Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Open Space Ventures LLC Launches a New Website to Help Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses Find and Plan the Perfect Office Space for Their Company

Woodbury, NY (PRWEB) October 26, 2009 -- Open Space Ventures LLC. launches OpenOfficeSpace.com an innovative new website that allows companies to post their available office space online, while offering small businesses and entrepreneurs an opportunity to find and plan the "perfect office space." It's a win-win situation: companies with unused office space can eliminate the extra carrying cost, simultaneously small businesses can find niche office space at the right price. Best of all, there is no cost associated with either listing or finding a space.

Created by David Gise and his partner Marc Spector, OpenOfficeSpace.com was designed with ease of use as the number one priority. "We set out to create an extremely clean and user friendly experience that is unlike any other typical real estate or classified website" said Gise.


OpenOfficeSpace.com streamlines the process of finding and posting office space, while providing insightful advice and powerful interactive tools to help small businesses throughout the leasing process.


Gise, a former personal trainer turned entrepreneur and social media consultant, conceived the idea for Open Office Space after meeting with several of his clients. He noticed a trend of companies hampered with carrying the cost of their extra office space but unsure or unaware of the options available to ease this burden.

The comprehensive "Evolving Guide to Leasing" alone is worth a visit to the site. The interactive guide explores the "Top 10 Mistakes" made by companies during the leasing process, outlines in layman's terms "The 4 Steps" it takes to be successful every step of the way and even offers more than 50 ways for companies to reduce their office expenses. From finding the right space and negotiating the lease to planning the layout and creating an eco-friendly work place, the site's powerful interactive tools and easy to understand content simplifies the leasing process for everyone involved.

One of the most common mistakes made during the leasing process is estimating how much space a company actually needs. Leasing too much can result in an unnecessary expense while leasing too little can leave a company in some very tight quarters. The site's free space estimation tool helps entrepreneurs and small businesses calculate the right amount of square footage based on their specific requirements. Whether a business requires a single desk, a cubicle, a shared office, a private office, a coworking space or an executive suite, the space estimation calculator will ensure that a company gauges their space requirements correctly.

Once a company determines their correct space requirements, the space planning/floor plan tool can be used to lay out the entire space by dragging and dropping furniture directly onto the plan. "It's a lot easier to arrange furniture using the space planning tool than to be surprised when the moving van arrives" Gise explains. Determining the placement of phones, computers, printers and copiers before the day of the move can help save entrepreneurs valuable time" adds Gise. Floor plans including furniture layouts can be saved, printed or shared with friends and colleagues or even posted on other property listing sites.

"The site is an excellent resource, not only in this economy but in any economy. It can really help many companies streamline their expenses while helping others create an ideal working environment" said Spector.

Open Office Space is based in New York. Users can design, find or post available office space at no cost anywhere in the US and Canada. Featured cities on the site include Austin, TX; Charleston, SC; Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Toronto, Ontario; Baltimore, MD; Chicago, IL; Miami, FL; San Jose, CA; Vancouver, British Columbia; Boston, MA; Dallas, TX; New York, NY and Seattle, WA.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Your homepage is a virtual 15-second elevator pitch. Does yours ramble on?

Prior to getting into the whole technology thing, I was a personal trainer (over 17 years) to the rich and famous in New York City and Long Island. In order to survive as a personal trainer with this type of clientele, there was one communication skill that was a MUST...the ability to get to the point.

I am convinced that the concept of the bobblehead came from someone watching a conversation between myself and one of my clients during my first few years of training. Here's how it probably happened:

1) I would bring up a topic and ramble on about it

2) My client would lose interest after my a few minutes but continue to shake their head in agreement to be polite.

3) Clients head would continue to bob their heads up and down as long as I was talking.

4) An outsider witnessed this exchange and the idea for the bobblehead was born.

Thankfully, one of my clients sat me down and explained the importance of getting to the point. He informed me most business leaders are bombarded every day with ideas, business proposals and other types of pitches. In addition, they have very little patience for small talk as there are so many hours in the day, and so many people vying for their attention.

Needless to say, I have gotten very good at not only getting to the point, but also recognizing the signs when someone has lost interest in a conversation.

Not so subtle Segue.

A companies homepage needs to be as brief and to the point as a face to face elevator pitch. Unlike a human interaction, a homepage does offer the luxury of a direct conversation with regards to being able to recognize that a person is losing interest. They just click away from your site.

