Tuesday, December 02. 2008
We have been quite taken with fake tilt shift imagery recently - its a unique way to visualise the city in model form. Google Earth of course makes the perfect candidate for fake tilt shift images and videos, example of San Francisco is an excellent example:
Flight over Miniature San Francisco (Tilt-Shift) from Inoue_k3D on Vimeo.
Take a look at our previous posts for more info: Tilt Shift: Miniature City Videos and Create a Model Size City: Tilt Shift Miniature Photoshop Tutorial
-----
Via Digital Urban
Friday, November 21. 2008
Google announced that on December 31st they will shut down Lively, which was their 3D chat world, and somewhat of a potential competitor to Second Life. Room widgets embedded in other sites are then supposed to show an image but no more interaction, which would add Lively to the list of Google’s canceled products. Google’s post on this decision does not really give a detailed reasoning for this shut-down of a product which was just released this year, except that they’re saying “we want to ensure that we prioritize our resources and focus more on our core search, ads and apps business.” In particular, this leaves some questions unanswered as a company could theoretically embed ads in this 3D world app.
Lively was a great-looking Google product. On the other hand from the beginning on it was riddled with regular program crashes for some users, though the situation improved over time. There were other oddities as well, like a flood of sex rooms almost kidnapping the Lively rooms directory, or custom images never quite fitting the object you’d put them on (and then being disabled altogether for a while). It was still a fun experience, with a fresh and intuitive interface that I found more beginner-friendly than Second Life. Building rooms was entertaining and casual, with features like integrating YouTube videos by pasting the video URL, leading to quickly shareable results.
Now, Google say they’ve “always been supportive of this kind of experimentation because we believe it’s the best way to create groundbreaking products that make a difference to people’s lives” but that they’ve also “always accepted that when you take these kinds of risks not every bet is going to pay off.” Google apparently made up their mind that this bet will never pay off, even if the product was only given the chance to grow for 4 months; a short time to make a good judgment on potential future success. Others feel like Lively was an odd release for Google to begin with; Andy Baio in the forum comments, “I never understood this product. It never seemed to fit Google’s worldview, and even the standalone domain and branding were weird. I wonder what the story behind it was.”
Google says current users of Lively are supposed to make “videos and screenshots” of their “hard work” to preserve some of it. They also mention that current members of the Lively team will move to other projects. In 2006, Niniane Wang, who headed the then-secret project at Google, quoted from an email a colleague sent to their team:
i realized today during the meeting that...
- if we’re working on the best project at google, and
- we’re working at the best company on the planet, then
we’re working on the Best Project in the World.
Already by now, a website by Lively users has sprung up protesting against the shutdown. On the homepage of Livelyzens.com, which is accompanied by a discussion group, the following is written:
Livelyzens are the proud and happy residents of Google Lively. Today we are saddened by Google’s decision to shutdown lively.
We are appealing through this website to keep Lively alive and will showcase all the great things about lively and why Google MUST revisit their decision.
Also, people are currently coming together in – where else – a Lively room set up for the purpose. Called “KEEP LIVELY ALIVE!”, this room plays the song “Staying Alive.” An image from South Park reads “Don’t Kill Kenny.”
Monday, November 17. 2008
A few weeks ago we wrote about interfaces used in movies. And although these types of interface look really impressive, they are almost never realistic. Until now… because the science advisor of Minority Report has been working on a working prototype, based on the interface in the movie. And I have to admit that this so-called ’spatial operating environment’ g-speak looks almost as impressive as in the movie.
Oblong Industries is the company behind the prototype. They believe that their interfaces ‘brings the first major step in computer interface since 1984.’ Oblong states that ‘g-speak will fundamentally change the way people use machines at work, in the living room, in conference rooms, in vehicles.’ But although it looks really interesting, it also seems to require a very active attitude of the user. Large arm (beyond hand) gestures are needed and very ‘enthusiastic’ interactions with a large environment. I wonder if this is what people like in everyday life… Isn’t subtlety a better direction? Small subtle gestures, needing a small environment.
See the VIDEO DEMO of the working interface on Video.
----
Via Johnny Holland Magazine
Personal comment:
Cela ressemble a du gros "finger, hand & gesture" tracking. Ceci dit, cette référence constante faite à Minority Report par beaucoup d'ingénieurs (et de designers d'interaction) commence à devenir fatigante. Comme si il s'agissait là d'un objectif à atteindre ou d'une "milestone" culturelle...
