30 Incredible Uses for Virtual Reality by Rosana Vidal

This year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo showcased some of the latest developments in virtual reality technology for gaming. While this was certainly exciting, VR has plenty of potential applications beyond the games industry. As VR hardware becomes more affordable and easier to wear and the software continues to improve, the potential applications for other industries are increasing as well. Here are 30 uses for virtual reality that we find particularly interesting:

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The Frontrunner in VR Headsets: Oculus Rift by Rosana Vidal

Oculus VR made headlines last year when it was acquired by Facebook for $2 billion. The virtual reality technology startup debuted its VR headset, the Oculus Rift (one of the tools we use here at floorplanGRP) at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in 2012 and has been the forerunner in VR technology for gaming ever since. Oculus VR was started by head-mounted display (HMD) designer Palmer Luckey along with Brendan Iribe, a co-founder of game engine developer Scaleform in 2012. Luckey and Iribe set out to create a head-mounted display that was more effective than those currently on the market, and affordable for gamers. The company was named Oculus, after the Latin word for “eye.”

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The Resurgence of Virtual Reality by Eric Gordon

It’s hard to believe the comeback that virtual reality (VR) is having after so many years without a wide audience. You might be surprised to learn that virtual reality, or the use of computer technology to create a simulated, three-dimensional world that a user can interact with, has existed (at least in concept) since the 1950s. A cinematographer named Morton Heilig envisioned a theater experience that would engage all his audience’s senses, and built a console called the Sensorama Simulator in 1960. The Sensorama played a 3D film along with stereo sound, aromas, and wind in order to create an immersive sensory environment. The machine ended up being too complex and never made it past the prototyping stage, but many people to this day imagine a device similar to Heilig’s contraption when they hear the words “virtual reality.”

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Virtual Reality Helping to Sell NYC Real Estate by Rosana Vidal

With an increasing number of tools available for software developers, virtual reality technology has become more affordable and accessible over the past few years. Now, real estate firms and agents are harnessing that technology and using it to sell properties, sometimes before construction has even started. One development in Flushing, Queens has sold 75 percent of available units using virtual reality tours via Oculus Rift. These tours allow potential customers to see where the unit is inside of the building, and then “float inside” to see a furnished rendering of the unit. While the pace at which you move through the units on these tours is controlled by the sales representative, here at FloorplanGRP we allow clients to move through tours at their own pace so they can get the best possible sense of the unit.

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Q&A with Scott Sindorf, Co-founder of floorplanGRP by Rosana Vidal

Scott Sindorf co-founded UVPH in 2000 after graduating with his Masters in Architecture from Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and working as the Artist-in-Residence at Columbia’s Graduate School of Fine Arts.  Together with Damijan Saccio, Scott has grown UVPHACTORY into an award winning 3D and motion design studio responsible for branding clients such as SyFy Channel, Al Jazeera, BET, Xerox, and AT&T.  Read more here.

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Q&A with José Mujica, Co-founder of floorplanGRP by Rosana Vidal

José Mujica has been working in New York City real estate architecture since before graduating with honors from the New York Institute of Technology School of Architecture in 2004.  Upon joining The 7th Art, Jose used his skills to draft beautifully presented floorplans and quickly became involved in all stages of the creative process, from branding to design to production and even print. At the age of 23, Jose started The 7th Art’s architecture department, leading his team to design and produce marketing materials for over 30 high profile new development projects including The Plaza Hotel, The Barbizon, 995 Fifth Avenue, and The Cosmopolitan. Read more here.

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Scott Sindorf and José Mujica join forces to form floorplanGRP by Rosana Vidal

Founding partners Scott Sindorf and José Mujica are proud to announce the formation of floorplanGRP, a high-end, 3D architectural visualization company dedicated to providing the highest quality architectural visualizations for New York City's real estate market by utilizing the latest in technologies, including 3D scanning, augmented and virtual reality, and real-time visualizations. 

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