In Vision Inkjet Printer - Create Full Color Physical Models from 3D Data

One of the benefits of the entire 3Dwalkthroughs.com suite of products including: 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Renderings,3D Floor Plans and Interactive 3D products is the ability to view a property from anywhere in the world before it is built.

Sometimes, however, the ability to touch and feel a physical model of an architectural design can offer benefits that cannot be derived from computer generated models.

London based, Thinglab have created a service that takes computer based 3D models and literally “prints” them into an actual, physical model using a specialised inkjet printer.

The process involves breaking the 3D model down into cross sections, and then printing them a layer at a time, from the bottom up. The specialized printer can even print complex models with holes in them. This is mandatory if windows and other architecutal details are to be shown accurately.

The printer is available to buy, although due to the cost it is not really aimed at the home market. Using the ThingLab service a single model can be created starting at around $600.00.

In addition to architectural models, the printer can also generate realistic topography models as well as 3D objects, medical devices and more.

For more information about this service you can check out Thinglab’s website here>>>

Interesting Real Estate Site Focused On The 2nd Home Market

3Dwalkthroughs.com came across an interesting press release issued by the 2ndhome® Marketing Network regarding their plans to develop new State Pages on their website which will offer up-to-date information and links on vacation home markets across the U.S. The information is gathered from owners of second homes and real estate professionals selling vacation and resort properties.

In addition to information about the local areas, the new state pages seem like perfect places to link 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Renderings and 3D Floor Plans of vacation homes that are not yet built.

When looking at vacation home communities or for places to retire, potential buyers want to have access to in depth information about the local market that they are considering. Many elements enter into the decision about where to buy including: climate, cultural activities, accessibility and other amenities. The more local information that can be made available to these prospective buyers, the more likely they will consider purchasing property in a given community.

The site encourages market-specific comments and links about recurring cultural events, activities, restaurants and other items of interest in second home communities.

About 2nd home specialist

2nd home Specialist is a quarterly digital magazine featuring specialized information for Real Estate Professional who sell vacation, resort, investment and retirement properties. The Specialist serves successful real estate professionals and provides them with a full range of valuable and engaging information.

Each quarter, 2nd home Specialist targets leading real estate professionals who are prospering in a market that the National Association of Real Estate Professional says is the fastest growing in the real estate industry, both domestically and internationally.

The Specialist regularly showcases products and services along with articles of interest to these same professionals. It enables Real Estate Professional to better serve clients here and abroad, make their businesses more competitive in this rapidly evolving market, generate leads, make referrals, and build a repeat base of satisfied clients.

The Specialist features a searchable Referral Network which allows Real Estate Professional to locate other Real Estate Professional by locations and/or expertise. The Specialist is also linked to our powerful and easy to use world class web site, www.2ndhome.net. It is a specially designed, secure and easy to use site, which allows you to seamlessly and easily add and edit your listing data.

Source: 2nd Home Specialist Website

New 3D Technology Platforms in 2008?

3Dwalkthroughs.com spends a good deal of time researching new 3D technology. Part of our research is based on our interest in field, and part is based on our desire to integrate the latest and greatest advancements in 3D technology into our current offerings.

We read a couple of recent articles in prominent industry magazines that suggest that 2007 offered just a taste of what’s to come in the world of 3D. 2008 is expected to be the year for huge advances in 3D technology and virtual world platforms.

The convergence of 3D virtual worlds and social networking platforms is going to kick into high gear. The number of 3D virtual worlds available is also expected to see exponential growth.

It is predicted that 3D virtual worlds are going to get much more specific in their focus. For example, virtual trade shows, virtual stores and virtual fitness centers will be marketed to specific groups as opposed to just integrated into an infinite world such as “Second Life”. These micro 3D virtual worlds are expected to sprout as fast as today’s websites are launched on the internet.

Do it yourself, virtual world templates will be launched which will let anyone easily customize and launch their own virtual world.

We are only a few days away from 2008, and are very excited to continue to bring you the most cutting edge new in 3D in the new year.

Using 3D Floor Plans To Choose a Hotel Room

As per yesterday’s post, some of the 3Dwalkthroughs.com staff is currently visiting Las Vegas. Each time we come to Vegas we try and stay in a different hotel just to mix things up a bit.

