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Design review powered by mixed reality

Microsoft Entra ID
Azure Blob Storage
Azure Cosmos DB
Azure Spatial Anchors

Solution ideas

This article is a solution idea. If you'd like us to expand the content with more information, such as potential use cases, alternative services, implementation considerations, or pricing guidance, let us know by providing GitHub feedback.

This article describes how you can use a mixed reality scenario to enable clients, designers, and onsite engineers to easily share and review designs as 3D holograms in the context of their environment.

Architecture

Architecture diagram Download an SVG of this architecture.

Dataflow

  1. Users of the client application authenticate using their Microsoft Entra credentials from HoloLens or a mobile device.
  2. Device 1 creates an anchor using Azure Spatial Anchors and gets back an anchor ID.
  3. Device 1 sends the anchor ID to the app's web service to create a collaboration session. It also specifies which hologram is to be displayed via its ID in Azure Blob storage.
  4. Session information, including a 6-digit code to join the session, is stored in Azure Cosmos DB. That code is returned to the client, allowing the user of that device to invite others to join.
  5. Device 2 connects to the app's web service and enters the code to join the session (displayed on Device 1).
  6. The web service retrieves the anchor ID for the session and the ID of the hologram associated to that session from Azure Cosmos DB.
  7. The web service retrieves a SAS key to access the hologram associated to the session from Blob storage. It then returns the anchor ID and SAS key to Device 2.
  8. Device 2 queries Azure Spatial Anchors to get coordinates for the anchor ID retrieved in step 6.
  9. Device 2 fetches the hologram from Blob storage using the SAS key obtained from the app service.
  10. Device 1 and Device 2 exchange state information over a peer-to-peer networking channel (or through a service relay of your choice).

Components

Scenario details

Businesses and teams across industries have to spend time and money on design reviews. 2D images lose essential detail and context, and physical prototypes are extremely expensive. With this mixed reality scenario, clients, designers, and onsite engineers can easily share and review designs as 3D holograms in the context of their environment, accelerating design decisions and reducing time to market.

Potential use cases

  • Remote assistance to problem-solve in real-time
  • Tailored, immersive experiences with 3D and the IIoT
  • Knowledge-based work instructions to capture and scale expertise

Next steps