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Tour new technology that allows clients to experience a space before it exists

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A visitor to Reality Cave Inc. in Kitchener, Ont., puts on special sensor “tracking” glasses before stepping into the theatre-like booth (5.6 metres wide, three metres tall and three metres deep).

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The 3-D visualization technology commercialized by Reality Cave, a privately held incubator start up, creates the illusion of depth and perspective using stereoscopic (3-D) projectors illuminating images on four sides of the booth.

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The application allows architects, builders and designers to test building designs – prior to construction.

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Clients can ‘walk around’ an interior space, get a sense of verticality, see colours, textures and dimensions.

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With a virtual walk-through of a proposed layout, clients can experience a design and raise issues that need to be adjusted.

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The technology can also be applied to an exterior space to illustrate landscaping and parking.

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Recently, the technology was used to help plan the Woodlands library, a joint project of the City of Mississauga and the Peel Board of Education. The building, which is designed in the shape of a book lying on its spine, will be built at 3255 Erin Dale Station Rd.

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Here’s the interior view of the library as it would be seen in the 3-D visualization.

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On a recent visit to Reality Cave, Mississauga librarians and city officials view the book return on the exterior of the library.

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Architect Steve Burrows of +VG Architects, right, uses a joy stick to guide observers through the library space. “This was an opportunity to be in the library without having to build the library [first],” says Sue Coles, area manager for Mississauga Library Services.

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