Neil Fraser, a software engineer at Google, took 9 carefully selected cross sections from a MRI scan and glued them on wooden blocks to create a 3D representative model [fraser.name]. The result is a collection of 60 1-inch cubes, of wich 94 outside faces are simply varnished, and 266 internal faces feature a square slice of the MRI images. One can then "dig" into the brain to carve out custom shapes.
Using touch as well as the third dimension to explore 3D data is an interesting avenue, as alternative interfaces need to be explored as much as representation.
Martin Ouellette is President and Creative Director of Provokat, one of Canada's leading digital adveritsing agencies. For him, infoviz is more than a simple discipline, it's a culture phenomenon.
-----
Via Information Aethetics
Une autre version /produit du web en 3d, ici avec construction automatique de mondes/chambres à partir de pages web (le fonctionnement est assez similaire à Knowscape (! même très!): une page dédiée d'où on load les pages). Les liens fonctionnent et le système additionne en plus tout le reste de l'attirail des mondes en 3d (chambres, avatars, îles désertes, import d'objets, etc...), les design étant assez horrible et prévisible.
ExitReality: http://www.exitreality.com
-
Ex. sur le site de fabric | ch.
Tuesday, November 04. 2008
A couple of weeks ago, someone called 'koobcat' started an EarthSwoop tour of buildings designed by the famous arhictect Frank Gehry. Turns out some of his buildings have been modeled in 3D and added to the 3D Buildings layer of Google Earth. His buildings are really unique, and recognizeable with interesting twisted surfaces and shapes. GoogleMapsMania featured the collection this past Saturday which brought it to my attention. I spent a few minutes this morning updating the EarthSwoop collection to add a few more of Gehry's most famous buildings which are available for viewing in GE. I also added thumbnails and brief descriptions to each one. You can either view the Gehry collection in EarthSwoop (if you have the Google Earth plugin). Or here is a KML file so you can view it in Google Earth directly. Either way, I suggest turning on the Panoramio layer so you can see the many photos people have taken of these unique buildings.
By the way, one of Gehry's most famous buildings is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. I noticed that building hasn't made it in the 3D Buildings layer yet, but there are at least three well done 3D models in the 3D Warehouse. Hopefully they will add that one soon.
Personal comment:
Pas facile de faire du mapping automatique sur les bâtiments de Gehry...
Friday, October 24. 2008
The images from the Spam Architecture series are generated by a computer program that accepts as input, junk email. Various patterns, keywords and rhythms found in the text are translated into three-dimensional modeling gestures.
A project by Alex Dragulescu. Alex is a Romanian visual artist whose practice embraces both traditional and new media. His projects are experiments and explorations of algorithms, computational models, simulations and information visualizations that involve data derived from databases, spam emails, blogs and video game assets.
Wednesday, October 15. 2008
As reported at Google Maps Mania, Google has released new Street View imagery in France. Google had already released Street View imagery in July for the Tour de France. Now they have more complete coverage for the following cities: Paris, Toulouse, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, and Lille. Most people are aware you can view the Street View imagery in Google Maps, but you can also see these new spherical panoramic photos inside Google Earth with a 3D interface.
To see the images in Google Earth, turn on the Street View layer and zoom in a bit to see the camera icons over France. You can fly to a city covered with the Street View icons to find an interesting site. Then click on a camera icon near your desired location. Click "Show Full Screen" or double click the icon to enter the Photo Viewer mode. This mode lets you look in all directions using the mouse or keyboard arrows. You can also zoom in and out with the mousewheel. See a video demonstration of the Google Earth Street View imagery.
-
Personal comment:
Je n'avais pour ma part pas encore vu "street view" dans Google Earth et ça reste quand même assez impressionnant tout ce travail de mapping. Assez "Sysiphien"! -
En s'approchant des icones d'images, vous verrez les "boules" de type Quicktime VR apparaître (la rue Daguerre et Plan B- Paris, dans l'image du bas). Double "click" sur la boule et vous entrez dans l'image puis possibilité de naviguer d'image en image (une images tous les 10m environ...). -- La vue de GE avec les boules fait d'ailleurs un peu penser à des vues dans l'env. digital de Brillantmont où il y avait ces sortes de "carrés" d'immersion dans le campus de BM.
Friday, October 10. 2008
By Associated Press
-
CHIBA, Japan (AP) _ Video game rivals Sony and Microsoft are going head-to-head in virtual worlds for their home consoles later this year.
Both companies announced their services, which use graphic images that represent players called "avatars," Thursday at the Tokyo Game Show.
