Virtual solutions for real floors: Domotex 2019

In keeping with its CREATE’N’CONNECT keynote theme, DOMOTEX 2019 – will feature smart digital tools for visualizing, creating and connecting (“interweaving”) carpets and floor coverings. These advanced digital solutions include everything from VR and AR applications to specialized visualization technologies for the entire marketing mix, to software applications designed to help end customers select patterns and collections.

A portfolio of digital tools for real floors
A prime example of these digital flooring solutions will be presented at the Framing Trends showcase in Hall 9 by Visionme. The young tech company from Langenhagen, Germany, will be unveiling the latest products in its “iunco” line. “We provide the full spectrum of digital products, including a material scanning service for the flooring industry,” explains CEO Florian Wenk. “Our portfolio ranges from 3D rendering and AR and VR solutions to our iunco AI app, which intelligently automates the process of selecting and cutting out floors, so users can quickly and easily superimpose a whole range of flooring products in a whole range of laying patterns.”

The iunco VR application enables users to lay virtual surfaces in photorealistic 3D environments in real time. The software computes and renders material characteristics and laying patterns in real time, allowing users to configure floor coverings and wall claddings quickly and without delay. With the iunco AR app, customers can use their smartphones to superimpose virtual floor coverings onto their real floors at home. The technology generates high-resolution textures and supports realistic, real-time light and shadow rendering. And because it is integrated into the iunco cloud, it can access and use all the textures, laying patterns and product information generated by the companion VR application. This dramatically reduces the number of physical samples and swatches vendors have to give to their customers (Hall 9, Stand S17).

With the “RoomVo” visualization technology by Leap Tools of Toronto, users can upload their own room photos directly to the websites of product manufacturers and retailers. No app installation or sign-in is required. Users simply upload their snaps and then start clicking to see how selected carpet tiles, floor planks and luxury vinyl tiles will look in the rooms they are redecorating. The AR platform can also be used on-site in retail stores, enabling customers to virtually try before they buy. “RoomVo is instantaneous and easy to use,” said Pawel Rajszel, co-founder and CEO of Leap Tools. “As a result, we are seeing shoppers make faster and more confident purchase decisions. We’re creating these tools right now to provide an unparalleled customer experience.” Leap Tools will be presenting the latest new variants of its products at DOMOTEX 2019 (Hall 12, Stand B62/1).

software and data management solutions for the flooring industry. As part of its modular Interieur Studio Plattform 3.5, ESIGN will be introducing the first prototype of a new AI tool. With this tool, users can upload photos of their rooms and can instantly configure all available floor coverings. „Many of our clients wanted to be able to instantly see any type of flooring in a room context. This wish will now be coming true, says Frank Schmied, managing director of ESIGN Software GmbH. Another benefit: the AI module is directly connected to the material platform, thus allowing more than 100,000 floor covering products to be visualised in any type of photographic room representation. Furthermore, there will be AR and VR tools developed by Active online and new functions of the materialo data platform, which allow flooring manufacturers to upload product data automatically to their websites or online shops (Hall 12, Booth B58).

“The development curve in model-based work processes is steep”, says architect Martin Murphy (Störmer Murphy and Partners, Hamburg). Everybody is talking about Building Information Modelling (BIM). The radical transformations of our time are, however, much more wide-ranging. “A totally new work method is emerging, which not only opens up new possibilities but also profoundly challenges the way architects think and work”, states Murphy. Processes that have matured over decades must be reconsidered, project phases amalgamate and new ways of communication are created.”

For more than 20 years, Störmer Murphy and Partners architectural studio has been implementing a large range of projects with the objective of creating buildings of the highest quality and sustainability. In his talk at DOMOTEX, Martin Murphy will be providing an insight into the digital transformation processes in his practice and will be speaking about new ways of planning complex projects, from the traditional two-dimensional design of the “The Fontenay” grand hotel located at the shores of Lake Alster in Hamburg to the “Wildspitze” high-rise in Hamburg’s HafenCity that combines state-of-the-art technology in wood construction with the complex possibilities of 3D model-based design.

Don’t miss the talk: 11th January 2019, 5.30 p.m., Convention Center (CC), hall 3 A

DOMOTEX 2019
11 to 14 January (Friday-Monday)
Hannover Exhibition Center
Hannover, Germany