AECCafe’s Holiday Technology Wish List 2018

While technology purchases take place all year round for AEC organizations and users, listed here are some ideas for products you might want to put on your wish list.

NavVis IndoorViewer Upgrade Automatically Renders 360° Immersive Imagery from E57 Point Clouds. Top photo: E57 point cloud file, captured by a static laser scanner Bottom photo: E57 point cloud file automatically converted into an immersive 360° walkthrough in NavVis IndoorViewer

This year IndoorViewer announced NavVis’s latest software upgrade to their web-based application NavVis IndoorViewer. A provider of indoor spatial intelligence technology, NavVis is now able to automatically convert E57 point cloud files into interactive, realistic 360° walkthroughs, with the latest software upgrade to IndoorViewer.

NavVis IndoorViewer Upgrade Automatically Renders 360° Immersive Imagery from E57 Point Clouds. Top photo: E57 point cloud file, captured by a static laser scanner Bottom photo: E57 point cloud file automatically converted into an immersive 360° walkthrough in NavVis IndoorViewer

IndoorViewer is a web-based application that displays realistic digital twins, i.e. a realistic representation of the site, using 360° panoramic images, point clouds and maps generated by 3D scanning devices. Users can move around digital twins of scanned spaces as if they are on site and use the interactive functionality to add, search for and route to geo-tagged information as well as take accurate measurements. The new release was demonstrated at InterGEO in Frankfurt, Germany, in October.

According to company materials, the intuitive user interface and functionality has made NavVis IndoorViewer a valuable deliverable for laser scanning professionals who want to extend the use of point clouds beyond BIM models and building plans to a greater number of building stakeholders who can take advantage of 3D scan data. Those stakeholders working on complex projects or properties, such as manufacturing facilities and construction sites, can use IndoorViewer for  remote access to the site and is used as a platform for collaboration and exchanging information.

Epson

In July, Epson announced two new high-speed, easy-to-use wide-format SureColor^® T-Series printers – the Epson SureColor T3170 24-inch desktop printer and the SureColor T5170 36-inch floor-standing printer. While these printers benefit professionals and workgroups across a range of industry segments including architecture, engineering, CAD, GIS, education, corporate, home and small office settings, the new wireless printers also feature an all-new clean and compact design coupled with the reliable printing performance inherent in Epson’s technical printer solutions. Our article covered these printers. Now Epson has added new models for the small to mid-sized CAD or GIS office looking to quickly produce fast and accurate plots.

SureColor T5470

While the July announcement focused on SureColor T-Series printers for a range of industry segments, the new SureColor T3470 and T5470 wireless printers are optimized for professionals in the low-to-mid-range CAD and GIS printer market and are available now for purchase through authorized Epson Professional Imaging resellers and channel affiliates.

The SureColor T3470 and SureColor T5470 utilize Epson’s latest PrecisionCore^®MicroTFP^® printhead delivering Precision Droplet Control for outstanding photographic images, precise lines, and crisp text; producing an A1/D-size print in as fast as 25 seconds. Ideal for robust printing, high-capacity UltraChrome^®XD2 ink replacement cartridges help increase productivity and produce durable, vibrant prints. The new printers are the first SureColor T-Series printers to provide advanced network security and encryption features designed to safeguard sensitive information. Leveraging integrated wireless and Wi-Fi Direct^® connectivity, users can seamlessly print from tablets, smartphones and more, router-free Wi-Fi Direct^® printing and printing directly from a USB or thumb drive the SureColor T3470 and SureColor T5470 offer convenient PC-free printing for high-production office

Stuff from Amazon

The all-new Echo Show takes Alexa, Amazon’s intelligent personal assistant, one step higher with the addition of video. It features a new look, a vibrant 10.1” HD screen, built-in smart home hub, and improved speakers. It can play news clips and Amazon videos as well as connect to home security cameras and offers hands-free, face-to-face calling.

Echo Show’s new speakers feature dual 2” premium drivers, a passive bass radiator, and Dolby processing to deliver expansive stereo sound with deep, powerful lows and crisp highs. Adjust the treble, mid, and bass levels using only your voice, or set up multi-room music to play music across compatible Echo devices throughout your home.

Amazon Smart Plug

Amazon’s new Smart Plug is the first gadget to ship with Wi-Fi Simple Setup, which helps get new devices onto nearby Wi-Fi networks quickly. Then, in combination with nearby Alexa-enabled devices like Echo or Fire TV, the smart plug will turn on smart home devices like coffee makers and lights when you ask.passing sense of space. This virtually eliminates early table reflections and allows for consistent high-definition sound.

Apple

Amazon’s Alexa doesn’t have a high-quality speaker. Apple has introduced Homepod as a high-quality speaker that smartly leverages Siri as the user interface and produces excellent sound. It can also assist with everyday tasks and control parts of the home, all via voice.

Logitech

Logitech’s K480 Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard takes multi-tasking one step further and lets you connect a computer, your phone, and tablet, all of which could be using different platforms, to a single keyboard, which can be very useful while traveling.

Raspberry PI3 Model B+

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, measuring just 0.63 by 3.5 by 2.2 inches (HWD), is a case of looks are deceiving. It looks like a circuit board, but has a faster processor and better networking than its predecessor, and is built on the latest Broadcom 2837 ARMv8 64 bit processor.

It has improved power management to support more powerful external USB devices and now comes with built-in wireless and Bluetooth connectivity. To take full advantage of the improved power management on the Raspberry Pi 3 and provide support for even more powerful devices on the USB ports, a 2.5A adapter is required.

Technical Specifications: – Broadcom BCM2837 64bit ARMv8 QUAD Core 64bit Processor powered Single Board Computer running at 1.2GHz – 1GB RAM – BCM43143 WiFi on board – Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) on board – 40pin extended GPIO – 4 x USB2 ports – 4 pole Stereo output and Composite video port – Full size HDMI – CSI camera port for connecting the Raspberry Pi camera – DSI display port for connecting the Raspberry Pi touch screen display – MicroSD port for loading your operating system and storing data – Upgraded switched Micro USB power source (now supports up to 2.5 Amps) .

Tags: 3D, 3D printing, AEC, architecture, building, building design, building information modeling, CAD, collaboration, construction, design, laser scanning, point clouds, printers, reality capture, visualization

Categories: AECCafe, Apple, apps, architecture, Cloud, collaboration, construction, consumerization, engineering, field, file sharing, Internet of Things, IoT, lidar, mobile, point clouds, project management, rendering, visualization

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