It is amazing how many websites, many which look quite impressive and even beautiful, do not express the benefits that can be derived from the site, service or application. They might be chock full of information, but it is not really clear what they do or exactly what problems they solve for their visitors.

Companies are spending huge dollars with SEO experts to ensure they rank high on the major search engines. And/or they retain "social media experts" to help increase their brands exposure and drive more traffic to the website...but is it a waste? All the traffic in the world is pointless if people click away once they get to your site.

It is critical to constantly step outside of your own head, and view your homepage from a visitors standpoint. Does it clearly (and briefly) state your companies benefits and what problems you solve for your visitors? Are your calls to action consistent with your other marketing efforts? Does it take more than 15 seconds to get the gist of the sites offerings?

Openofficespace.com is about a week and a half from launching version 2.0 of our site. While we'd like to think that our initial site accomplished all that is mentioned above, it was only after we stepped back and viewed the site from a different perspective that we came up with "flaw fixers" that we hope will take us to the next level.

Check back often as we have some exciting news to report in the next couple of weeks regarding 3Dwalkthroughs.com.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

What do Nike, MTV and Effective Real Estate Marketing Have in Common?

Nike, MTV and Effective Real Estate Marketing have one trait in common: All three utilize powerful imagery to generate an emotional response from their intended audience.

Phil Knight of Nike had the foresight to create powerful marketing messages utilizing strong images/video of select sports superstars wearing Nike products (ex. Andre Agassi, Michael Jordan, etc.). He understood that a combination of imagery and his marketing message would create larger than life heroes, and ultimately strengthen the Nike brand.

Similarly, MTV recognized that creating a forum to comine video with music would create a much stronger response to the artist and their music, compared to listening to the music on its own.

As the price of digital photo/video cameras, editing software and virtual tours have dramatically decreased, coupled with increasing number of free sites that host these assets, virtually any space holder is capable of creating rich media assets to showcase their property.


Similar to Phil Knight and MTV, forward thing real estate marketers understand the emotional attachments strong imagery can create to their property.


One of the mottos at my other company, 3Dwalkthroughs.com, is "we don't create pictures", "we create emotions."


In today's economy, companies and individuals most do whatever they can to stand out from the crowd. Not including imagery on a property listing, especially considering how easy its become, is just bad business.


One of the first negative comments we received when we launched Open Office Space was that "we suck" because we did not offer an ability to add video to our listings. (granted, we should have known better) Needless to say people can now add video to their property listings...and we don't suck. 


The video below tells the story of one of the pioneers of the coworking movement, Citizen Space. Notice how effectively the video demonstrates their culture and makes you want to be a part of their space. Much more effective than simply a written description.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsgxkTOLgig

An additional bonus of creating rich imagery such as video and pictures is they can also be posted to sites such as YouTube, Flickr, etc. These sites can garner your property significant more exposure than simply placing them on a static website. 


The data is mounting regarding the competitive advantage that can be gained by adding imagery to your property listing.


So, the question remains. Will you sit with your arms crossed holding your breath, insisting you can't afford, or don't have the techical expertise to create powerful imagery for your space.  Or will you stop with excuses and realize creating rich imagery is easy, affordable, and most importantly, the most effective way of getting your property noticed.


Monday, April 20, 2009

Shared Office Space - It Can Offer A Lot More Value Than Just Saving a Few Pennies

In its simplest form, the concept of shared office space is a great way for a space holder and a small business/entrepreneur to save money. Whether it means the small business/entrepreneur offsets a portion of the total rent, contributes to the cost of the utilities, or a combination of the two, a shared space can serve as a financial win-win for both parties.

In the spirit of the old Ginsu knife commercial "But Wait There's More..."

Shared Office space can offer both parties an opportunity to share new ideas, technologies, contacts and even forge valuable joint venture relationships.

It is not uncommon for a shared office space to be comprised of several companies operating very similar businesses. In this scenario, shared space holders can collaborate on projects, refer projects back and forth or even promote that their respective companies can offer a wider array of services.

If the companies sharing a space are completely unrelated, there are probably still many networking opportunities that can arise from the relationship. It seems like "everybody" knows "somebody" that does "something" related to somebody else's business.

Even if the benefits are not felt immediately, you never know when a shared space holder can offer a relationship or contact that can make a huge impact on a company.

A quick story to illustrate that "you never know".

My company (a website design and 3D animation company) shared space with an independent movie company. For months we had limited conversation other than a few pleasantries. One day, they asked me to sit and listen to a pitch for a movie idea they had. Not sure why they asked me but I found it to be a very interesting idea.

