PDF3D - Integration of Interactive 3D Models into PDF Documents

UK based PDF3D has recently launched a publishing tool that allows for the integration of interactive 3D models into PDF documents. With PDF3D’s tool, users can rotate, zoom, select and explore 3D images in much greater detail than a flat 2D image.

The tool is being promoted to a wide range of industries including: Geology, Aerospace, Engineering, Architecture and Bioinfomatics.

The newest version of the free adobe reader makes viewing 3D objects and images a breeze.

3Dwalkthroughs.com posted about the possibilities of the new Adobe 3D products in the past. The ability to create PDF brochures with integrated, interactive 3D images is very valuable for our business.

Using this technology, property developers can create very effective brochures of their new development properties which include detailed 3D views of the unit exterior and interior. The ability to interact with the model allows the user to more thoroughly review all the properties details from all sides.

While we are a little behind schedule implementing this tool into our arsenal, it is definitely on our “to do” list for the second quarter of 2008.

New 3D Mouse To Enhance The Experience in Virtual Worlds

California based Sandio Technology Corporation, demonstrated its 3D mouse at the 2008International CES show that opened today in Las Vegas. The Sandio 3D Game O2 was designed to enhance a users experience in Google Earth, Virtual Earth and virtual worlds such as Second Life. The main benefit of the Sandio 3D mouse is allowing users to navigate the 3D Internet without dealing with keyboard or on-screen navigation tabs.

Another benefit of the Sandio 3D mouse is users of CAD software like Google SketchUp and AutoDesk’s 3D Studio Max can move along and rotate about the x, y, z axis in both Screen and Camera modes without switching between 3D objects and operation
menus.

Source: Reuters.com

In the short term, 3Dwalkthroughs.com will be testing the new mouse with the virtual world technology we have been working with. Down the road, we hope to utilize the new mouse to help navigate within our interactive 3D Walkthroughs.

About Sandio Technologies
Sandio Technology Corporation was founded in 2004. Headquartered in San Jose, its mission is to enhance users’ 3D experience by developing and marketing 3D input devices with true 6DOF motion control, based on its patented 3D input technology. 3D internet users and PC gamers enjoy more, while CAD engineers and artists gain
productivity with Sandio 3D mouse. Industrial 3D applications, like 3D GPS, robotic control, medical, automotive and military, can take advantage of Sandio’s 3D input technology.

Can 3D Renderings Be Created if CAD files are unavailable?

3Dwalkthroughs.com is often asked by clients what can be done if the CAD files we typically use as our guide to build pinpoint accurate 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Renderings and 3D Floor Plans are incomplete or unavailable.

The answer is Alot.

While completed CAD files are necessary if the overall goal is accuracy, watercolors, sketch drawings, reference pictures and 2D Floor Plans can be used to create very good conceptional representations.

One of our clients asked us to create a 3D rendering of a house but did not have the completed CAD files. A few months prior, they had a watercolor created but it did not seem to be doing the trick as far as marketing the property effectively. In addition to the watercolor the client was able to provide us with basic elevations and reference pictures describing some of the exterior features. The results are above.

We are currently working on creating 3D renderings of the interior of the same property and will then move on to creating a full 3D walkthrough of the property.

Homebuilders that are trying to sell empty lots with a prospect of building a home on the property should seriously consider creating 3D assets to entice potential buyers…it sure beats showing pictures of a vacant plot of land.

Con Artist - Film Trailer Released

3Dwalkthroughs.com is excited to announce that our friend Michael Sladek of Plug Ugly Films in cooperation with Acme Pictures (American Cannibal) has released a trailer of their new movie, Con Artist.

The trailer can be viewed here>>>

About Con Artist
Famously controversial and eccentric multi-millionaire artist / media provocateur Mark Kostabi is one of the most successful living painters
in America, selling over 1500 canvases every year. His works have sold to the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan, the Guggenheim
and numerous other major institutions worldwide. But Kostabi doesn’t paint “his” own paintings. In fact, he doesn’t even come up with the
ideas for “his” paintings. Instead, he employs others to do these tasks for him. And this approach, which he’s openly employed since his
meteoric rise to fame in New York’s explosive 1980s Post-Punk art scene, is what made him internationally famous.

Over twenty years of on camera scrutiny have honed Kostabi’s skills as a showman and as an expert deflector of criticism. But his
behind-the-scenes preparations and fakery are laughingly illuminated before our cameras as the line between performance and reality
breaks down. As Kostabi constantly displays his manipulations in art, performance, business, and his personal life, he and his staff prepare
a major move while producing a weekly cable access game show in his bustling New York studio. When he leaves for Rome (where he
meets the Pope, sips espresso, rubs elbows with international celebs, and sells “his” art on national TV) Kostabi’s staff moves his huge
studio for him, whilst a budding love affair and every inch of what he does is called in to question. The insanity eventually crescendos as
unexpected revelations leave one wondering what, if anything Kostabi does, is real.

CON ARTIST is a docu-comedy feature film about artists, the business of art, and the fine line between reality and perception. Along the
way we’ll meet a large number of celebrities, critics and experts who will help frame the underlying narrative about artists and art, celebrity
and image: What are artists? Are the clichés true? Are they brooding and broke? Left wing liberals? Wanton sex freaks with flamoyant
natures? Can a businessman be an artist? An athlete? A game show host? Are celebrities ever what they seem or is everything an act?
Has money ruined art? What’s the current boom in the art market all about? Does talent matter? Does art itself matter? Who decides
what’s good? Who decides what sells? Is it all just another business? And where does a strange figure like Mark Kostabi fit in all of this?
Is modern art a con and is he, in fact, “the world’s greatest con artist”?

American Cannibal Voted Best Documentary of 2007 by Kurt Loder of MTV

3Dwalkthroughs.com is excited to announce that American Cannibal was voted the best documentary of 2007 by Kurt Loder of MTV.

As associate producers of the American Cannibal we are very pleased with this announcement. The movie has been released on DVD and is available for purchase at video stores nation wide. It will also start airing on Showtime in the middle of January and continue into the beginning of February.

About AMERICAN CANNIBAL(2006)
American Cannibal pushes beyond Fahrenheit/911 and Supersize Me to break new ground in documentary territory.

Rather than forcing situations and twisting facts to tell a story, filmmakers Perry Grebin & Michael Nigro spent two and a half years twisting real life itself, and the result is the story.

The filmmakers began American Cannibal in 2004 as a bold social experiment with reality. The set in motion real events that allowed them unlimited access to the results, pushing their cameras deep into the glitterdome of reality-TV production to emerge with an equally bold exposé.

They watch as struggling writers earnestly pitch TV ideas, eventually selling out to the man behind the Paris Hilton sex tape. The sadistic, shameless reality show they churn out is documented from start to finish: from throwaway pitch to manic auditions through train-wreck production.

Alongside the drama, the filmmakers interview prominent producers, psychologists, network execs, celebrities and “D-lebrities,” who offer candid insight and scathing judgements on our society.

American Cannibal is a documentary as wild as the story behind it: a shocking, hilarious, bona fide portrait of our celebrity-driven culture and the appalling lengths we’ll go to for entertainment.

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.

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 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>>>