For the past several years augmented reality (AR) has provided the ability to place items of furniture into your own home prior to purchase, giving you a much better idea of how a certain time will look and fit. The Houzz app has offered this feature since 2018, and today the company has greatly expanded upon that premise by introducing AR into its 3D Floor Plans for Houzz Pro.
The Houzz Pro app is a marketing and management solution for contractors and design professionals, with the ability to build floor plans in 2D before giving clients a 3D walkthrough. The addition of AR takes the idea of a virtual walkthrough a step further by offering homeowners the chance to view the finished project against the backdrop of their current home.
A visualization tool for the 21st Century, rather than getting a general idea of how your new kitchen might look, or how expansive the new extension will be, with the power of AR you can use a phone or tablet to get the best idea yet. All life-sized with the ability to easily show various products and materials, which should make the decision-making process that little bit easier.
“At Houzz, we’re focused on building technologies that make the home renovation and design experience more productive and enjoyable for industry professionals and their clients,” said Alon Cohen, Houzz co-founder and president in a statement. “In the past year, the number of 3D Floor Plans created using Houzz Pro has more than tripled, signifying the important role that visual tools play in client communication. Now, we’ve created a true AR-enabled experience for residential construction and design pros to immerse their clients in a proposed renovation or redesign and better visualize how their space will be transformed.”
If you’re in the building trade or a homeowner considering renovating your home, you can create a free Houzz Pro account to try the 3D Floor Plan tool. As this is a platform designed for professionals you will have to subscribe to continue using the service. Available in more than 10 countries across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, Houzz Pro offers email marketing services, lead management CRM, online invoicing and payments, and more.
While AR at a consumer level has been available on mobile and tablet devices for several years now thanks to Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARCore, more recently the technology is gaining ground thanks to smart glasses. Companies like Tilt Five are making gaming-centric systems whilst Qualcomm is collaborating with studios like Square Enix to develop AR titles for the Snapdragon Spaces platform.
As AR adoption continues to grow, gmw3 will keep you updated.