In my previous life (for 17 years) I was a personal trainer in a very wealthy area in New York. One of my clients was a hedge fund manager that just happened to recently invest in a company that funded independent movies.

Long story short, a pitch meeting was arranged, and in just a few short days almost $1,000,000 was committed to the making of the movie. The movie went on to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, was on the cover of the NY Times and was also released in several theaters across the nation. (I now have an associate producer credit on IMDB)

If it was not for the relationship that was forged by sharing a space, the chances that the movie would have received financing as quickly, or at all were very slim.

In today's economy companies must be willing to work together to survive. While on the surface the decision to share an office space might seem to be purely financial. Companies that give this relationship a try might soon realize that the financial benefit is only the tip of the iceberg.

To post or find a shared office space you can visit openofficespace.com or the various other websites geared to facilitating these relationships.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

This post has absolutely nothing to do with 3D - WHY Magazine

It has been a while since 3Dwalkthroughs.com posted one of its, "this post has nothing to do with 3D" blog entries. With that said, as the economy continues to struggle we all can benefit from the resource outlined in this post.

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking with Dina Santorelli, Editor and Publisher of Why Magazine. Why Magazine was launched in May 2007 by Dina and her business partner Lucille De Tingo on behalf of their company eLuna Media LLC.

Why, (an abbreviation of Work. Home. You.) is dedicated to those who know that working at home isn't all about snooze buttons, bathrobes and bunny slippers; it is written for work-at-homers of all types--entrepreneurs, telecommuters and part-time home workers, both online and offline--and gives them the tools and information they need to keenly manage their business, their home and their life.

Source: DinaSantorelli.com

In today's economy, many small businesses and entrepreneurs are going to have no choice but to streamline their overhead by finding more affordable office space (Shamless Plug - openofficespace.com) or relocating their business into a home office...perhaps a combination of both.

Anyone that has tried running a business from a home office learns pretty quickly it comes with a distinct set of challenges.

-Staying Creative
-Avoiding Distractions
-Maintaining The Delicate Balance Between Work and Family
-Making Time For Exercise
-Eating Properly
-Knowing When To Turn Off Computer
-and the list goes on

Why Magzine is a bi-montly magazine that deliver the solutions to these challenges via an extremely user friendly and aesthetically pleasing interface. Interestingly, while Why Magazine is geared towards the work-at-homer, many of the solutions, tips and tricks offer on the site, can also help small businesses and entrepreneurs achieve a balance in a remote office setting.

ABOUT WHY MAGAZINE
Work Read profiles of people, just like you, who had a dream, took a chance and created thriving work-at-home businesses. Learn about those who have made working from a satellite home office a winning proposition for both company and worker, and those who bring work home and actually manage to do it.
Home
Let's face it: You're working from home, and as frenzied as it is, there are a lot of perks that go with it - like getting the laundry done or running to the bank during traditional business hours. Here, you'll learn ways to make your home more amenable to working, while keeping it as it should be- a comfortable haven for you and your family. In this section, you'll also learn things like the best recipes for work-at-homers or how to organize your bookshelves for both form and function.

You
Ah, and what about you? You know what they say about all work and no play...Just because you're working from home, doesn't mean your life should be filled with FedEx and futons. This is the place for wellness, fashion, automobiles, movies and music, fitness and more to keep your life balanced, as it should be.

Source: Why Magazine

We can only speculate when the economy will rebound and return to a stable footing. One thing does remain true, only companies and entrepreneurs that heed the advice and wisdom of resources such as Why Magazine will be around to enjoy the day it does.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Using 3D Floor Plans on Your OpenOfficeSpace.com Property Listings


3Dwalkthroughs.com, a friend of Open Office Space, has been reporting an increased demand by commercial real estate agents for 3D Floor plans.

3D Floor Plans, especially ones with furniture included, are a much more effective way for a perspective tenant to visualize the potential of a space than just a flat 2D plan. Furthermore, if a buildout is required, a 3D Floor Plan allows the spaceholder/tenant to review any change requests before the shovel hits the dirt. This can save both parties a lot of time and money down the road.

3D Floor Plans are also being used to help market flex space opportunities. A flex space is a building that provides its occupants the flexibility of utilizing the space in multiple ways. They usually provide a configuration allowing a flexible amount of office or showroom space in addition to manufacturing, laboratory, warehouse distribution, etc.

