GATEWAY — “Build Mode On” (Release 0.1.0)

Micheal Reed
Practical
Published in
2 min readSep 14, 2018

More Blocks.

We have voxelized our maps to turn the world into your playground. We are very excited to rebrand Practical Mapping into GATEWAY and reveal Build Mode. Simply launch the app, say “Build Mode On” (or toggle it via the toolbelt) and start building. Voxel blocks are only the start of what we have planned for this mode. This release features map voxelization, persistence, and occlusion.

We believe that most applications and tools should created to co-exist rather than built in silos. GATEWAY a jump forward towards our vision of an elegant and beautiful mixed reality. This application will act as a showcase for our technology prior to its simplified introduction to our KEY SDK.

Store Link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/gateway-practical/9pb5vtpzr2qq/

Search Term: GATEWAY — Practical

Inputs:

  • Gaze
  • Airtap
  • Voice
  • Spatial

Voice Commands:

  • “Build Mode On” — Toggles creative tools on.
  • “Build Mode Off” — Toggles creative tools off.
  • Remove” — Deletes targeted block.
  • Delete Save” — Deletes all persisted blocks upon restart.
  • “Mining Mode On” — Toggles Mapping and Practical Points on.
  • “Mining Mode Off” — Toggles Mapping and Practical Points off.

Known Issues:

  • Voice commands do not work after initial prompt. Restart the app after first launch to re-enable voice functionality.
  • For the “Remove” voice command to work, your hand must remain present in the ready position.

Get Involved!

We are on a mission to map the world in 3D and we cannot do this alone.

  • Claim your themes permanently. Register and create your first Practical application at https://developer.practicalvr.com
  • Sign-up for news regarding the launch of PRAX at https://prax.practicalvr.com
  • Join our community and jump in the conversation by going to discord.practicalvr.com
  • Give us feedback. What do you like/dislike? What themes do you want to see next?
  • Spread the word and invite some friends. Anyone, anywhere will be able to jump in to help. It all starts with ideas, and together we’ll bring them closer to reality.

Other News?

A big congratulations to our previous Head of Community, Jesse McCulloch for moving on to own the Mixed Reality community effort at Microsoft! We will be keeping this role vacant for the immediate future, but don’t hesitate to send us a name if you have someone great in mind.

— Micheal

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