Microsoft has announced that it will soon add new Mixed Reality capabilities to Power Apps, a platform that allows developers to come up with mobile applications using templates. In fact, Microsoft says Power Apps is one of the first ‘low-code no-code platforms.’ Now, developers and non-technical users can easily build mixed reality applications using Power Apps.
Microsoft Power apps bring Mixed Reality development
You must’ve played Virtual Reality (VR) games or seen Augmented Reality (AR) apps on your phone. Although they all seem to be different things, they have a lot in common. For instance, Mixed Reality (MR) is the combination of a real environment, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and virtual environment. In short, it’s a spectrum from Virtual Reality to Augmented Reality.
In his recent blog post, Steve Macbeth, General Manager of Power Apps Mixed Reality, wrote:
“Power Apps is being used by thousands of organizations to digitize and automate existing business processes. The low-code application development platform allows everyone, from the professional developer to the firstline worker, to quickly build apps that help improve their business.”
This is obviously not the first time Microsoft is making use of Mixed Reality. Some of the existing initiatives like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Remote Assist and Dynamics 365 Guides have already demonstrated how mixed reality applications can impact productivity among first-line workers.
However, building mixed reality applications won’t be a cakewalk for most organizations. It requires investing heavily in team-building, hiring specialized developers and more than everything, it’s a time-consuming process.
While mobile devices are capable of handling augmented reality applications these days, businesses are looking to make inroads into this unchartered territory than ever before. Microsoft Power Apps wants to make it easier for organizations to build Mixed Reality applications using simple drag-and-drop development.
Watch the video demonstrating Mixed Reality-based application development using Microsoft Power Apps:
Microsoft Power Apps allows developers to use 3D models or virtual volumetric representations to validate fit before they begin their work. Microsoft also allows application developers to take linear or volumetric measurements directly through the Power App. These new capabilities are coming to public preview in May.
