Score Big with Interactive 3D Floor Plans

December 7, 2010

3D is all the rage these days and it is because of this that many industries are now integrating 3D materials into even their most basic proposals or materials. Samples of these materials can then be shown to the prospects and potential clients.

These materials including interactive 3D floor plans and 3D walkthroughs all provide the same thing, they provide potentially good clients to deal with and they give clients more to see and work.

An architectural or real estate firm also stands to gain more from utilizing services that provide custom 3D walkthroughs for the clients because clients would be able to see all the details and highlights of a building, office space or home without having to deal with all the hassles of travelling to the location.

 


What is 3D Walkthroughs and 3D Architectural Animation?

December 6, 2010

As architecture moves on to the next stage it gets treated to a lot new things to work with or to make things a lot easier.

One such sample is the use of architectural animation. But what exactly is an architectural animation? 3D walkthroughs and 3d architectural animation is a digital movie that would include animated versions of buildings  that have yet to be erected or built. Using multiple 3D animation techniques and styles one can perfectly see 3D views of structures and buildings even before construction.

When couple with 3D animation styles such as 3D walkthroughs and 3D floor plans, clients for architectural firms, real estate firms and developers and even house buyers.

There are other types of materials that your company can use in order to deliver the message and the point for your respective clients. Other services offered can be seen online with a simple click of a button or a simple query from Google.

Aside from this, custom 3D walkthroughs are beneficial in communicating with fellow architects and designers. It can be used as a communication tool for all architects and engineers which allows total advantage for visual presentation. It can be integrating in just about any presentation or material for use.

Here are samples of great looking 3D walkthroughs and 3D floor plans.

 

 

 

 


Tech Prices and 3D

December 3, 2010

A common complaint nowadays about 3D is that the bar of entry is rather high. The average price of a 3D-capable HDTV should at least set someone back by $500, which obviously is not a small amount of money. The required glasses for viewing aren’t exactly cheap, too. Movie tickets are no exception, either. Coupled with rising basic prices, watching a movie in 3D these days adds about 30-50% more on top of the basic cost one pays for a ticket.

Fret not, though. As is the rule with new technology, it starts out really high-priced for early adopters, and then gradually decreases as it becomes more accessible and more manufacturers enter that particular market.

Let’s take a look at two good recent examples:

DVD players are a ubiquitous part of pretty much anyone’s home entertainment setup nowadays. Still, there were days back in the late 1990s to early 2000s where they were actually considered expensive. In fact, when Sony’s Playstation 2 game console came out in October of 2000 in the United States, it was considered as one of the cheapest DVD players available for the mass market. That really puts things into perspective, looking back on it from where we are now.

Another more recent example is HDTVs. When they first became widely available, a decent LCD set would usually cost an arm and a leg, somewhere around $2000-3000 and more so for a plasma display. Fast forward to today, and though they still might not be considered cheap, these once pricey sets are now priced more reasonably, usually at half of their cost five or six years ago.

Given the rate of adoption of 3D technology by a wide array of fields and industries, it won’t be long before prices drop and 3D-capable displays become available to a wider market than the one it they have right now.

3D technology has also moved in to other bigger stuff such as 3D renders and 3D floor plans in the realm of architectural firms and business. 3D renderings are being used in order to paint a better picture of what the clients would be seeing upon the completion of the project that they are investing in.


The Rise and Resurgence of 3D in Gaming

December 2, 2010

It is becoming more and more common to see 3D applied in today’s forms of visual entertainment. Anything ranging from movies to certain TV channels, right down to comic books has some form of 3D implemented in it. One particular field where 3D technology is also fast gaining traction is gaming.

3D in games is not an entirely new concept. One particular example is the 1991 arcade game Time Traveler. Though it was touted more as a “holographic video game” at the time of its release, the way it projected characters and elements onto the playing field more or less gave it a three-dimensional effect as a result.

The recent resurgence of 3D in gaming has given rise to a number of things. First off, we have game developers releasing games with out-of-the-box 3D support or patching older releases to become 3D-capable. Next, are the hardware manufacturers and their devices, the best examples being Sony’s Playstation 3 which has recently gained 3D support through updates and Nintendo’s upcoming 3DS handheld system.

One aspect of gaming also utilizing 3D technology is arcade gaming. Having fallen to the wayside due to the popularity of consoles and their ability to surpass arcade hardware in terms of power, arcade game developers are now looking into 3D to draw new audiences. Leading the way is Konami with the upcoming arcade installment of its long-running Metal Gear franchise and Road Fighters 3D. With all these developments going on, it won’t be long before 3D becomes a standard feature of interactive entertainment.

The Metal Gear series gets a 3D facelift soon

Aside from this 3D has also branched out into other fields and areas such as 3D renderings, custom 3D walkthroughs and even 3D floor plans such as these:

These businesses can also provide 3D axonometric views of areas and floor plans…


3D Walkthroughs For Emergency Training

December 1, 2010

Previous posts have talked about the application of 3D walkthroughs in the architectural and real estate fields. Both industries revolve around creation, what with all architectural walkthroughs starting with the proposed project magically appearing out of thin air thanks to the ingenuity of architects, artists and animators.

As stated before, they make for great marketing materials, as it is possible to show an accurate representation of a final product even long before the project itself is finished. They’re great for enticing potential clients to invest in real estate.

Now, what if we could use the same methods to educate, inform, and save lives? Imagine using a 3D walkthrough to train security and safety personnel about escape routes inside a building during disasters or emergencies. It could prove to be a more effective training tool than simply handing out maps of the building. Better yet, it can be a great way to compliment the overall training of these personnel. By using a walkthrough, it’s possible to have as close an experience to real hands on training compared to going through an exhaustive tour of a structures nooks and crannies.

Sure, an actual walkthrough around the facility will inevitably be needed, but having a simulated one during the earlier stages will save time and resources in the longer run. Not just that, but the intended audience, the trainees, will be better able to retain information and be able to react faster during actual emergencies.