Microsoft’s HoloLens applications highlight the need for special skills and teams

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Published onDecember 3, 2015

published onDecember 3, 2015

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There’s no doubt that HoloLens is one of the more interesting members of the Windows 10 platform family. While every other Windows 10 platform member displays information on a 2D screen (or perhaps no screen, as with many IoT applications), HoloLens displays its information in an immersive 3D space. That makes developing HoloLens applications a bit more complex than the typical Windows 10 project, and Microsoft has some suggestions over at theWindows blog as to the best practices for building apps for HoloLens.Of course, Microsoft is doing its part to generate a strong HoloLens ecosystem. They’ve been givingout development funds to academics, as well assoliciting ideas from the general HoloLens community. So far, according to the company, the latter effort has been paying dividends, with scads of new ideas pouring in over just the last couple of days.Microsoft stresses that any app developed via theUniversal Windows Platformcan be made to run on HoloLens, but that doesn’t mean the environment is precisely the same. Microsoft recognizes that developing strong HoloLens solutions will require some different thinking:

With HoloLens you can both develop 3D content and see that 3D content in the world around you. Apps targeting the features of HoloLens take advantage of volume, environment and human interaction. These apps are no longer confined to a two-dimensional plane. You can bringthe solar system into your living room, you can seea mime run across a pianoorcreate holographic greeting cardsand share those experiences through mixed reality capture. Ideas like theAnimated Storybooktake advantage of placing holographic content into the real world, letting you walk around it and see everything with full volume.

In all likelihood, developing HoloLens apps will also require different team members, and Microsoft highlighted the team that will produce the winning app in their Share Your Idea project:

• 3 Developers• 2 Artists• 1 Designer• Some additional help from an audio designer

The blog post uses the example of HoloChess, which will require additional work to turn the typical 2D (or even on-screen 3D) chess implementation into a good augmented reality experience. Just intuitively, it’s clear that creating a chess game that can be manipulated in a fully 3D environment will require additional artwork and attention to detail that typical chess games don’t require.

It’s a short piece full of generalities, but the post does highlight just how much more complex the process will be of creating truly immersive, compelling HoloLens applications. We’re chomping at the bit to see how HoloLens develops over the years, and are certainly happy to see Microsoft focusing on the skills and teams necessary to turn HoloLens into a real-world solution.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).

For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.

Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.

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Microsoft’s HoloLens applications highlight the need for special skills and teams