HTC zeigt Stadtplanung in VR auf der SXSW

Für VR gibt es neben Spielen und Erfahrungen viele nützliche Anwendungen, vor allem auch im Industriebereich. HTC widmet sich diesem Zukunftsmarkt und hat im Rahmen der South by Southwest Konferenz in Austin, Texas, 20 Bürgermeister aus den Vereinigten Staaten mit VR-Brillen ausgestattet und ihnen im virtuellen Rundgang gezeigt, wie die Stadtplanung von VR profitieren kann.

Stadtplanung in VR: Mehr Übersicht

Bei der Demo diente als Beispiel eine exakte 3D-Karte von San Francisco, in der sich weitere Informationen einblenden lassen. Die Bürgermeister durften dann mit der HTC Vive und den Controllern die virtuelle Stadt entdecken, die von Salesforce entwickelt wurde. Offensichtlich mit großem Erfolg: Im Video zeigt sich beispielsweise der Bürgermeister von Austin, Steve Adler, beeindruckt davon, quasi physisch anwesend zu sein und einen Überblick über die Stadtsituation zu erhalten. Er sei schon gespannt darauf, wie sie seine Stadt Austin gegenüber der modernen Stadt San Francisco abschneidet.

Der Bürgermeister von West Sacramento beschrieb den Eindruck sogar noch enthusiastischer – kein Wunder, dass Salesforce seine Reaktion für das Werbevideo ausgewählt hat. Christopher Cabaldon sieht viele nützliche Einsatzzwecke für sich und sein Team. Er betont vor allem, dass man ein Gefühl für Zusammenhänge bekäme und besser entscheiden könne, wo die Prioritäten liegen sollten.

Noch verzichtet Salesforce in der App auf die Darstellung von Texturen. Stattdessen besteht das Stadtbild aus simplen grauen Blöcken. Als Planungstool ist die App dennoch sicherlich schon jetzt eine Hilfe. Sie zeigt gut, dass VR erst am Anfang steht und dass noch viele sinnvolle Anwendungen für AR und VR darauf warten, entdeckt zu werden.

Quelle: UploadVR

Der Beitrag HTC zeigt Stadtplanung in VR auf der SXSW zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

SXSW 2017: Swapbots Brings Toy Collector Culture To Augmented Reality

SXSW 2017: Swapbots Brings Toy Collector Culture To Augmented Reality

Augmented reality caught a flash of exposure with Pokemon Go and continues to get mentioned regularly alongside it, but the technology still has a way to go before it becomes a household constant. Children have access to mobile phones and tablets nearly as much as adults these days and encounter gaming ecosystems geared toward their interests and that’s what the Draw and Code team out of Liverpool is hoping to tap into. Swapbots is their augmented effort that couples AR with toys that have exchangeable parts to bring the imagination of children to life on mobile devices.

The foundation of the Swapbots experience is the bots themselves, toys that are built with three parts: Head, torso, and lower body. Each character you get comes in those three parts and you can interchange them with other characters to create different combinations of abilities. The Swapbots app then brings those creatures to life via the camera lens on your device so that you can battle with AI or other player-created bots. At launch, there’s also going to be a story mode that will force players to exchange parts in order to move forward like using the wings of the griffin to fly over an obstacle.

The toys will supply the full experience for the Swapbots application and there will be no microtransactions or advertisements to supplement the experience. Any currency used in-game is earned in game and there’s no way to purchase additional amounts, which is something that will likely result in a sigh of relief for parents. Adopting a toy-focused gaming experience is something that AR could really benefit from if you look at the success of things like Disney Infinity, Skylanders, and Nintendo’s Amiibos. The Kickstarter has about three weeks left at the time this article was written and is really close to being funded, so it clearly is something people find interesting.

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Zappar showcase ZapBox Mixed Reality device at SXSW

Augmented reality (AR) provider Zappar will be showcasing its affordable AR/mixed reality (MR) solution, the ZapBox at the South By Southwest (SXSW) conference this week.

