Evaluating VR as a Design Tool

Throughout the Mixed Design project I have tested multiple VR tools in different phases of the design process. This is my thoughts and reflections on some of the tools, based on my experience during the course.

Disclaimer: The graphs are only meant as simplified visualisations to illustrate the value of using VR in the design process.

VR Sketching

Pros

• Works good together with regular sketching
• The ability to work seamlessly across different scales is really powerful
• Good tool to get a better understanding of a 2D sketch

Cons

• Hard to draw straight lines in 3D space without any resistance like a paper or clay
• Takes time to get used to
• May be issues to work in VR for longer periods of time

Design Process Value

• Best used as a tool to draw otu basic principles of lines and shapes
• Good tool to get a better understanding of a 2D sketch before modelling in CAD

VR Modelling

Pros

• Great addition to cardboard and wire mockups
• Ability to duplicate and itterate on a mockup is really useful compares to analog modelling techniques
• Possible to manipulate, share and print mockupmodels easily
• Possibility to scale model to any size is a great feature of VR modelling

Cons

• Hard to do accurate and high fidelity modelling
• The interface and way of interaction takes time to get used to
• May be issues to work in VR for longer periods of time, and modelling often requires time. This often results in tired eyes and rough models

Design Process Value

• Best used as a mockup tool in early stages of the design process
• It is closer to clay and cardboard than CAD

VR Iterating

Pros

• Great addition to cardboard and wire mockups
• Ability to duplicate and itterate on a mockup is really useful compares to analog modelling techniques
• Possible to manipulate, share and print mockupmodels easily
• Possibility to scale model to any size is a great feature of VR modelling

Cons

• Hard to do accurate and high fidelity modelling
• The interface and way of interaction takes time to get used to
• May be issues to work in VR for longer periods of time, and modelling often requires time. This often results in tired eyes and rough models

Design Process Value

• Best used as a mockup tool in early stages of the design process
• It is closer to clay and cardboard than CAD

Review tools

Pros

• Great addition to cardboard and wire mockups
• Ability to duplicate and itterate on a mockup is really useful compares to analog modelling techniques
• Possible to manipulate, share and print mockupmodels easily
• Possibility to scale model to any size is a great feature of VR modelling

Cons

• Hard to do accurate and high fidelity modelling
• The interface and way of interaction takes time to get used to
• May be issues to work in VR for longer periods of time, and modelling often requires time. This often results in tired eyes and rough models

Design Process Value

• Best used as a mockup tool in early stages of the design process
• It is closer to clay and cardboard than CAD

Game Engines and Presentation

Pros

• Great addition to cardboard and wire mockups
• Ability to duplicate and itterate on a mockup is really useful compares to analog modelling techniques
• Possible to manipulate, share and print mockupmodels easily
• Possibility to scale model to any size is a great feature of VR modelling

Cons

• Hard to do accurate and high fidelity modelling
• The interface and way of interaction takes time to get used to
• May be issues to work in VR for longer periods of time, and modelling often requires time. This often results in tired eyes and rough models

Design Process Value

• Best used as a mockup tool in early stages of the design process
• It is closer to clay and cardboard than CAD

Active and Passive use of VR

I have separated into active and passive use of VR. Active use of VR is a category for VR applications and tools where the user creates, generates and manipulates the content. Examples of applications is Gravity Sketch, Tilt Brush and other VR modeling tools.

Passive VR is defined as VR apps and tools where the user experience and explore a VR scene, but does not create a design in the scene it self. This could be VR apps like IrisVR Prospect or a Unity scene made to present a model.

Active use

• Best in early stages in of the design process
• VR is a great tool to understand scale, proportions and 3D shapes
• Sketching and modelling in VR is great as long as it requires low fidelity. If you need high accuracy it takes too much time to be valuable
• Great addition to regular sketching and to explore principles of shape

Passive use

• VR is a great tool for reviews and analysis of shapes, especially for large scale models and experiences
• Possible to see one model from “a 100:1 to 1:1000“
• Requires quite much work with the models to make them look good
• Great for simulation of environments and situations that is hard to reproduce in a design office
• Potentially a real time “eater” in the design process when used as a presentation tool and simulation tool, but the potential value is high

Conclusion

Why use VR in a design process?

• Understand scale and form
• Useful for lo-fi / lo-time modelling and as an early-phase-sketching tool
• Simulation and reproduction of scenarios
• Communicates design in context
• Immersive and convincing presentations of a design
• Flexible and adaptive for visualization
• An additional way to create mockups
• Cost-saving alternative to full scale models

When using VR in a design process

• Take the decision to use VR early in the design process
• Use VR during the whole process
• Know some basics about polygons, UVs and textures
• Set up the pipeline from model to vr early in the process
• Things does not need to be hyper realistic to be useful

Issues using VR in a design process

• May be hard and time consuming to set up
• Many technical issues and errors
• Mid-phase usage might have little value (creation in VR takes time)
• Modelling time might be longer if you are not used to
• Requires heavy duty hardware