Unbelievable Showroom with 3D Assets Playing on a HUGE Plasma TV

Last night members of 3Dwalkthroughs.com went to a cocktail party to launch the opening of an unbelievable sales center for a new property. We are not at liberty to discuss the brand but lets just say the showroom was a full blown replica of the unit, elevator and all.

The whole front part of the show room was the actual sales center with a model of the development. On one of the walls was the biggest plasma TV I have ever seen. The TV was looping 3D Walkthroughs and 3D Renderings of the property. The company that created these did an amazing job and really got the attention of all in attendance.

Apparently each unit will have its own elevator, so to demonstrate this they actually had a real elevator built which had both sides open. As you exited on the other side of the elevator you were able to experience exactly what it would be like when you entered a unit.

I cannot imagine how much it cost to put this showroom together but it certainly did the trick in terms of making an impression. We heard they actually signed 2 contracts right after the event. Talk about effective marketing.

3D Assets and Tough Economic Times

3Dwalkthroughs.com has been asked quite often recently if we are noticing a slide in our business due to the tough real estate climate. The truth of the matter is that almost all industries are affected in one way or another.

I do not think anyone could have predicted just how dire the situation would have become over the last few weeks. While we are still getting new inquiries, the quantity has diminished somewhat, as has the types of projects coming in.

We have had recent discussions with many of our real estate/developer friends and clients and the general consensus is that there is still more negative news to come.

Our company is still optimistic that marketing directors continue to look for innovative tools such as 3D Floor Plans, 3D Walkthroughs and 3D Renderings to help make their properties stand out from the competition. The question remains though if they do more than just browse.

A New 3D Technology Might Help Early Breast Cancer Detection

A new X-ray technique could possibly revolutionize the detection of breast cancer, say an international team of researchers. The scientists responsible for this invention claim that this would allow 3D visualizations of the breast and help in early detection of tumors.

Source: MedIndia.com

According to an article posted on MedIndia.com, the new technique will allow for a more precise view of the breast tissue. Currently 10%-20% of breast cancer cases are not identified with the widely used mammogram.

The research of this new 3D technology known as Analyser-Based X-ray Imaging (ABI), with high spatial resolution, will appear today in a Radiology journal.

Iron Man 2 To Be Shot In a 3D Format?

In a follow up to Jon Favreau’s homerun directorial success with Iron Man, there has been talk that the sequel, Iron Man 2, will be filmed in a 3D format. The first Iron Man was a big hit at the box office grossing more than $317 million in the United States.

Iron Man 2 is scheduled to be in theaters in the summer of 2010. As 3Dwalkthroughs.com has mentioned in previous posts, many new movies that are scheduled for production will be shot in a 3D format.

Many of the big movie houses have announced their plans to devote a large portion of their efforts towards creating movies in 3D. In addition to the explosion of 3D movies that will start hitting the theaters, many TV manufacturers are also working on developing the technology that will allow 3D movies to be viewed in the home…should be an exciting next few years for 3D in the movies.

3D Walkthroughs Must Amaze - You Cannot Just Show a Bunch of Rooms Anymore!

3Dwalkthroughs.com is very proud about a new project we are working on which integrates actual video, post production effects, coordinated music and 3D animation into a Disney like presentation.

The intensified competition in the animation industry coupled with an improvement in available technologies are resulting in much more advanced 3D walkthroughs than when we first started in the industry.

As more development companies include 3D assets in their marketing materials, they will be forced to find innovative animation companies to help make their properties stand out from the pack. Simply showing 3D models of rooms is not going to be enough anymore. Truly impactful 3D walkthroughs of the future will need to incorporate all forms of available media into a well thought out storyboard.

For a sample of our newest 3D Walkthrough send us an email at info@dwalkthroughs.com. We are confident you have not seen anything like this before.

Hawk-Eye - 3D technology To Help Judge a Tennis Match

This week marked the championships of the US Open Tennis Tournament as well as the opening week of the NFL…Giants Won!!!. It was interesting to see the 3D technology that is being used to help judge these sporting events as well as the help it offers commentators to explain the game and illustrate their points.