Similar to the benefit a 3D Walkthrough offers a new property developer, 3D Floor Plans can be an invaluable tool for showcasing a property, or in this case a commercial office layout, before the construction has begun.

You can easily add a 3D Floor Plan to your Open Office Space property listing with a click of the mouse.

For more information on creating a 3D Floor Plan for your property please contact us at info@3dwalkthroughs.com.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

The Official Soft Launch of Openofficespace.com

3Dwalkthroughs.com is excited to announce the soft launch of Openofficespace.com. The launch is defined as soft as there is still some fine-tuning happening on the site.

The mission of Open Office Space is to facilitate the interaction between those who need office space and those who have unused office space. To that end, we have built an extremely clean and user friendly interface that is unlike the typical confusing real estate site.

About Open Office Space
In today's economy many companies are downsizing their workforce, yet they are still locked into a long term lease. Conversely, many entrepreneurs and small businesses are looking for available office space at the most affordable rates possible. Open Office Space brings both parties together in a true win-win relationship...and the best part, it's FREE!

Those that have space to rent can simply enter their property details, photos, maps, 2D and 3D floor plans and contact information. Those that are looking for space can easily search by location, property type or desired rent terms.

Open Open Space is the easiest and most effective place to Post/Find Unused:
Office Space
Industrial Space
Creative/Gallery Space
Retail Restaurant Space
Medical Space
Showroom Space
Warehouse Space
Shared Space Flexible Space

The evolution of the Open Office Space concept.

Over the past few months we have attended several meetings with potential consulting clients. It is fair to say, of the last eight meetings, four of them ended with an offer to sublease a portion of their office space…and cheap.

Apparently many of these companies downsized their workforce but were still locked into their long term lease. This left them with a substantial amount of unused (non-monetized) space.

On the flip side, as serial entrepreneurs, we are constantly on the lookout for available office space at the most affordable rates possible (especially during these times). On my walk back to my office from one of these meetings I realized an opportunity existed to create a place where these parties could find each other and interact.

In addition to space holders and entrepreneurs we also realized our concept will could help landlords as well. Giving their tenants an ability to sublease their space might prevent a given tenant from having to give it up altogether.

Boom! Open Office Space was conceived.

Over the next few weeks we will be rolling out many new features and would appreciate any feedback/suggestions as to how we can improve our service. Oh and please feel free to start spreading the word to your friends and business associates.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Using 3D Renderings To Promote Available Retail Space

On my way home from work yesterday I noticed something across the street that stopped me in my tracks. There was an available retail space, completely empty, except for a few broken walls and dangling electrical wires. What caught my attention was a 3D rendering that was hanging right over the doorway.

The 3D rendering showed a beautfully built out clothing store that was clearly THAT empty space.

As I approached the store and was able to see the 3D rendering a little better, I realized they had YOUR LOGO HERE everywhere that a company would typically put their branding. The goal obviously was to paint a picture of the potential of the space to perspective tenants.

While I was impressed with the creativity of the marketing team that created the 3D rendering, it was slightly bittersweet as I realized that the economic crisis is forcing landlords to pull out all the stops to attract tennants.

As I mentioned several times before, 3Dwalkthroughs.com is definitely witnessing two distinct schools of thought that have emerged. Those that realize the importance of marketing during these tough times, and those who have completely shut down their marketing machines.

Which school do you belong to?

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Baseball Card Go 3D!



3Dwalkthroughs.com was intrigued by a new concept by launched by Topps baseball cards...yes the same company that created the cards we used to flip and trade. The concept, a 3D baseball card.

Topps is working with a company called Total Immersion to launch a new series of 3D baseball cards that utilize a PC and a WebCam to create the effect.
Collectors can watch as the players on their cards come alive - popping up in full 3D for interactive "augmented reality" minigames including batting, fielding and pitching drills.

Here is how it works:
If you are lucky enough to get one of the Topps 3D Live cards, you log on to ToppsTown.com and select the player on your card. Then, simply hold the card up to a standard WebCam and the player appears in 3D on your computer.

Source: NY Daily News website

The Youtube video above is a little confusing as it almost seems like the player will come to life on the card itself, like a hologram. Regardless I think the concept is an interesting use of 3D technology.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

The Future of 3D Animation?