The ZapBox consists of a headset similar to the Google Cardboard into which a smartphone with the ZapBox app is loaded, as well as handheld controllers and ‘pointcodes’ – position markers that help the device determine where you are in relation to your environment.

Furtniture in 3D

Zappar launched the ZapBox via a Kickstarter funding campaign in November 2016, asking for a modest $30,000 USD. By the time the campaign had ended, it had raised over $80,000. This enabled the team at Zappar to implement stretch goals such as 3D model visualisation and collaborative experiences.

Some of the Kickstarter’s backers have already received their development units, which come with a range of AR/MR experiences out of the box, including the ‘ZapBrush’ for 3D painting, a AR mini-golf game, a rhythm/pattern matching dance game, the ability to play a virtual xylophone and an app that allows the user to explore the solar system.

Ompi in dev mode

Kickstarter backers were able to get the basic set for just $25. Zappar say the commercial unit will cost only $30. As Caspar Thykier, Zappar CEO and co-founder explains: “Here at Zappar, our goal has always been to make AR, VR and now MR available to everyone. We’ve worked tirelessly to ensure all elements of ZapBox, from app to cardboard components, are simple and affordable but most importantly deliver awe-inspiring experiences. This all started when we said to ourselves: ‘Could we make Magic Leap, Magic Cheap?’. ZapBox is our answer to that question.”

Zappar has recently announced a partnership with music recognition app Shazam, implementing Zappar’s AR technology into the Shazam app to form part of a new advertising and engagement campaign.

VRFocus will keep you informed on any updates regarding ZapBox and Zappar.

Fistful Of Stars lets you see the birth of stars

There are plenty of space games for various virtual reality (VR) platforms, but Fistful of Stars is promising something new and unique – the chance to see a star being born.

The VR experience is based on The Hubble Cantata, a live performance that took place at Prospect Park in Brooklyn last summer. The audience wore Google Cardboard headsets that whisked them away to the heart of the Orion Nebula, to watch the formation of a star up close while being serenaded by a 100-person choir and a 20-piece orchestra. The aim was to show how VR could be a social experience instead of an isolating one.

The Fistful of Stars version has been improved and altered to take advantage of pre-recorded 3D sound, which was taken from a live recording of The Hubble Cantata. The entire experience is based on the images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, rendered into 3D images. Though the experience as a whole is short, director Eliza Nitt is hoping it will have a big impact. “I chose the Orion Nebula because it’s the birthplace of stars,” she said, reports Engadget. “I wanted to be able to take people on a journey into space.”

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Attendees at the South By Southwest (SXSW) conference will be able to see Fistful of Stars get its public debut. Some attendees will even have the opportunity to experience Fistful Of Stars for themselves in private screening rooms that have been set up with state-of-the-art sound systems.

Fistful Of Stars is expected to be released for the Gear VR in June.

VRFocus will keep you updated with news on Fistful of Stars and other VR experiences

Fistful Of Stars from Eliza McNitt on Vimeo.

Buzz Aldrin Hologram appears in Cycling Pathways To Mars

A hologram of legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin will guide virtual reality (VR) users on their way to Mars in newly announced educational VR experience Cycling Pathways To Mars.

LIFE VR and 8i have teamed up to produce a VR project featuring Buzz Aldrin as he takes viewers on a journey away from Earth and details his plan for getting humans to Mars. Cycling Pathways To Mars uses room-scale VR to create an educational experience that has used cutting-edge motion and image capture to preserve Buzz Aldrin’s hologram for future generations.

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“Capturing Buzz Aldrin’s hologram for future generations has been an incredible honor and a watershed moment for 8i,” said Steve Raymond, CEO of 8i. “Virtual reality has enormous potential to educate and inspire, and we know Buzz will spark the imagination of young people who will one day journey to Mars and begin a new chapter for mankind. Our entire team has been thrilled to work on this project and we’re excited for everyone to see it.”

