Dynamics 365 Guides – guidance through mixed reality

Dynamics 365 Guides is a cloud-based mixed reality application for HoloLens AR headsets, part of Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 product family. As its name suggests, Dynamics 365 Guides is a versatile guidance application that offers numerous benefits for both the manufacturing industry and educational settings.

With Dynamics 365 Guides, various instructions and guided tours can be presented interactively exactly where they are needed. Instructions can be presented visually, for example on an assembly line or in a training simulation. Instructions projected onto HoloLens headsets can include images, videos, 3D models and holograms. Interactive guidance, delivered in exactly the right place at the right time, facilitates learning and the absorption of instructions, which boosts work efficiency and also reduces the number of errors.

Copilot, available in Dynamics 365 Guides, transforms the real world into input for generative AI, providing support for front-line workers in industry. Staff can interact with Copilot using natural language and gestures, receiving the information they need in real time via speech and holograms. Mixed reality, integrated with AI, creates a human-centered user interface that streamlines practical work processes. Guides’ Copilot offers significant opportunities for companies seeking to increase the efficiency and productivity of their operations.

Dynamics 365 Guides and Mixed Reality (MR)

Dynamics 365 Guides combines the real and virtual worlds (VR) in a way that enables real-time interaction between objects in both worlds in what is known as ‘mixed reality’. Although the Dynamics 365 Guides app utilizes AR technology, the technology used also falls under the concept of mixed reality (MR). In practice, the difference between MR and AR lies in the scope of the user experience. In MR, virtual elements interact with real-world objects, whereas in AR, the implementation can be less immersive.

As an example of two-way interaction, an app can recognize an object located in the real world based on its 3D model and display instructions to the user relating specifically to that object. All three of the technologies mentioned (VR, AR, MR) fall under the umbrella of the concept of Extended Reality (XR). You can read more about these terms and their differences, for example, here: What really is the difference between AR / MR / VR / XR?

Why use the Dynamics 365 Guides app?

Various XR applications have numerous uses; for example, games, marketing and communication materials, and various practical applications are now commonplace. With Dynamics 365 Guides, you can take the digital leap by utilizing AR technology in business and training without the need for software development expertise. In Dynamics 365 Guides, digital materials are always up to date and easily accessible.

This user-friendly and scalable service enables an immersive learning experience, leaves both hands free and enhances learning. Furthermore, it enables the continuous development of the teaching process through the app’s built-in analytics. With XR technology, you can make your product or service more engaging and create new ways to visualise, implement and develop your business operations.

6 benefits of the Dynamics 365 Guides app

• Does not require any expertise in software development
• Leaves both hands free and enhances learning
• Digital resources are always up to date and easily accessible
• More immersive than a traditional learning experience
• Makes it easier to combine practical study with theory
• It is possible to utilize analytics to support learning
• There are many different ways to make use of artificial intelligence

Explore our work: Case Riveria – Digital solutions streamline everyday processes and education

Content in the Dynamics 365 Guides service

Dynamics 365 Guides consists of an app for use with HoloLens and a desktop app for creating content. The HoloLens app features a guidance pane that displays the instructions and content (images, videos, links) set up in the desktop app. The desktop application allows you to add your own 3D objects.

System requirements for the Dynamics 365 Guides app

• Setting up the production environment must be carried out using a Microsoft account with admin rights
• System requirements: PC and HoloLens 2
• The ability to link Microsoft Power apps

Features of the HoloLens 2 headset

• Hand and eye tracking
• 3D objects, menus and media are seamlessly integrated into the right environment, and are mainly operated by touching or pointing at content and menus
• A wide variety of apps for HoloLens are available via the Windows App Store
• Microsoft has a number of high-quality products of its own: Dynamics 365 Guides, Remote Assist, Mesh, etc.
• It is possible to use WebXR, meaning the software can be accessed via a web browser.
• A general requirement for use is the ability to use the upper body, hands and fingers. It is also possible to create customised implementations based, for example, solely on head movements or speech.

Training and implementation

We’ll guide you on how to use and make the most of the platform in line with your needs. We will set up a production environment on your behalf that enables the use of the Dynamics 365 Guides system, and we will assist you in producing your initial content and adding it to the system. The user-friendliness of Guides means that your organisation will be able to use the application independently in future, without being tied to a single provider.

We’ll therefore train you in the basics of the Dynamics 365 Guides system and help you develop creative solutions yourselves. We’ll of course continue to support you as needed and help you find the best possible solutions!

• Installation in a production environment
  • We will set up the Dynamics 365 Guides production environment so that it is ready for use
• HoloLens 2 training
  • We provide training on how to use Hololens 2 headsets and offer guidance on how to get the most out of them
• Creating content
  • We’ll help you create your initial content and upload it to the system
• Dynamics 365 Guides training
  • We provide training on how to use the Dynamics 365 Guides system and offer guidance on solution development
• Customer service and further development
  • We will continue to help develop innovative solutions and offer content development services

Extended reality (XR) solutions are no longer the stuff of science fiction

Various extended reality (XR) solutions are now available to everyone; they are not just science fiction set in the future. Nor are the prices sky-high. For example, HoloLens costs between €3,000 and €4,500, and a monthly license for the Dynamics 365 Guides app is around €56 per user.

By making use of new digital solutions, you can gain a genuine competitive advantage. At present, very few organisations are making use of the potential offered by augmented reality glasses, for example, so there are excellent market opportunities for pioneers! So please don’t hesitate to ask if you’d like to know more about the various XR options, such as WebAR, AR apps for mobile devices, or more comprehensive solutions designed for AR glasses, such as HoloLens or Dynamics 365 Guides!

If you’re looking for a solution that’s guaranteed to set you apart from the competition, find out more about Hurja’s augmented reality services and get in touch!