3Dwalkthroughs.com did a little research and found out the technology called Hawk-Eye is the 3D technology that was during the US Open to help confirm the line judges decision.

Hawk-Eye, which works by using five high-speed cameras on the top of each show court to recreate a 3D image of where the ball has landed, confirmed that officials had got it right 65% of the time, compared with 35% for players.

The use of 3D technology has been somehwhat controversial both in how often it is allowed to be used as well as its use in general. Some sports fans are big believers in the human error being one of the facets of the game. Personally, I like to know that a call by a line judge or referee is accurate, and I am in favor using 3D technology to make sure.

Looking to Buy a 3D Model?

3Dwalkthroughs.com understands that not every company or individual has the same budget to spend on a 3D project. As a company we try to be a creative as possible when thinking up ways to work within someones budget.

Recently we came across an interesting concept that will let buyers/sellers of 3D models come together in sort of an istockphoto concept for 3D assets. The concept is called Presto3D.com and the models can be used for animation, architecture, gaming, etc.

The process is fully automatic; an artist submits a model for sale in a format produced by one of the major 3D authoring tools (3dsMax, Autodesk Maya, etc.) at a price they believe is fair. Presto3D creates a 3D preview of the model, also making the original model available in COLLADA, a universal file format. Once the preview gets final approval from the artist, it can then be viewed in the browser by all prospective buyers.

Content Source: devmaster.net
Image Source: Presto3d.com

Obviously the success of the site will depend on the amount of users that contribute high quality usable 3D models. If Presto3d.com can generate a large database of models they could really be on to something.

Have a relaxing Labor Day from 3Dwalkthroughs.com!

The entire 3Dwalkthroughs.com team would like to wish our friends, family and clients a very relaxing Labor Day. It never fails, even though I have been out of school for a little more than 17 years, I still feel the nervous feeling as if tomorrow is the first day of school.

In addition to the kids going back to school, Labor Day also symbolizes a time for many business owners to re-focus their effort towards work. We often find that we will spend a few weeks after Labor Day making updates to our current clients websites, projects and 3D materials.

It will be interesting to see the frequency at which this phenomenon holds true this year…we have our seat belts buckled.

Waiting for Sony PS3 Home - 3D virtual online community? You will have to wait a bit longer.

If you have been waiting for the release of PS3 Home 3D virtual online community, you will have to wait until later in the year. Sony confirmed that they postponed the launch of the “Home” service, which is aimed at giving users a place to interact with other PS3 users, to early this year from last Winter.

We understand that we are asking PS3 and prospective PS3 users to wait a bit longer,” Sony Computer Entertainment Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai said in a statement.

“But we have come to the conclusion that we need more time to refine the service to ensure a more focused gaming entertainment experience than what it is today.”

Source: halflifesource.com

3Dwalkthroughs.com is anxiously awaiting the release of Sony’s 3D virtual online commmunity. We are optimistic that it is going to set a new standard for what can be accomplished in a 3D virtual community. If it is as robust as we expect, it could also have a huge impact on how a 3D virtual platform and a social networking platform can be integrated to create a truly valuable experience…but I guess we will have to wait a while to find out.

Sixense - Advanced 3D Input Device

3Dwalkthroughs.com is excited to test out a device that has gotten rave reviews from the Nvision 08 industry conference. The device by a company called Sixense is being described as a more advanced Wiimote, although the functionality of Sixense is based on precise tracking relative to a base station and has the ability to react to movement in six degrees of freedom.

Apparently at the show, Sixense had demos of a variety of simple but impressive used of their device. The demos included a paintball game, a lightsabre simulator along with simple squash, golf, American football and baseball minigames.

Source: bit-tech.net

Here is a Youtube video which demonstrates the device.

As we have said in previous posts, the more accurate and responsive these tracking devices become, the more engaging will be the video games they are associated with. This Sixense device offers great potential to further the benefits of active gaming products and we are excited to test it out in person.