3D California

Vancouver 2010 Winter Games are the olympic edition with the largest social media coverage: from Facebook to Twitter, everybody’s talking about sports in Vancouver, throughout the world. Both media companies and individuals are enthousiastic at sharing information, pushing new statuses or encouraging their idols.

In this social mediatized world, Yahoo! is probably one of the most visible companies, with its FanCouver initiative on Flickr, Twitter and other medias. But the most impressive idea was developped by Total Immersion and Helios Interactive Technology . Their A/R demo based on face tracking features clearly illustrates an innovative way to integrate users / consumers / fans to a brand new kind of experience.

This demo opens a wide spectrum of application, from fashion to online games. Imagine you could compete (in realtime?) with the fastest skiers or dress with the trendiest ski clothing like Lindsay Vonn? Augmented Reality is not science fiction anymore, it is raw science at reach of hand.

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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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…:

Thanks to”Avatar“, James Camaron’s next movie, augmented reality gained un incredible buzz lately. There’s no day without magazines telling stories about the next big thing: how augmented reality’s going to change our lives. Even Variety, the famous movies and actors magazine, explains how Coca-Cola Co., Mattel and McDonald’s partner to integrate technology for promotion.

“Hollywood and Madison Avenue have been quick to embrace the technology — which launches movable 3D images or games on computer screens when an item is held up to a webcam — as the newest must-have marketing tool to connect with consumers.”

Coca-Cola Co., Mattel and McDonald’s have invested millions in order to not only educate people about what can be done, but also associate themselves to Avatar in unique ways.

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James Cameron’s Avatar is probably one of the most exciting almost-real movie (in theaters in december). Cameron’s previous movies – Abyss, Terminator 2 or Titanic – already explored very innovative 3D possibilities. Here, the concept is deeply correlated to 3D and virtual reality: a program named Avatar connects human beings to a distant avatar, a remotely-controled biological body that can survive in lethal atmosphere…

A couple of weeks before the movies rolls out, several advertisers started to show augmented reality ads with features from the movie, like controlling an helicopter with a Coke zero bottle, or moving a toy with a card. Here are some examples of what this technology can offer advertisers or film maker.

The Coke zero throttle…

Check out the augmented reality toy that Mattel recently launched in the US, develpped by Total Immersion!