World Builder from Bruce Branit on Vimeo.
3Dwalkthroughs.com was introduced to an interesting 3D animation concept on The Future of Marketing Real Estate website. The animation, titled World Builder and created by Bruce Branit, tells the story of a man who builds a 3D virtual world for the woman he loves using a tool that looks to be a mashup of Google Sketchup and the interface seen in Minority Report.

Source: The Future of Marketing Real Estate website

The story starts with a man sitting on his back while flipping through a virtual photo gallery of him and his girlfriend. As the man stands up, he sets a digital clock on his watch for an hour and starts to work on building his 3D world.

The amazing 3D world and all of its fine details seem to appear simply with a touch of the mans hand and his imagination. Once the man is satisfied with his creation, he finishes up by dialing up the right level of sunlight/shadows to meet his approval. (he also leaves behind a flower)

The girlfriend soon enters the picture, explores the world and sees the flower that the man has created and left for her to find. After smelling the flower she gets up to leave yet turns around one last time seemingly disappointed that she has not seen the man.

After the girl leaves, the 3D environment dissolves into thin air. The story transitions into what appears to be the girl in a coma at a hospital.

It turns out the woman is in a holograph recovery unit where her memories can be brought back to life.

According to the blog post, the 8 and a half minute 3D animation took 2 years to complete. While this time frame would probably not work even for our most laid back clients, the seamless integration of animation and actual video was quite amazing. It is getting more common for video to be integrated into these types of presentations, but not where the video objects are actually interacting with 3D animated objects.

It is definitely worth the investment of time if you are interested in 3D animation.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Can Companies Reduce Travel Expenses with IBM's new Sametime 3D

3Dwalkthroughs.com came across a story on TCCnet.com about IBM's new application that could help companies to reduce their travel expenses. According to the story, Sametime 3D enables life-like virtual meetings which includes an ability to exchange instant messages and chat verbally.

With the global economic crisis getting worse by the minute companies are going to seek alternatives that help keep their expenses down. If IBM's 3D virtual platform offers an experience that simulates real interaction this application might could be very well received.

With the help of IBM's new software, groups can meet on a regular, periodic or impromptu basis in these virtual worlds. They also get reusable meeting spaces, which includes a theater-style amphitheatre, a boardroom and a collaboration space, status updates, town hall-style meetings, rehearsals, training classes, and more.

Source: TMCnet.com

I think the biggest thing that has prevented these types of technologies from mainstream success thus far, is the trade off between seamless interaction and impressive graphics. In our experience, previous attempts at this functionality were good at one or the other but not both.

With that said, if anybody can take this technology to the next level it is IBM.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

3D Assets + Social Media = The New Mass Marketing

As we have mentioned in previous posts, 3Dwalkthroughs.com has been gaining a lot of experience in the field of social media as we utilize it to prepare for the launch of Fitspott.

In speaking with some of the marketing directors of companies we are building 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Floor Plans and 3D Renderings for, I am amazed at the lack of knowledge and occasional sheer reluctance to utilize social media platforms to help promote their projects.

I am not sure if this push back stems from a defensiveness over a lack of knowledge or a real objection to social media as an effective marketing tool, either way, a huge opportunity is being missed.

For starters, the majority of the social media platforms are free and can specifically target the eyeballs which would be interested in seeing your 3D assets. Secondly, utilizing social media platforms effectively can result in a viral distribution of your marketing materials, which is highly unlikely using traditional media outlets.

If you are not taking advantage of social media to maximize the exposure of your 3D assets or other marketing materials I would suggest signing up for a Twitter account and following a few social media experts. In a few short days you will be come across a host of articles, suggestions and strategies that will surely take your marketing expertise to the next level.

Social media is here to stay and ignoring it might only prove to put your job in jeapardy once the higher ups start wondering why you did not suggest it sooner.





Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Microsoft To Bring 3D Motion Control Video Games To Life?

3Dwalkthroughs.com came across an article on digitaljournal.com that could dramatically improve the exergaming experience in the very near future.

According to the article, more sources are now confirming that the software and gaming giant is indeed ready to purchase 3DV Systems, makers of the ZCam; a camera device that allows gamers to "enjoy a genuinely immersive experience" according to its website.

It differentiates itself from the current Xbox Vision Cam, Wii Remote and PlayStation Eye by allowing users to make gesture inputs in a fully 3D space without the need to hold or wear an external input device.

The Zcam is also capable of rendering a user’s own 3D image within software in real-time. This feature could provide an unparalleled amount of realism for just about every video game genre.

