3D California

Pride is an essential part of a sales job. Being proud to deliver products of services that can change the way people live is a major incentive in a sales guy everyday life. But when it comes to 3D software and products, pride just reaches a new dimension.

3D application vendors are not just regular vendors. 3D apps vendors sell apps that change the way we live. Applications that change the way you live.

Remember, for example, CAD/CAM software ? Such 3D applications have revolutionized the automotive and aeronautics industry. 20 or 30 years before, designers would have to spend hours on paper and pen to create products, engineers would spend days to manufacture those products based on drawings, support engineers would spend month to test products before the sales process begin. In these industries, 3D has just changed the way it goes, from design to manufacturing and support.

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Surimpose information from computer to visual fied in real time become a reality in Japan. The goal is to improve and enriched the shopper experience. Several firms are testing such devices.
Toppan Printing Co Ltd provide a dedicated terminal, allowing for example to improve signage and items information, or even to locate a store around. It’s very simple : the consumer has just to show his product in front the Terminal cam, which recognize the product package and return a 3D augmented display of the product with its description.
Supplementary application making the link between physical and virtual world : the QR code technology
You can shoot the QR codes with your mobile phone and you have just to show QR at camera (the one of the Toppan dedicated terminal) to get, some samples of associated product.

Other example with Sony Music Communications Inc and Sky&Road Co Ltd, they propose an “interactive show-window”; you have just be on stand in front the terminal (fitted with cam ) and a virtual image (representing a pattern or decoration…) is surimposed on the real one of you.

Finally, with the two previous companies, we note the “Magic mirror” which can be a major innovation in field of clothing.
Imagine you’re wearing a long sleeve shirt and you want to know what you would look like with short sleeves shirt; so you have just to be on stand in front of the mirror and the computer generate a nude pair of arms; we realize easily the scope such applications in clothing area and elsewhere.
the actual application are developped with the AR development kit of Total Immersion.

The men’s magazine Esquire, dedicated its cover of the December edition to the actor Robert Downey Jr.,on this occasion the magazine propose an AR (Augmented Reality) Issue including several AR experiences for the reader.

Choice was made for big black & white markers on each targeted page of the magazine, and for exe download with no clear information of the Publisher in the Windows dialog box. (download from Esquire website) So far, the interaction with the content is very simple and having celebrities involved in these kind of initiatives is always exciting.

Another style of AR experience, with www.instyle.com (belongs to Time Inc) and still involving celebrities … This time, we have marker less technology – your webcam will track nice images directly from the magazine – and you download a well identified pluggin (ActiveX in a browser).

Who will be next ? Which magazine ? Which celebrity ? Let me know your thoughts …

Universal Music France with the help of Total Immersion, has just  launched the SINIK’s new Audio CD “Ballon d’Or”), SINIK, alias Thomas Gérard, is one of the pretty good French rappers.

The main innovation is in the musical object which is the physical Album (CD and Jacket Cover).

The idea is to turn the Audio CD into an object enriched  by augmented reality. You need both the CD, a computer and a Webcam to live these new digital experience.

Music consumer may interact with a virtual projection displayed, and create his own musical experience, for example using an application to create your virtual musical mix.

This way, the physical object becomes a kind of dynamic open work, with an endless potential.

Considering the physical CD object is no more a finite and static object, the music buyer, and especially digital natives, will probably come back in the store to buy CD.

Bonuses and additional tracks like a  ”Making-Off”, are a common feature on most DVDs. With augmented reality, the physical support gets an additional value by itself: objects turn into concepts, a world where  bits and atoms may co-exist.

Just have a look at the following french video…:

We live in a 3D world.  No matter who you are, where you live, what you do, 3D is what your life context is made of. Let’s try to imagine what you, my reader, are IRL (in real life).

Are you a teacher? Come one, everybody knows classrooms have 3 dimensions. Mathematics, sports, physis, are all domains where 3 dimensions are generally required. And even students can differentiate depth from the two other dimensions.

Are you a pilot?  For sure you would explain your plane to move in all 3 dimensions!

A furniture designer? No need to ask, you know more than anyone what dimensions are related toour vision of space and decoration.

And so on…

Jus becuase 3D is in our everyday life, more and more companies are moving to 3D in their own processes, or in the way they deal with their customers. The misture of 3D virtual worlds with the real world, the possibility that recente technologies offer, make this challenge even more affordable.

3D California is devoted to help companies embrace this all new 3D world. With the help of modern way of communication, I am going to take you on a long, very long trip, with wonderful stuff to watch, experience and feel.

Are you ready for this trip?