This time we selected the Mandalay Bay. I must say it is one of the nicest hotels on the strip. Aside from very spacious rooms and a helpful staff, the lobby and common areas are very opulent.

When choosing a hotel room, especially in Vegas where there are many choices, it would be very helpful to have 3D Floor Plans to view on a hotels website. 3D Floor Plans give a much more telling view of a hotel room than typical 2D Floor Plans or even pictures.

Even better than just 3D Floor Plans are Interactive 3D Floor Plans. These floor plans allow for other media types to be integrated into the 3D Plan such as: Video, Pictures, Text, and even panoramic images.

We have been urging many of these hotels to start including 3D Floor Plans on their websites…we will see if they heed our advice.

Unbelievable Property Development

The 3Dwalkthroughs.com blog is primarily focused on discussing interesting topics dealing with 3D technology.

Sometimes, however, we deviate from 3D technology to focus on interesting topics related to real estate and architecture.

In July, we visited Las Vegas and posted story about a condo development project that was just getting under way. We highlighted this development project as they were using high quality 3D Renderings and 3D Walkthroughs to showcase what the finished product was going to look like after it was built.

Fast forward, 6 months and it is amazing how far along the development has come. The above picture shows the construction site in both July and December. It is amazing how fast this development is coming along in such a short period of time.

Another notable Vegas property that is set to open in just two short days is the Palazzo. The Palazzo is a Venetian property and is one of the largest properties to be built in Vegas. When we were here in July, the Palazzo looked like it was going to take another year to build.

Construction crews across the country, should take notes from Vegas developers if they want to learn how to finish a project with a fast turnaround time.

3D Walkthroughs On Cell Phones - A Great Tool For Real Estate Agents On The Go

3Dwalkthroughs.com came across a post in Localtechwire.com about 3D Solid Compression (3DSoC). 3D Solid Compression has developed a new technology to help bring 3D models to mobile phones.

In the past, very detailed 3D models have not been displayed on mobile phones because the file sizes were too large.

3DSoC’s technology can compress 3D files 15-20 times smaller than the leading 3D compression tools on the market. The resulting files would be as small as most 2D pictures currently seen on the Internet.

The challenge for 3DSoC will be getting companies and operating systems to install their viewing tools. To tackle the problem, 3DSoc is seeking partnerships with companies like IBM and Yahoo, as well as cell-phone manufacturers like Nokia.

Many business magazines this month have predicted advances in mobile technology as one of the hottest trends for 2008.

Real estate agents on the go that are representing new property developments will certainly benefit from the ability to show highly detailed 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Renderings and 3D Floor Plans to their clients from their phones. As mobile technology continues to improve on par with improvement in 3D technology, the ability for real estate agents to run their entire business from their mobile phones will become more of a reality.

The next level of 3D Animation

If Jos Stam has his way, 3D animation will soon be subject to all the laws of physics. Waves crashing, leaves blowing in the breeze and candles flickering will be as random and realistic as they appear in real life.

Jos Stam is one of the lead developers for Autodesk, the software company that produces Maya, the world’s leading 3D modeling software. Maya is responsible for many of the special effects in modern movies as well as some of the 3D animation seen in 3D Walkthroughs and Interactive 3D presentations.

Stams, newest concept, a module for Maya called Nucleus, would involve teaching visual effects software all the fundamental laws of physics and then letting it do the grunt work for you. Think of it as a unified field theory for animation — the animator can simply plug in the variables:

Wind speed: 25 knots
Wave height: 7 feet
Ship’s mass: 46,000 tons
Ocean depth: 7,000 feet

The result would be a totally realistic animation of waves crashing over a ship in gale force winds.

Additional details might include air and water temperature, time of day (for lighting effects), wind direction, etc. With the parameters set, hit Enter and voilá — the software would crunch the numbers and spit out the finished scene. At least, that’s the theory. In practice, while algorithms for individual components (fire, water) already exist, integrating them all together has proven to be hideously complicated.