Source: digitaljournal.com

As 3Dwalkthroughs.com continues to chat with exergaming companies on behalf of Fitspott we are very interested in this developing news. As we have predicted in the past, this logical evolution of exergame technology will allow for more free motion games to be created which will no doubt simulate real life activities more accurately.

I think this will not only improve the mainstream acceptance of exergaming as a valid supplement to real world exercise but also promote a longer life span of these types of videogames.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

3D Casino Based on a Real-Life French Casino Will Launch In March

3Dwalkthroughs.com came across an interesting story about an online 3D casino which will be launched in March. Lucien Barriere Hotels and Casinos is set to launch the world's first "truly 3D" online casino at its website LeCroupier.com, to be based on its real-life casino in the northern France coastal city of Deauville.

"Whether players are looking for a little entertainment or genuine 3D casino gaming, they will find it at LeCroupier.com - creating their own virtual characters from a series of life-like avatars in a 'dressing room' area. Using their avatar players will then be able to look around the casino, talk to other players while at the tables and play a few games of roulette and blackjack or even try their luck on the slots."

Source: Online Casino Reports

There is a pretty cool trailer on the LeCroupier.com website which demonstrates the look and feel of the soon to be launched casino. If the 3D graphics are as good as the trailer, and the interactivity is relatively smooth, this could be a very successful venture.

In most of the other interactive 3D environments we have witnessed, either the graphics or the interactivity always seems to suffer. If you are interested in checking out the new casino, you can sign up to be considered as a beta tester on the LeCroupier.com website.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

A 3D Dashboard For Your Car?

3Dwalkthroughs.com came across an article about researchers in Berlin that have developed a car dashboard that provides drivers with velocities, engine speeds and warnings on a 3D display.

According to the article the dashboard can also showcase alerts such as traffic reports, low fuel, engine sppe and velocity. The 3d images are created by two cameras in the car measuring the position of the driver’s eyes and the distance between them. The realtime images are then superimposed and adapted to the driver’s vision on to the display.

Source: New Electronics Website

The article points out that the most important items are presented in the foreground of the display. While this technology seems very cool, I can already imagine the amount of critics that are going to line up to argue against a 3D dashboard as it will be too distracting to drivers.

Personally, I cannot imagine a 3D dashboard can be much more distracting than cars with DVD players on the backs of their seats. There have been numerous times I have almost rammed a car in front of me trying to see which episode of the Office they were watching.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Google Mars in 3D

3Dwalkthroughs.com came across a story on newsoxy.com about Google and NASA's efforts to add a Mars 3D mode to Google Earth.

The new mode will serve as a science instrument on understanding the science behind the Red Planet. The images are truly amazing and provide stunning graphics which scientists can use studying the planet.

"Besides providing a rich, immersive 3D view of Mars that will aid public understanding of Mars science, the new mode, Google Mars 3D, also gives researchers a platform for sharing data similar to what Google Earth provides for Earth scientists," NASA officials said on its Web site.

The Google Earth mode for Mars 3D lets computer users fly virtually through canyons on the planet's surface. Some of the mountain tops are much larger than those found on Earth. The virtual mode unveils the entire surface and users can share images based on their own unique exploration.

"Under its terms, NASA and Google agreed to collaborate to make NASA's data sets available to the world," Google officials said in a statement.

Source: Newsoxy.com

I will be spending some time today checking out this new 3D mode. According to the article a few schools have already be utilizing Mars 3D in their science classes...pretty interesting.

Monday, February 2, 2009

A 3D Dashboard For Your Car?

3Dwalkthroughs.com came across an article about researchers in Berlin that have developed a car dashboard that provides drivers with velocities, engine speeds and warnings on a 3D display.

According to the article the dashboard can also showcase alerts such as traffic reports, low fuel, engine sppe and velocity. The 3d images are created by two cameras in the car measuring the position of the driver’s eyes and the distance between them. The realtime images are then superimposed and adapted to the driver’s vision on to the display.

Source: New Electronics Website

The article points out that the most important items are presented in the foreground of the display. While this technology seems very cool, I can already imagine the amount of critics that are going to line up to argue against a 3D dashboard as it will be too distracting to drivers.

Personally, I cannot imagine a 3D dashboard can be much more distracting than cars with DVD players on the backs of their seats. There have been numerous times I have almost rammed a car in front of me trying to see which episode of the Office they were watching.

