HP SkyRoom 1.0 review
Published Mon 19 Oct 2009
Video conferencing and real time collaboration for 3D CAD is the name of the game with HP’s long awaited SkyRoom technology.
A few years back ‘collaboration’ was THE marketing buzzword. Joe collaborated with Jane and Jane collaborated with Jack – all using the latest collaborative design software. Today, while the hype has settled down and CAD software companies have new marketing check boxes to tick, one may argue that the ‘c’ word has never been more relevant.
Restrictions on business travel - for economic or environmental reasons – means that the ability to collaborate effectively with geographically dispersed colleagues is increasing in importance. And while video conferencing and online collaboration tools have been around for over a decade, with its new SkyRoom technology HP thinks it has something special on its hands.
SkyRoom provides a collaborative design environment where users can share desktops and talk face to face with extended design and manufacturing teams using standard PC webcams and microphones. While mainstream tools like Microsoft Meeting already offer this type of functionality, they often fall down when it comes to working with interactive 3D datasets. In order to maintain the smooth appearance of 3D models when they are manipulated on screen, a huge amount of data needs to be sent and it needs to be sent quickly and dealt with efficiently.
Squirting this amount of information to different locations is no trivial task and this is where HP’s Remote Graphics Software (RGS) comes into play. Originally designed to send data back from Mars, the technology uses highly efficient compression algorithms to stream pixel data between project participants.
HP is currently focusing the technology on local networks but the reach of SkyRoom can also be extended beyond the firewall using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and work on expanding this to any TCP/IP connection is already underway.
Obviously bandwidth is an issue and at 300-400k/sec (up and down), the minimum requirements for SkyRoom are not trivial. As the compression algorithm is multi-threaded, multi core PCs are also required. However, powerful 3D graphics cards are not mandatory in every machine. As SkyRoom only streams 2D pixel data and not 3D vector data, it is only the host workstation that needs a 3D CAD-capable graphics card.
SkyRoom’s use of 2D pixel data also has added security benefits. Because intelligent vector-based CAD/CAM/CAE geometry is never shared, confidential data won’t ‘accidentally’ fall into the wrong hands.
Setting up a collaborative session is incredibly easy to do. Up to three team members can be invited in and once they accept and face-to-face contact has been established the host ‘ring fences’ an area on his or her desktop to share. This could be a simple document or the modelling window in a 3D CAD application. A view of this ‘lens’ is then displayed on each team member’s screen and constantly updated in real time with no discernable lag – at least this was the case with the LAN implementation we have seen.
Current limitations
While SkyRoom’s beauty is certainly in its simplicity, there are currently some significant limitations when it comes to collaborating effectively. Participants can’t yet take control of the host’s keyboard and mouse, and there are no markup tools available. These omissions are certain to make it hard for participants to discuss specific parts or design elements, and feedback is currently limited to verbal instructions. In addition, as the software can only be used externally using VPN, careful planning will be required to make sure all design, engineering and supply chain participants can be hooked up to the system.
Pricing
One of the most attractive things about SkyRoom is that it currently comes free with any new HP workstation. However, SkyRoom is not limited to HP hardware and is compatible with most dual core Windows machines regardless of brand. In this case it is available for purchase for €109 per seat.
Conclusion
Ever since HP launched its Remote Graphics Software Software (RGS) it’s been crying out for someone to get their claws into it and turn it into a marketable tool for collaborative design. This has now happened with HP SkyRoom, where up to four participants can collaborate on a design and experience the benefits of a face-to-face meeting, albeit a simulated one.
While this initial release shows much promise it’s still a way off from being the finished product. Face to face discussions are certainly an important element of collaboration, but SkyRoom currently lacks those all-important tools required to get every participant directly involved with the 3D geometry. The good news is that HP is already working on providing mouse and keyboard control to all participants and once the technology is in place will also be able to increase the number of participants to beyond four.
Despite current limitations, SkyRoom is still an interesting technology – and becomes even more so when you consider it comes free with the new Z Series workstation. In a time where users are looking to get more out of their technology, this is a certainly a major value add for HP.
