Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Microsoft HoloLens used to provide virtual tour of Seattle’s 2+U high-rise project

By

Studio 216 with HoloLens
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Studio 216 has teamed up with Skanska USA and Microsoft to create the very first Holographic Real Estate Sales Center. This new center uses Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented reality headset so that customers can go on a multiuser guided holographic tour of a project without yanking them from their current environment, as the Oculus Rift would do. Skanska’s office in Seattle is the first to create such a center for its 2+U development project for the downtown area.

According to Studio 216, the 2+U Holographic Real Estate Sales Center provides a tour that includes the interior and exterior of the proposed high-rise building, and the surrounding Seattle-based neighborhood.  The tour also provides a first-person perspective and a You Are Here-type floating marker so that the tourist knows exactly where he or she is at any given moment.

Recommended Videos

Studio 216 is one of many companies that are participating in the Microsoft HoloLens Agency Readiness program, which provides members with early access to “mixed reality” technology. Thus, Studio 216 is currently creating projects based on both virtual and mixed reality technology for a number of its clients in addition to the sales center for Skanska USA.

Kyle Riesenbeck, the Technical Lead for the 2+U Holographic project, says that developing for HoloLens is a lot like developing for VR headsets. However, in the case of VR, developers must create both the environment and the content. But for augmented reality, developers must figure out a way for content to exist within the real world. This content must also enhance the user’s real life experience “in a unique and necessary way.”

Related Offer: See here for Samsung’s latest virtual reality headset, Gear VR

Overall, there are seven companies listed in the Microsoft HoloLens Agency Readiness Program. 8ninths is another participant, which has created a “Holographic Workstation” prototype based on HoloLens. Designed and engineered for Citi, this workstation generates 3D holograms of real-time financial data so traders can view, process, and interact with data without having to jump into an immersive virtual environment. This workstation includes gaze/gesture/voice-based input, holographic docking space, tablet screen space, and more.

Microsoft began shipping the HoloLens Development Kit to developers last week during BUILD 2016. Pre-orders for the kit opened up at the end of February in the US and Canada, costing a hefty $3,000. And now that the kit is shipping, developers have access to tools such as a HoloLens emulator and Visual Studio projects. HoloLens is based on Windows 10 and will support the Anniversary Update upgrade when it’s released sometime this summer.

“With HoloLens you can create and shape holograms with gestures, communicate with apps using your voice, and navigate with a glance,” Microsoft’s Alex Kipman said in February. “HoloLens understands your gestures, gaze, and voice, enabling you to interact in the most natural way possible. With spatial sound, HoloLens allows you to hear holograms from anywhere in the room, even if they are behind you.”

By using HoloLens to allow customers to personally visit the 2+U high-rise project, both the salesperson and the client can stand back and allow the design for downtown Seattle to take “center stage.” Boaz Ashkenazy, founding partner and CMO of Studio 216, said that partnering with Skanska USA was definitely a “unique opportunity” for the company.

The 2+U Holographic Real Estate Sales Center will reportedly open its doors in July. The 2+U project itself, which is slated for Second Avenue and University Street in the downtown area, isn’t scheduled to be complete until early 2019.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Kevin Parrish
Kevin Parrish
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kevin started taking PCs apart in the 90s when Quake was on the way and his PC lacked the required components. Since then…
Power up your tech game this summer with Dell’s top deals: Upgrade for a bargain
Dell Techfest and best tech on sale featured.

One of the best times to upgrade your tech stack, be it your desktop, a new laptop, or some high-resolution monitors, is when great deals are to be had. Well, I'm here to share that thanks to Dell's top deals, you can power up your tech game and have most of the summer to make it happen. Maybe you're happy with your current system or setup. That's excellent, but you're likely considering upgrading somewhere, and that's precisely what these deals are all about. Dell has a smorgasbord of deals on laptops, desktops, gaming desktops, monitors, accessories, and so much more. We'll call out a few of our favorite deals below, but for now, know that you should be shopping this sale if you're interested in anything tech-related.

 
What summer tech should you buy in Dell's top deals?

Read more
I love the MacBook Pro, but this Windows laptop came surprisingly close
Apple MacBook Pro 16 downward view showing keyboard and speaker.

There are some great machines in the 15-inch laptop category, which has recently been stretched to include the more common 16-inch laptop. The best among them is the Apple MacBook Pro 16, which offers fast performance for tasks like video editing and the longest battery life.

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 is aimed not only at other 16-inch Windows laptops but also at the MacBook Pro 16. It offers many of the same benefits but at a lower price. Can it take a place at the top?
Specs and configurations

Read more
How to set an ‘Out of Office’ message in Microsoft Teams
Person using Windows 11 laptop on their lap by the window.

Many people use Microsoft Teams regularly to communicate with colleagues both inside of the office and remotely. It is considered one of the most efficient ways to ensure you can stay in contact with the people on your team, but what if you need to let people know you’re not readily available? Microsoft Teams has a method for you to set up an "Out of Office" status for your profile to let staff members know when you’ll be gone for the afternoon, for several days on vacation, or for an extended period.
Where do I go to set up my ‘Out of Office’ status for Teams?
It is important to note that your Microsoft Teams and Outlook calendars are synced. This includes your out-of-office status and automatic replies. So, whatever you set up in Microsoft Teams will reflect in Outlook. Similarly, you can set up your out-of-office status in Outlook, and it will be reflected in Teams; however, the former has a more straightforward instruction.

First, you can click on your profile icon in Teams and go directly to Schedule an out of office, as a shortcut. This will take you to the settings area where you can proceed. You can also click the three-dot icon next to your profile icon, then go to Settings > General, then scroll down to the bottom of the page. There, you'll find out-of-office settings and click Schedule.

Read more