IN-PERSON: Applying Education

Abstract

As the discipline of interior design adapts to emerging forms of interactive technologies, we must think outside disciplinary constructs when researching new teaching methods within our profession. New tools like head-mounted devices can now allow designers to communicate and test conceptual design ideas in mixed reality (MR) environments. Unlike virtual reality, MR provides an experience in which virtual objects are visually overlaid on one’s real-world surroundings using a wireless head-mounted display. However, due to the infancy of this tool in interior design, investigations discussing the adaptation of architectural models to interactive MR experiences are not readily available. In response, research is conducted using two MR headsets and varying software workflows. Each experiment is documented to outline the extent to which the user could map the MR experiences to real-world environments and import architectural models, furniture, fixtures, and equipment. The ability to use dynamic hand gestures to move, rotate, scale, grab, and rearrange interior elements is also examined. These cross-disciplinary investigations showed that digital architectural models exported using a workflow to Unity and Microsoft Visual Studio allowed the most versatility in producing complex MR experiences. The workflow allows for customized interactivity using hand gestures, head tracking, spatial mapping, and material conversion. The MR experience also provided recognition, tracking, and placement of all user-created interior elements by integrating tools typically implemented in game development disciplines. The research findings offer documentation of the various experimental workflows and a pedagogical framework to implement complex MR experiences in interior design education settings.