Sony Corp.'s twice delayed online "Home" virtual world for the PlayStation 3 console will be available sometime later this year, while U.S. software maker Microsoft Corp., which competes with its Xbox 360, is starting "New Xbox Experience" worldwide Nov. 19.
Microsoft's service will be adapted to various nations, but people will be able to communicate with other Xbox 360 users around the world, according to the Redmond, Washington-based company.
The real-time interactive computer-graphic worlds are similar to Linden Lab's "Second Life," which can be played on personal computers and has drawn millions of people.
In the so-called "metaverse" in cyberspace, players manipulate digital images called "avatars" that represent themselves, engaging in relationships, social gatherings and businesses.
Internet search leader Google Inc. has unveiled a similar three-dimensional software service called "Lively." Japanese companies have also set up such communities for personal computers.
Ryoji Akagawa, a producer at Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., Sony's gaming unit, said 24 game designing companies will provide content for "Home."
He did not give a launch date or other details. A limited test version over the summer was handy in preparing for a full-fledged service, he said.
In both Sony's and Microsoft's virtual worlds, players can personalize their avatars, choosing hairstyles, facial features and clothing. Akagawa said avatars will be able to dress up like heroes in hit video games.
"The Home has beautiful imagery with high quality three-dimensional graphics," he told reporters.
But Hirokazu Hamamura, a game expert and head of Japanese publisher Enterbrain Inc., who was at the Sony booth, said he needs to see more to assess "Home."
"You still can't tell what it's all about," he told The Associated Press, adding that "Home" may be coming a little late compared to rivals. "There are so many more possibilities for a virtual community."
Schappert said Microsoft's service promises to be more varied as a gateway to various entertainment, such as watching movies, going to virtual parties and sharing your collection of photos.
"Our goal is to make the Xbox experience more visual, easier to use, more fun to use and more social," he said in an interview at a nearby hotel. "We focused a lot on friends and other experiences outside just playing games."
Personal comment:
C'est la même idée qui vient et revient encore depuis 10 ans (un monde partagé en 3d, "réaliste" voire banal et quotidien, on y crée ou customize son avatar et sa maison, on y "discute", etc.). Je me demande si elle finira par prendre et décoller... ou si il s'agit simplement d'une mauvaise idée, de quelquechose qui n'intéresse pas les "users".
Friday, August 15. 2008
(...)
Another of Owens' projects, Sabre & Mace - Second Death, was concerned more specifically with the online environment Second Life.
Collaborating with Tony Mullin, he created SABRE & MACE, a company that offers virtual characters the opportunity to experience death as a way to close their user account permanently. The project examines the notion of feeling sentimental toward a virtual character and examines the link between sentimentality and tangibility.
While researching the project, the designers discovered that a great deal of second life residents have multiple avatars, some stay in favour for a long time while others loose their interest. One guy who they spoke to had 14. He said that he used a many of them as platforms for different sides of his real life personality, and for others he invented entirely new fantasy personalities. However he admitted that some of his created avatars had fallen by the wayside and he no longer used them.
The service works as follows: Having discovered the Sabre&Mace site on-line (unfortunately the website had to be taken down after the show) or through one of the virtual adverts in Second Life, the prospective customer teleports to the company headquarters.
There, the client meets a manager who explains the full process and guides him or her through the signing of two contacts. Contract 1 - states that at some point (completely random) in their second life the avatar will be collected by a Sabre & Mace officer and taken back to the headquarters for termination.
Contract 2 is in fact the client's 'Last will and Testament' where he or she outlines how they wish their virtual moneys, land and assests to be distributed once they have been terminated.
The client continues to live their second life until one day, a Sabre & Mace officer appears and informs them that the final proceedings are about to begin. The client is collected and taken to the Sabre & Mace HQ.
The client meets again with the client manager, to discuss the final process. At this point the client reveals their 'account password', which is the means by which the avatar is terminated.
The client is led through the cryogenic chamber, where the virtual physical forms of past clients are stored. Upon arrival at the 'Termination Room', the client is instructed to walk through the 'white noise' door. Once he crosses the threshold of the door his Second Life game crashes, giving a Sabre & Mace member of staff time to change the clients password - effectively terminating the character.
The client's former avatar is immortalised as a golden statue. Information about the avatar can be read on the plaque which sits on the monument. Should the client visit the Sabre & Mace memorial gardens he would see his own statue as well as the monuments of previous clients.
Images courtesy of Marc Owens (except the shot of his works at the RCA show.)
Related stories: Mourning and digital culture.
|