Marketing a New Property Development Using Twitter

The sheer number of available online tools to market a new property development has grown dramatically since 3Dwalkthroughs.com first opened its doors. While some of these tools might have existed in one form or another, it is only in the last few years that they have experienced such a widescale adoption by the mainstream.

As the real estate market continues to suffer, the competitive advantage offered by these tools have never been more in demand. To be specific, I am referring to the exponential growth in the utilization of the social media tools and platforms.

Unlike static websites, printed brochures, and other traditional marketing materials, social media tools allows for a direct, two way conversation with your audience.

Social media allows you to listen to what potential buyers and critics are saying about your company and/or project. It gives your company an ability to join in the conversation and even clarify any misconceptions that might exist due to false rumors.

Social media allows you to build a community of people with similar interests. This community could serve as powerful advocate group to help champion your project.

Social media allows you to effectively promote the locale surrounding a development project by building a community passionate about the area.

One of the social media technologies experiencing the greatest growth, especially by business professionals is Twitter.

In short, Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.Updates are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends (delivery to everyone being the default). Users can receive updates via the Twitter website as well as a host of other platforms.

Source: Wikipedia

Twitter will provide your marketing team with an ability to build a captive audience of people interested in your development project including: local government officials, townspeople, bloggers, journalists, etc.

It is a great way to increase traffic to your website and your blog, and can also help you increase your websites visibility on search engines.

We have recently been including social media consulting in conjunction with our 3D Floor Plans, 3D Renderings and 3D Walkthroughs services. If we can maximize the amount of people that view our 3D creations, then our relationship with our clients is truly win-win.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Using Social Media To Market Your Property

As many of you already know, 3Dwalkthroughs.com is involved with Fitspott, a social networking platform for health and fitness. In the time since becoming involved with this project we have read countless social media books, articles, blogs and have also attended various speaking engagements on this topic.

If there is one fact that has become clear during our forray into social media its that all companies, large and small, have an opportunity to conduct a much more targeted marketing approach, to a much bigger audience, and for much less money.

What does this means for 3Dwalkthroughs.com and it's customers? Basically any 3D asset we create whether it be a 3D Rendering, 3D Floor Plan or 3D Walkthrough has a potential of going viral by being posted and tagged on one of the multiple photo/video sharing sites.

Furthermore tools like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and many more can be used by developers to build a captive audience well in advance of the first shovel hitting the ground.

Over the next few weeks, 3Dwalkthroughs.com will be highlighting many different social media tools and will explain how they can be used to market a property.

Friday, January 23, 2009

This post has absolutely nothing to do with 3D (but it is unbelievable)

In honor of this monumental week 3Dwalkthroughs.com thought we would share an unbelievable 1,474 megapixel image that was taken during the inauguration. The image when pulled back shows almost all the people that were in attendance during the ceremony. The amazing occurs when you start to zoom in. Click here>> to see it.

Using the controls, pick a spot and start to zoom in on the image. No matter where you zoom you can see each persons face as if a close up picture was taken. When I think about the ramifications of this it is both compelling and a little scary.

Here is how it was done, told by the photographer David Bergen.
I clamped a Gigapan Imager to the railing on the north media platform about six feet from my photo position. The Gigapan is a robotic camera mount that allows me to take multiple images and stitch them together, creating a massive image file.

My final photo is made up of 220 Canon G10 images and the file is 59,783 X 24,658 pixels or 1,474 megapixels. It took more than six and a half hours for the Gigapan software to put together all of the images on my Macbook Pro and the completed TIF file is almost 2 gigabytes.

Source: David Bergmen blog

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Contribute To CNN's 3D Collage of This Historic Day

3Dwalkthroughs.com came across a story on Gizmodo.com about CNN's request to contribute digital photos of todays historical event that will be used to create a massive 3D experience. CNN will use Microsoft's software, Photsynth to compile the collage, as they turn 2D images into 3D images.

According to the article, all you have to do is take a picture (under 10 MB), send it into themoment@cnn.com, and then wait for Microsoft's software to do it's thing.

Source: Gizmodo.com

I would personally like to wish Barack Obama and the rest of his team the best of luck as they make history on this monumental day. Today is a great day to be an American!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

An Increased Demand for 3D Floor Plans


3Dwalkthroughs.com has noticed an definitive upward trend in the number of people interested in 3D floor plans. The increased traffic seems to be the result of the companies which made the decision seek out innovative marketing tools in spite of the tough economy.

We have experienced a marked increase for 3D floor plans of residential, commercial, retail and hospitality real estate. The customized 3D plans can demonstrate a properties layout much more effectively than a standard 2D plan.

