longer are limited to a desktop computer. They now occur on mobile phones, tablets, and head-mounted displays in a ubiquitous on-demand, mutable hyper reality that is ripe for the best innovation we can muster. 

As you pursue your next spatial computing project with an eye to deliver a powerful user experience, ask yourself these questions: 

1. How can I advance my project mission and brand with high fidelity environments?
2. What level graphic detail is needed to best support the interactions needed in my spatial computing project?
3. Where in our immersive experience should we invest the most energy in creating highly realistic environments and why?

The answers to these questions should guide your selection criteria as you evaluate spatial computing solutions to help improve your business performance. 

Want to learn more? Have feedback? I’d love to hear from you. Reach me at Charlie@altoura.com