Two new apps are helping to change the relationship between architecture and technology, allowing architects and designers to sketch and trace and view augmented reality 3-D renderings right on their iPads.
As its name suggests, the Trace app from the Morpholio Project allows users to draw—with a stylus or a finger—over digitized manilla-yellow tracing paper and sketch graphic concepts directly onto an iPad screen. Designers can add new layers of Trace, creating a timeline for the design process and allowing for easy sharing between colleagues.
Once your design is polished and ready to present, another app, UrbaSee, can bring it to life through augmented reality. Available on iPads and smart phones, the software will be on display at the r’pure gallery in New York on October 25 as part of Archtober.
The application turns mobile devices into viewing windows that reveals a digital 3-D scale model of a project when viewing the original plan through the screen, tethering the virtual image to the tabletop plan. By using georeferenced files and the device’s GPS, UrbaSee can also display models on the intended construction location. After creating an account, users can upload and distribute their own digital models.
