The cursor—that small, jumping pixel arrow computer users don’t even notice anymore—are becoming obsolete, especially as touch screens rise. But the developers of Hyve3D are turning it into something new, something that can change how Building Teams collaborate with each other.
"What we've done is evolve the cursor into an avatar for a 3D world," Tomás Dorta, the University of Montreal professor responsible for Hyve3D, told Fast Company. "It's no longer just this little arrow, bouncing around on your desktop. Instead, it can now be a powerful tool for seeing inside and modifying virtual worlds."
What Hyve3D does is give your smartphones access to a program: a game, website, or building imaging program. Using multitouch gestures, users can control whatever they want to drag, grab, click, or drop on the screen in 3D form.
“Within Hyve3D, Dorta says that the 3D cursor allows multiple designers or engineers to interact with a virtual space simultaneously, using their individual smartphones to grab objects, copy and paste them, rotate them, sketch in the air with them, and so on,” the article says.
Fast Company has the full report
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Callison, MulvannyG2 among nation's largest retail design firms, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 75 Retail Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
ASHRAE releases free BIM introductory guide
A newly released guide from ASHRAE on building information models and building information modeling (BIM) serves as a resource for professionals considering BIM tools and applications for their businesses. According to "An Introduction to Building Information Modeling," BIM is “a digital representation of the physical and the functional characteristics of a facility.” Unlike 2D or 3D CAD, BIM software utilizes intelligent objects to create models.
| Aug 11, 2010
BIM research: New IPD document quantifies savings, shows obstacles
The American Institute of Architects and the AIA California Council have released the results of “Integrated Project Delivery: Case Studies,” a collection of six studies that showcases the process changes and efficiencies of completed building projects that utilized and implemented IPD. IPD is a construction project model in which owners, design professionals, and general contracto...
| Aug 11, 2010
Take the hassle out of managing subcontractors
As general contractors look to technology for an edge in the slowing commercial construction market, Web-based bidding programs are helping them to connecting bid information, subcontractors, and proposals. A 2008 survey by the Construction Financial Management Association found that 62% of general contractors participated in Web-based construction bidding vs.
| Aug 11, 2010
Wisconsin becomes the first state to require BIM on public projects
As of July 1, the Wisconsin Division of State Facilities will require all state projects with a total budget of $5 million or more and all new construction with a budget of $2.5 million or more to have their designs begin with a Building Information Model. The new guidelines and standards require A/E services in a design-bid-build project delivery format to use BIM and 3D software from initial ...
| Aug 11, 2010
News Briefs: GBCI begins testing for new LEED professional credentials... Architects rank durability over 'green' in product attributes... ABI falls slightly in April, but shows market improvement
News Briefs: GBCI begins testing for new LEED professional credentials... Architects rank durability over 'green' in product attributes... ABI falls slightly in April, but shows market improvement
| Aug 11, 2010
Luxury Hotel required faceted design
Goettsch Partners, Chicago, designed a new five-star, 214-room hotel for the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The design-build project, with Saudi Oger Ltd. as contractor and Rayadah Investment Co. as developer, has a three-story podium supporting a 17-story glass tower with a nine-story opening that allows light to penetrate the mass of the building.