Introduction
To better understand the uses and applications of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) in design, construction and marketing, it is important to know the main terms in the field:
VR - Virtual Reality
The user fully enters a simulated environment and is not exposed to the real environment at all. The whole experience happens inside a fully virtual world, which allows visualizations, design checks and hands-on experience in a simulated space.
MR - Mixed Reality
The user is partly inside a simulated environment, but can still see and experience the physical space around them. This mode combines the real world with virtual elements and allows deep interaction between the two.
AR - Augmented Reality
Virtual elements are "placed" on top of reality - for example, a virtual arrow that shows the user where to turn inside a real space. This combination enriches the experience with more information without separating the user from the real physical environment.
XR – Extended Reality
A general term that covers all types of virtual experiences - virtual, augmented and mixed reality - and describes all the ways of combining physical and virtual worlds.