3D floor plans can be customized down to the smallest detail. They can showcase the type of flooring, wall covering, furniture layouts/styles, cabinets, door knobs, etc.

The turnaround time for a 3D floor plan is approximately 5 days, and they can be used for websites, billboards, printed brochures, wall plaques etc.

If you are interested in getting more information please feel free to contact us at any time.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Fitspott is the Featured Blog Today on Typepad

3Dwalkthroughs.com is excited to announce that the Fitspott blog has been selected to be today's featured blog on Typepad. This is quite an honor considering the amount of blogs created by Typepad users.

About the Fitspott Blog
Fitspott's blog is an interesting and innovative way to get people excited about a launch through the use of their TypePad blog. The Fitspott blog is a way to ramp up excitement for the beta of the Fitspott community, keeping people abreast of the development progress there. It's also a fascinating look behind the scene of the company culture, and a way for the company and community to communicate.

They've also got interesting reportage from what it's like inside a fitness industry trade show, what it means that "childhood obesity" is now a top search term on Google, and how viral video is becoming a new trend in innovative sports marketing. There's even some new possibilities for listening to music while you work out, the a new year's post about how the government is targeting obesity rates.

Source: Typepad Featured Blog Page

Monday, January 12, 2009

150 Million Superbowl Viewers To Be Sent 3D Glasses?

3Dwalkthroughs.com came across about an interesting story about a promotion during the Superbowl that is supposedly going to involve the giveaway of 150 million pairs of 3D glasses.

The 3D glasses will be used to watch a 90 second preview of the feature Monsters vs. Aliens.DreamWorks Animation chief executive Jeffrey Katzenberg calls the stunt ''perhaps the biggest media-advertising event in history'' and says it ``involves tens of millions of dollars.''

Katzenberg promises that the viewing quality will be superior and says the glasses will use Intel InTru 3D and ColorCode 3-D, which updates the old red-blue Anaglyph system. They will be distributed free at Pepsi/SoBe Life Water displays at 28,000 locations including grocery, drug and electronics stores and big-box retailers.

Source: The Miami Herald

If nothing else it will be very funny to watch all the drunk football fans running around with their 3D glasses on. How many people do you think are going to get pulled over as they try to drive home with their 3D glasses on?

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Shapeways Shops - 3D to Reality Marketplace

3Dwalkthroughs.com came across a press release about the much anticipated launch of Shapeways Shops. The Shops offer artists, designers and hobbyists alike, a unique online platform to show and sell their designs to a world-wide audience. This new marketplace enables anyone to make money with their 3D modeling skills, bridging the gap between the digital 3D models and real tangible products.

In the spirit of the very successful photo sharing industry, Shapeways Shops allows modelers to make money with their 3D models by uploading them and sellling them online.

Although the site is just getting rolling, you can definitely see its potential. 3D models can be viewed in 2D or 3D formats and you can get information about the designer and the model itself.

About Shapeways

Shapeways is a 3D printing and production service that harnesses the power of a global networkof 3D production service partners to ensure cost-efficient, reliable manufacturing and order fulfillment of 3D designs starting with custom 3D printing. Shapeways, passionate about creating.

Source: Shapeways Press Release

Saturday, January 3, 2009

3DeeShell - Display 3D Images on Your iPhone

Check out this new 3D technology/product that just came out for the iPhone! 3Dwalkthroughs.com came across an article on CrunchGear.com about Spatial Views newest product release, the Wazabee 3DeeShell.

The Wazabee 3DeeShell is a protective casing that includes a removable lens to displays 3D stereoscopic images on the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch without the need for 3D glasses.

The housing contains a lens that eliminates the need for special 3D glasses, while serving as a stylish protective skin at the same time. The lens can easily be removed at any time in order to switch back and forth between normal 2D and spellbinding 3D graphics.

The 3DeeCamera, available from the Apple App store for 99 cents, lets you take two pictures to produce your own stereoscopic images.

After the pictures have been selected, you can choose to view them as one of three types of anaglyph (red/cyan, red/blue, or red/green depending on the type of glasses you have), or in either parallel- or cross-view side-by-side modes (which do not require glasses).

Source: CrunchGear.com

As the author of CrunchGear.com points out, it will be fun to see the 3D creations that are generated by iPhone users. Flickr might soon need to accomodate 3D images...or can they already? If anyone knows, do tell.