“While the moon landing was a monumental achievement for humanity, there’s no greater mission than mankind’s journey to Mars,” said Buzz Aldrin, astronaut on Gemini 12 and Apollo 11 missions. “I have a plan for creating a human settlement on Mars, and thanks to virtual reality and holographic technology from 8i, we now have an exciting new way to communicate this plan with the world and to leave my legacy behind for future generations of aspiring space travellers.”

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Cycling Pathways To Mars had its debut appearance at the South By Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas this week. It is expected to be available through Steam and for the HTC Vive on 17th March 2017, and on Oculus Rift soon after.

VRFocus will bring you further news about Cycling Pathways To Mars as we get it.

D-BOX VR Heading to SXSW to Showcase Minority Media’s Time Machine VR

This weekend sees the annual SXSW festival return to Austin, Texas, exploring the worlds of interactive, film, music, and comedy with awards, screenings, and showcases. Heading to the event is D-BOX Technologies, part of contingent of 50 Québec companies called Planet Québec. For SXSW D-BOX has teamed up with Minority Media to showcase its virtual reality (VR) title, Time Machine VR. 

The delegation will be the largest from the province ever to be part of this SXSW, made up of representatives from a variety of sectors including VR, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of things (IoT), transportation, culture and the creative and digital industries.

Time Machine VR - Elasmosaurus

Time Machine VR launched for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift last year, for SXSW a new version incorporating motion systems will be available to attendees, which made its debut at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2017 earlier this month.

“We are very excited be a part of this massive delegation especially when you consider all the creative talent and innovative products this province will have on display,” says Claude Mc Master, President and CEO at D-BOX. “This is the ideal place to introduce our innovative and reliable motion technology to an international market, build our brand and forge strategic partnerships with all the major players at the event.”

D-BOX is most well known for its work on The Martian VR Experience, made in conjunction with 20th Century Fox, The Virtual Reality Company and The Third Floor.

Time Machine VR isn’t the only VR content heading to SXSW. Animation studio Titmouse will be premiering immersive music video, Show It 2 Me, Viacom NEXT and musician Hot Sugar will be debuting another VR music video, The Melody of Dust, and IMAX will have The Mummy Zero Gravity VR Experience on display.

SXSW runs from 10th – 19th March 2017, and for any further announcements, keep reading VRFocus.

Titmouse Premiering VR Music Video Show It 2 Me at SXSW Film Festival

Towards the end of last year animation studio Titmouse in collaboration with Viacom NEXT released virtual reality (VR) title Smash Party for free on HTC Vive. Titmouse has continued its VR development, this time creating an immersive music video, Show It 2 Me, which will be premiered at SXSW Film Festival next month.

Part of the film festival’s new SXSW Virtual Reality Program in the Virtual Cinema, Show It 2 Me is an interactive music video created using Tilt Brush’s audio reactive brushes featuring Night Club’s single, Show It 2 Me. Featuring art by Titmouse founder Chris Prynoski and Antonio Canobbio (Titmouse creative director) the retro-futuristic music experience takes the viewer on a trippy visual ride featuring demonic cars, pulsating brains, and disembodied tongue-mouths.

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“These brushes are bananas! They animate to music!” commented Prynoski in a statement. “They animate to ANY audio playing on your computer. You want to see what fart sounds look like with the disco brush? Fire it up and you can finally know this joy that I have beheld with my very eyes.” Antonio Canobbio added, “I immediately saw the potential for using these brushes to produce a music video. Previously we’ve had to create VR assets in non-VR authoring environments, OR create assets in VR, but use other software to animate these elements. All the assets for our first VR experience, Smash Party were created with traditional tools. Luckily we have a great line of communication with our friends at Google, and they made it even easier for us to produce this video by developing a custom Tilt Brush Toolkit!”

Tilt Brush creative director, Drew Skillman said, “We are thrilled to help Titmouse’s vision for a Tilt Brush VR music video come to life. We open sourced the entire Tilt Brush Toolkit in hopes that other artists can follow in Titmouse’s footsteps and create their own VR music videos along with any other narrative, interactive, and immersive content they can dream up.”

Show It 2 Me will be available for the HTC Vive for free in the coming months. For any further SXSW VR announcements keep reading VRFocus.