Autodesk has unveiled a virtual reality tool described as an “immersive design review experience for the AEC industry.” Named Autodesk Workshop XR, the tool offers multiple users the ability to explore design models in real-time using Meta virtual headsets, including abilities to flag and update issue items.

“Workshop XR will transform how architects and building engineers plan and review projects,” said Nicolas Fonta, Senior Director & General Manager, XR at Autodesk, in a statement. “Most building projects that go over budget do so because issues are discovered once construction has begun. We’ve heard many customers share the challenges of reviewing designs across dispersed teams.”

In the Workshop XR environment, multiple users will be able to track issues, catch errors, and explore working BIM models linked to the Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC). “With automatically connected data from ACC, no-prep model loading, and synced issue tracking, Workshop XR makes design reviews frictionless and efficient,” the company claims.

The tool was launched at the Autodesk University expo on November 13th, where Archinect experienced a live demo. For now, the software is exclusively available to the Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro, and Meta Quest 3 headsets, with Autodesk not ruling out expanding the tool to other headset brands in the future.

The waitlist for the tool can be accessed via the Autodesk website here.

News of Workshop XR comes months after Autodesk unveiled Forma, an AI-driven tool for generating and analyzing BIM models. Meanwhile, other stories in our editorial related to virtual reality include a Francis Kéré-designed virtual museum of stolen artifacts for UNESCO and Apple’s unveiling of Vision Pro, described by the company as the “first spatial computer.”