Acoustics is a special discipline. It lies bang in the middle between art and engineering. An engineer loves to put numbers on things, calculate and optimize them to get as close to perfection as possible. Art, on the other hand, is very hard to quantify with objective parameters. For example; Try to describe in words how to dance or how to play a musical instrument. Maybe it’s possible, but it is certainly extremely difficult. You just can’t put numbers on everything, especially not feelings. Engineering is about numbers and Art is about feelings. Consequently, acousticians often has to rely on their gut feeling.

If you are an acoustician, you might recognize the following scenario. You have been involved with the design of a building, perhaps for years, and think you have a pretty solid understanding of the building. Yet, the first time you do a site visit you will probably think ”Aha, so THIS is what it looks like in real life!” Personally, I know I have had that feeling every single time. With acoustics, this can be a proper challenge. We obviously need a tool that can help us bring out that crucial ”gut feeling” in the design phase. If we have to wait for the site visit to the finished building until we can consult our gut, it is often too late because the critical decisions have already been made. So how can we solve this?

A major step forward was when 3D models became mainstream. Many civil engineers work with CAD drawings all day and they have a very good ability for spatial visualisation. They can look at 2D drawings and ”see” the finished building in their mind in a way that I as an acoustician can only dream about. The 3D models have been an immense improvement in quality in the review process and simply gaining an understanding of the project. But this spring I came across a complete game changer: Virtual Reality.

At Acouwood, we use an application called Vrex, which can be described as a VR lovechild between Trimble connect and ZOOM. What impressed me the most with Vrex was the fact that the graphical interface was so intuitive, even though we are talking about an application for civil engineers! Small details like that when you lift your left arm in VR, there is a wrist watch there. That is an example of excellent design! The primary benefit of using VR as an acoustician is that it perfectly solves that challenge of consulting the ”gut feeling” at an early stage. With Vrex, all we need are some IFC files and finally we can do a virtual site visit and enter the rooms we are working with in the correct scale. Personally, I have noted that most room I work with are smaller than what I imagined when only studying 2D or 3D drawings. Room acoustics is a sub discipline of acoustics that might benefit a lot from VR. It deals with how sound behaves inside a closed space. Room geometry and surface characteristics are two critical parameters. It is a lot easier to understand the rooms when you can enter them in VR and see them in the correct scale.

Other usage scenarios is during the review process when the acoustician is investigating the buildings plumbing and ventilation installations. I find them to be the most difficult discipline to grasp by studying 2D drawings. Here, a virtual site visit where you can see all the pipes and ducts can bring a significant quality improvement. I have had several experiences in complex projects where I could identify acoustically ”dangerous” designs of plumbing, that would have been very hard to detect in 2D. I would probably have missed them completely.

And the other day, me and my colleague did a virtual site visit to a building to discuss next weeks field measurements. Your avatar has a construction helmet and you can use your hands to point out things. It just feels very natural! And last but not least, it is a lot of fun too!

Are you using VR in your projects and what are your thoughts?