You can sign up to be a beta tester today.
Augmented reality (AR) technology can be an amazing tool for home design. Apps from both Amazon and IKEA let you place virtual furniture in any real-world space with the swipe of a finger. If you like what you see, you can simply order the furniture and have it delivered to your doorstep.
In a recent video posted on Reddit, a user who goes by the name TopTierMangos showed how one company is taking this idea to an entirely different level through a unique AR design tool that lets you grab AR parts to build custom objects like shelves, woodworking tables, or even a cabinet for your collection of VR headsets.
In the video, you can see a user grabbing parts from a menu using a Quest headset and its Passthrough technology to build the framework for what looks like a hutch or TV stand using virtual aluminum t-slots and braces.
The app allows you to build objects to scale in AR so you know they’ll fit in your personal space. Once you’ve finished, the exact number of parts you’ll need to complete your project IRL will be ready for purchase in your shopping cart. Of course, you’ll still have to build it when all of the parts arrive.
Since posting the video, TopTierMangos seems to have sparked a generous amount of positive interest.
“Games are nice. Entertainment is nice. What we really need though, are tools like this that allow us to be productive in ways that are both enjoyable, and impossible to do without the tech,” said Reddit user putdownthekitten.
That said, this idea could easily be used for more than just standard t-slots. The app could potentially be used for lumber, plumbing, or any type of home renovation work. As RustyShacklefordVR2 points out, “It would be really awesome of you to include tubing and tube bending tools to the editor. The hardest part of working with steel tubing, copper piping, PVC pipe or conduit is knowing exactly how long the pipe should be between each fitting.”
“Doubly so if you need to figure out where and what diameter bend to put in it to get the right shape. So if you could add basic Sch40 PVC pipe and fittings, steel tube and fittings, and tools for modeling tangential curves that can be done on a tubing bender and determining what diameter a bend should be and where it will start and end on the tube. That would make this an incredibly powerful tool for prototyping almost anything if STEP files are supported.”
If you want to check out the entire Reddit thread click here, and if you’re looking to learn more or you want to check out the AR tool for yourself you can sign up to be a beta tester using the link here.
Image Credit: Quadrobee
