Unity creates new open source tool for architects

There are products like Enscape that can deliver first person (or VR) walkthroughs at the push of a button. Sure, getting a perfectly correct lighting simulation cannot yet be done in realtime, but good approximations are possible.

I asked all firms we spoke with how they work. None even had an option of making tweaks to the project with real-time 3D feedback. That is - change something and see how it looks in 3D on the second monitor, move the camera around, change time of the day, turn lights on and off, then try it differently, check again, try third, etc. Aim for dozens of "revisions" in a scope of one hour - that's not even remotely possible.

The existing model - get a draft, send in a list of tweaks, get a revision, send more comment, get another revision - is ridiculously inefficient and excruciatingly slow. What can be decided in a couple of hours takes days if not weeks. Coming to the architect's office and doing the same by sitting aide by side with then doesn't help much, it's still not a real-time and they get frustrated because that's not how they work.

The problem, as I mentioned, is both in architect software lacking (what's been available in game engines for years!) and the willingness to adopt the new tech and workflows on architect's side.

I mean, with all existing technologies I should be able to see my house-to-be in near exact realistic detail before we OK the project. This is NOT possible and this is supremely frustrating.

There are a lot of technical reasons why this may not be possible. For example, modern real-time lighting often uses precomputed data such as lightmaps to speed up/avoid real time calculations. For static geometry and lighting much of the work can be done 'offline' before runtime however it is not unheard of for this offline process to take hours (e.g. computing high resolution lightmaps for large environments).

Alas you really only see those lovely 3D renders upon large projects in which the developer wants to woo in investors and sway local planning with how lovely it looks.

Do they map out the soundscape of the area from the impact or even the lighting levels for the building and cast shadows upon the area - heck no. These models are always upon lovely sunny days, and hey - look at those trees in the picture - ain't we nice people to do that kinda level.

But yes, consumer level would love that, for me - things like sound proofing and light impact from the seasonal variations would be more use for me. Be nice to know that the kitchen window wouldn't get much sun and then only in the summer as it's facing North West and will only catch the glancing sun in the summer first thing and last thing. Or indeed the factor that the prevailing wind will mean that as the kitchen window opens at an angle to the west, which is the same as the prevailing wind - seeing all your kitchen smells permeate the entire property and a penchant to set of the smoke alarm if you ever do any toast or worse - blow out the gas cooker hobs and all that entails. Small details, but they all add up.

But really erks me is the level of sound proofing, sure they bung in some loft insulation and double glazing and say that's cool. But most properties these days in out modern times have no/little code to cover noise pollution and as you view properties during the day, have little idea how they are at night. Heck I live in a flat and if I place an ear against any outer wall, I can clearly hear the downstairs neibours as the property was built without any cavity filling and the owner refuses to install any as their architect says it's not needed and how it is the standard way. Yet happily ignores that you can literally follow a standard level of conversation from neibours. Because there are no real standards about noise pollution. Moral being - never buy or rent a flat when they just put up a concrete frame, breeze blocked the inner leaf with brick outer leaf as for noise travel/pollution - they are horrible.

Indeed in my case the heating system (hot water radiator affair) has pipes going into the wall (all nice and hidden), but if say the downstairs neibours hit or bump into their radiator - the sound resonates up the cavity and has sympathy with the pipe and radiator - making it sound like my radiator was hit or knocked. A most unnerving and freaky experience, but at least one in which I worked out why my radiators at night made odd knocking sounds as if somebody hit them.

So whilst a VR walkthrough would be great, for me, better soundproof and frequency propagation of sound mapped per room along with seasonal lighting levels, would be way more useful and whilst for changes, the whole VR aspect would be great. It is and will be mostly used for initial selling and utilised by investor types who may well never even see the property they brought.

Real crux is that to submit plans/changes to your local planning - none of them demand or need a 3D model or walkthru and with that, as they don't have to do it, that has prevailed to the stage that you just don't get it.

But great opportunities to shake up the market here.

Unlike others here (based on the downvotes), I don't think your concerns are entirely unfounded. Google is a classic example of a company that scorches the earth with their freeware releases - remember Kiko?

But ultimately, whatever is best for the consumer needs to win out. If freeware knocks out commercial competitors then stagnates (like Internet Explorer), that's bad, and analogous to dumping which is not legal.

If it's just better product and continues to be, like Google Calendar, the world is simply better off.