MINNEAPOLIS - When you think of virtual reality, or VR, as it is commonly referred to, the image of a gamer in a headset probably comes to mind.
But at the Minneapolis office of LHB, an architecture and design firm, designers use virtual reality to help their clients achieve a better understanding of a building project, before construction even begins.
"A client can actually walk through a space," said Rick Carter, senior Vice President of LHB. "So now, they can go into it and look at it and see what things are going to look like before we actually build them," said Carter.
The firm uses, but is not limited to, the HTC Vive, which uses 360° motion tracking.
For clients, the experience is immersive and eye-opening.
"They are just blown away. They can't believe it," said Carter.
"If it weren't for that gaming culture, [this] wouldn't have existed," said Carter.