VizMove Updates Allow More Seamless VR

WorldViz announced VizMove 2.0, which includes software updates and greater third-party support.

Users test-drive VizMove 2.0 via headsets. (Image courtesy of WorldViz.)

Users test-drive VizMove 2.0 via headsets. (Image courtesy of WorldViz.)

WorldViz, a virtual reality (VR) software company, recently released the latest version of its VizMove platform, including software updates, more support for third-party hardware and software, and more efficient projection. The program, popular in the university and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) fields, allows for flexible VR experience creation.

VizMove is a scalable platform that allows users to make largescale VR experiences. The user can pick and choose between different kinds of hardware and software. On the software end, users can either choose Vizible—a no-coding, drag-and-drop system that WorldViz describes as “VR for the rest of us”—or Vizard, a Python-based development engine, depending on the level of coding expertise. On the hardware end, users can choose between solutions like backpack VR units, biofeedback monitors and warehouse-scale motion tracking systems.

“In the enterprise VR space, many companies are looking for ways to present, communicate and explain products and projects better. In university settings, VR is enabling budget-friendly research that mirrors the real world,” WorldViz CEO Andrew Beall said in the company’s press release. “The power of VizMove VR 2.0 is its ability to adapt to both business and research settings.”

The new version, VizMove 2.0, has scaled up in several areas. One of the most important improvements is that it comes with Vizard 6, the company’s most recent engine that was released in August. Vizard 6 includes support for third-party VR headsets, including WinMR and the latest StarVR; an easier art workflow out of CAD programs through the GLTF model format; and the ability to customize avatars through Adobe’s Fuse CC instead of relying on more generic avatars. Additional software improvements include new systems for the company’s VizBox platform, a portable VR platform that contains a VR-ready laptop, connecting cables and Oculus Rift.

VizMove 2.0 also supports more third-party software and hardware, apart from VR headsets. Its newest update can interface with eye trackers, haptic feedback devices and biophysiological sensors, like EEGs and EKGs. It also includes support for laser-phosphor-based projection in addition to traditional lamp projection, which costs less, works for longer and can provide better color matching. On the software side, VizMove now supports both the Unity and Unreal game engines, allowing users to design games on those platforms and then play them in VR.