#Esri cityengine vr software#

Additionally, CityEngine provides detailed modeling capabilities that ArcGIS Urban doesnвЂ™t offer: this is also one reason for the integration between the two applications. For the future, ArcGIS Urban will definitely be the preferred option as field workers wearing AR/VR devices will have access to remote GIS data through an internet connection. The difference between the two applications is that CityEngine is a desktop application, whereas ArcGIS Urban is a web-based application. ArcGIS Urban can be used for visualizing master plans, monitoring development projects across the city, management zoning codes and overlays and engaging with citizens. CityEngine 2019.0, released in May, now offers integration with ArcGIS Urban, a soon-to-be-released web-based urban planning platform that runs on top of EsriвЂ™s JavaScript API. Esri is working with both gaming engine providers to overcome these issues and make a streaming of GIS data at runtime an eventual goal.ДЄdditionally, the latest release of CityEngine shows that it is becoming a more specialized tool for urban design. Also, streaming GIS data at runtime does not really work yet, bringing in terrain data into gaming engines is challenging and the geographical scale of a scene is still limited. Currently, there are still limitations on using gaming engines with GIS and web-GIS: gaming engines donвЂ™t have geo-referencing which means they cannot handle coordinate systems. Gaming engines are interesting for GIS workflows, as they can be used for real-time rendering of 3D GIS data as well as delivering interactive experiences from AR/VR apps. While Premium VR is a more expansive form of VR than Mobile VR and offers better graphics, the two are converging quickly. Esri uses the term extended reality (XR), which brings together AR, VR and MR, and refers to an immersive computing environment. While there are more gaming engines on the market than these two, Unity and Unreal together have the largest market share, which is why Esri mainly focuses on these two. Third, CityEngine functions as a gateway to the Unity and Unreal gaming engines for developing extended reality apps. The CityEngine VR Experience was released at the end of 2018 the latest CityEngine release adds support for Oculus Rift headsets. Not only is this a common user experience pattern in AR/VR deployment nowadays, it also takes away the problem of motion sickness that comes with many of such applications. Second, thereвЂ™s CityEngine VR Experience, a premium VR app for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift wearables offering a вЂњtabletopвЂќ user experience, where users can interact with city development scenarios on a real or virtual table. ArcGIS 360 is an Esri lab project that is currently вЂњin maintenanceвЂќ mode. With regards to AR/VR, CityEngine can export GIS and 3D data to three different media: First, to ArcGIS 360, a mobile VR app for light-weight mobile devices that enables users to look at urban planning designs, for example showing multiple examples of a proposed building.

CityEngine is also an import/export tool for GIS data. It is used for urban design, site planning, master planning, as well as a tool for delivering VR/AR experiences to planning and GIS professionals.

#Esri cityengine vr software#

Using CityEngine for VR/AR workflowsД¬ityEngine is EsriвЂ™s 3D desktop modeling software for detailed large-scale 3D city models. In the past, EsriвЂ™s CityEngine was mostly used as a 2D to 3D modeling tool, but its latest release demonstrates its potential for becoming a specialized tool for urban design and as a 3D data import/export tool to enable new immersive computing experiences.