Capabilities of Mixed Reality Applications for Architecture and Construction: A Comparative Review with HoloLens

With the ability of mixed reality (MR) in overlaying digital information in the real world, architecture and construction practitioners have quickly recognized its value in on-site visualization for planning and verification. Although a few contractors have piloted some initial tests, no thorough reviews on its uses have been reported in existing literature. To bridge this gap, a comparative review of the capabilities of MR applications for architecture and construction was performed. Nine MR applications were identified, and their capabilities of on-site uses were evaluated and compared. It was found that although some applications performed better than others, no single application offered all desired features. In addition, the limitations of each application and the requirements of on-site uses were discussed. This paper provides timely and first-hand information to help the vast architecture and construction practitioners and researchers better understand the current capabilities of the MR technology in on-site construction visualization.