3D design and modeling is not new to the architecture field, but Esri’s CityEngine program is using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology to take city planning to a higher level.
CityEngine is “advanced 3D modeling software for creating huge, interactive and immersive urban environments,” according to the company’s website. Users have the option to use geographic information system (GIS) data to build 3D cities based off of real cities like New York or Dubai, or they have the option to design a landscape based entirely off of their own imagination. Whether city-planners are updating energy grids, adding new buildings or creating new roads, this program’s uses are endless.
What really makes CityEngine stand out from other 3D modeling programs is its exporting options. Esri partnered with Unreal Studios, Epic Games’ enterprise suite, to bring VR and AR abilities to CityEngine projects.
CityEngine users can easily and quickly export their work into the Unreal Engine and set up a VR experience for stakeholders or city planners to get an up close and interactive look at 3D models. Once in the VR mode, users can experience the landscape at ground level, on top of a building, or from a bird’s eye view of the whole city. Users also have the ability to switch between different variations of buildings and layouts within the project to see the various options created using CityEngine, or even see the city in different times of day.
Esri isn’t the only company creating compatibility with Epic Games’ VR/AR technologies. C4 Discovery, a pharmaceutical research facility, has also used the Unreal Engine in their workplace so chemists can work with 3D models of molecules and create more effective medications.
