Barco brings group VR to construction planning meeting rooms

Many VR users want to enhance their 3D visualization capabilities and shake off the disadvantages of Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) that isolate users and strongly hinder collaboration. However, it takes careful consideration of use cases, workflow, budget and space to get to this next level. Because the use cases are often not yet to the point where they work in virtual reality 100% of the time, getting approval for these projects can be difficult.

Barco’s Canvas is the solution. This new system consists of 3 projection surfaces, set up at an angle of 135°, and opens a new era for virtual reality in enterprises. It enables an increasing number of users to experience group VR that fosters collaboration between teams and allows customers to preview and assess buildings or designs before they are built. The ability to do this in the convenience of a meeting room, while at the same time using the screen as a traditional display, is truly unique.

The best of 2 worlds

In meetings and collaboration sessions, the Barco Canvas acts as a large display surface for a wealth of information and data. Using Barco’s plug-and-play ClickShare technology, users have the freedom to share their content on the screen and have interactive discussions. When the users put on the 3D glasses, the Canvas becomes an immersive display that enables insight into 3D data. In this way, the Canvas creates an overwhelming experience for, among other things, sales and marketing purposes, project meetings where 3D modeling adds an important dimension to efficiently monitor progress or reduce mistakes during execution, etc.

The Barco Canvas brings together many of Barco’s unique strengths. For example, the famous image quality of our projectors brings both optimal 2D and 3D imagery to life. Depending on the needs and the size of the installation, Barco has a wide range of high-quality projectors in its portfolio to deliver an immersive experience. Furthermore, the high-quality and light-weight Barco RigiFlex screens ensure superb performance and easy installation.

Simplified collaboration

“There are amazing opportunities for companies and organizations that decide to leverage the potential of VR,” says Kurt Doornaert, Director Virtual Experience at Barco. “Take construction as an example: instead of looking at a sketch, VR brings the BIM data to life. It puts you inside the building, makes it possible to walk and look around, creates emotions and gives much better insights into the project. In this way, mistakes can be avoided, preventing the waste of material, money and time. At Barco, we keep focusing on how to bring value to existing and new VR users. The HMDs have made it possible for many companies to put their first steps into VR. Now, many of them are looking to take their next steps and bring VR to a group of decision-makers who want to work with 3D content but are still able to interact with each other without wearing HMDs. This is what we call Group VR, and where Barco together with its channels already offer powerwall and cave solutions. The Barco Canvas is a new solution designed for construction and for all VR users looking into group VR.”

About Barco

Barco designs technology to enable bright outcomes around the world. Seeing beyond the image, we develop visualization and collaboration solutions to help you work together, share insights, and wow audiences. Our focus is on three core markets: Enterprise (from meeting and control rooms to corporate spaces), Healthcare (from the radiology department to the operating room), and Entertainment (from movie theaters to live events and attractions). In 2018, we realized sales of 1.028 billion euro. We have a global team of 3,600 employees, whose passion for technology is captured in 400 granted patents.

For more information, visit us on www.barco.com, follow us on Twitter (@Barco), LinkedIn (Barco), YouTube (BarcoTV), or like us on Facebook (Barco).

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