Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are transforming how lighting is designed, specified, and sold. Designers can use AR apps on tablets or phones to superimpose virtual luminaires into a real-world physical space, allowing clients to visualize scale, style, and light distribution before purchase. VR takes this further, enabling immersive walkthroughs of fully rendered 3D environments with accurate lighting calculations, allowing stakeholders to experience different lighting scenes and controls in real-time. For manufacturers, these tools are powerful sales aids, reducing uncertainty for buyers and decreasing product returns. They also facilitate remote collaboration, allowing designers, architects, and clients in different locations to review and approve lighting plans in a shared virtual space, streamlining the entire design and decision-making process.