Source: Wired.com

An article in Wired.com describes Stam’s effort in more details and gives more examples of how Nucleus, once completed, could change the future of animation as we know it. It even points out the irony that would exists for film makers if Nucleus was successful. As effects produced by this module would be subject to the laws of physics, they would be as random as they exist in the real world, and hard to control when filming a scene.

3Dwalkthroughs.com will be following the developments of this module as it offers our entire industry a new way of taking all of our 3D products to the next level of realism.

The full article can be found here>>>

3D Walkthroughs and Other Marketing Materials Can Help Lure European Investors Looking To Take Advantage of Weak The US Dollar

An article in today’s NY Times describes a phenomenon that happens every year beginning right after Thanksgiving. The phenomenon is the larger than normal influx of tourists visiting from around the world. The big joke is that if you are looking to find a native New Yorker during Christmas time, the last place you want to look is New York City.

The difference this year compared to previous years is, in addition to stores and malls being packed with tourists, real estate offices are also busy with tourists (specifically European) looking to take advantage of the weak US dollar by purchasing NYC condo properties. Many of these tourists are looking at these properties as investments as opposed to a changing their residences.

Below are a couple of quotes from the article. The full article can be found here>>>

“The exchange rate is like a gift from God for Europeans,” said Danielle Grossenbacher, the broker for Coldwell Banker Hunt Kennedy who showed the Millers around. “Everybody is feeling they have an opportunity to purchase a piece of Manhattan.”

“We’d have had difficulty absorbing the elevated level of new development coming on the market without foreign buyers,” Mr. Miller said. “They are a key source of demand for new development.”

Foreign buyers are helping shield Manhattan from the housing slowdown that has plagued the rest of the nation and are providing a ready market for thousands of newly built condominiums. They like condos for the amenities and flexible rules that allow renting the apartments as investments. That many units are in neighborhoods that are not traditionally residential like Midtown and the financial district does not seem to bother the shoppers. They like that those neighborhoods are well known.

Source: NY TIMES

3Dwalkthroughs.com believes that the influx of European condo shoppers emphasizes the growing need for 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Renderings and 3D Floor Plans of properties that are not yet built. Foreign investors can make the most of their time in NYC by using our 3D assets to preview development properties from the luxury of their home computer. This helps them to narrow the number of properties they need to visit while in New York.

As I said in yesterday’s post, within every tough market lies hidden opportunities.

3Dwalkthroughs.com wishes everyone a Very Happy Holidays

3Dwalkthroughs.com would like to take the opportunity to wish all of our family, friends and clients a very Happy Holidays. As we head into 2008 we are excited about rolling out some of our new products.

We predict the quality of 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Floor Plans, 3D Renderings and Interactive 3D products will continue to improve industry wide. In order to stay competitive, we will continue to research and develop new and innovative 3D products, some of which will be first to market.

The current housing slump is expected to continue into 2008. This will force property marketing companies across the nation to re-evaluate their current strategies.

We believe there is a tremendous opportunity for property marketing companies to thrive in the current difficult climate. When properties are not flying off the shelves, it will require the creative genius of property marketing companies to help push sales along. Every property has a “sellable” quality, the challenge is letting the rest of the world know what that quality is.

3D Window Display Created from a Wii Controller

3Dwalkthroughs.com has just started looking into how the Nintendo Wii Controller can be used to help improve the experience when navigating through a 3D Walkthrough or Interactive 3D Floor Plan.

Imagine being able to control the view of a 3D Walkthrough simply by turning your head. We recently came across a post on Gizmodo.com that describes how this might become possible.

Johnny Chung Lee, a PhD student from Carnegie Mellon University has created a headtracking device which he calls the Wiimote. The wiimote creates an amazing 3D view which chnages as you turn your head or lean to the left or right.

The effect requires you to wear a sensor bar (or any IR-emitting headband) and place the Wiimote by the screen. Essentially, your head becomes the mouse which controls the 3D view on the screen. One of the drawbacks of this method is that only one person can view the effect at a time. For gamers this might be a problem, but for the purposes of interacting with a 3D Walkthrough this might be a great solution.

Our creative team will put this on our punch list for 2008.

The You Tube video describing the Chung Lee’s device can be found here>>

For other interesting projects that Johnny Chung Lee is involved with please click here>>>