​When we started theorising about ARki back in in 2010, we imaged a parallel dimension of architecture and environments that ran along our physical reality, and seamlessly merged with our surroundings. In this reality, architects could easily superimpose their designs within their physical sites, visualise digital models on table tops, and experience walking through their designs in real time, without having to create physical prototype or models. Initially the AR technology available didn’t allow us to freely create these experiences without the use of 2d image trackers, such as site plans etc, to augment these digital models within the real-world. Moreover the ability to create large scale architectural propositions in AR was always limited to the use of industrial scale printed markers as trigger images to kickstart the augmentation. 

Hermaton Update on google play and App store, which has 7 new levels that work with the cone models displayed at Shine Bosch Arts Festival! 

Visit the Hermaton Shine page for more information. 

We are excited to launch our latest ARki for the Porter School of Environmental Studies- which will be exhibited at the Ecological Ripples Exhibition in Tel Aviv.  The app showcases the sustainable design agenda of the building in Augmented Reality, and can now be downloaded on the app store: 
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/arki-pses/id910990522?mt=8

What's so interesting about seeing an architectural model in AR?
Well for those of you that haven't come across the technology, it's a really interesting medium to describe the narrative behind the design process in an interactive manner. ARki was a starting point to see how we could take all these architectural models that exist already in every design firm and convert them into tools which allow the user to explore the design in a more immersive way. Ideally the challenge was predominantly concerned with design communication of architectural drawings, and how you could package architectural models for a mass audience. We weren't just concerned with illustrating 3-D models in augmented reality alone, the main focus of this product was to create bespoke interactive solutions that really explain the narrative of the design in an innovative way.

The last few Months we have been very busy spreading the word on how great ARki is for architects! here are a couple of snapshots of our presentations at Ian Simpson Architects and CGL.

Arki is an Augmented Reality service for real-time visualisation of architectural models. By incorporating AR technology within the architectural design process, ARki is able to visualise 3d models for both design and presentation purposes, helping to create an immersive visualisation technique with multiple layers of interactivity. ARki can be deployed on any ios/ android device which allows the user to explore 3d data with an added level of navigational freedom. The spatial nature of ARki provides real-time architectural visualisation which has several benefits in design communication for a multitude of architectural projects. 

ARki  showcases key interactive functionalities, including real-time shadow analysis, and material selection, by simply overlaying 3d models/information onto existing floorplans/siteplans. By viewing  models in Augmented reality ARki also provides an added functionality to capture and record custom views of models in both movie and 2d still format. This allows  users to save or share their recorded visualisations via email or social media directly from within ARki. 

To create custom applications for architectural propositions, we incorporate 3d models and plans within the ARki framework, using leading AR technology, to create bespoke interactive applications based on each individual architectural project. 

For any additional information  about ARki please visit the ARki project page.