Arkio: A Collaborative Tool for Architecture Design and Review
Arkio is a collaborative tool designed for users to quickly sketch and share architectural ideas for review in groups. The company aims to make this tool available for both VR and non-VR users. The first version 1.0 is now available across the Quest, SteamVR, iOS, Android, and Windows platforms.
Iceland startup, Arkio, is a fully self-funded company aiming to introduce intuitive architectural sketching to virtual reality. The team plans to enable this tool to be available across various computing platforms, so anyone can simply join and collaborate despite which device they use.
The first full version, 1.0, will be free through September 1st. After that, the freemium users will be allowed to use the full modeling tools, although some features will be paid in-app starting at $55 per month.
The team has placed a focus on real architecture workflows. Instead of having to create geometry models inside the app, Arkio is designed some existing 3D models from industry standard tools such as Sketchup, BIM 360, Revit, and Rhino. However, heavier models may run into performance issues on standalone headsets like Oculus Quest, as currently models can be supported up to 400,000 polygons. Arkio plan to improve this performance issue in the future.
Currently, up t0 10 people can join and collaborate on a single modeling project. For reviewing, touring, discussing, and annotating sessions, 20 users can join at the same time. Arkio has made the process to join the collaboration easy, as user simply will need a room name and password.
While currently designed for sketching and conceptualizing larger structures, Arkio plans to upgrade the app so users can easily design smalls spaces such as residential homes and smaller rooms.
