3D Images You Can Touch!

A new technology has been unveiled by Japanese firm, NTT Comware, which will allow a user to "feel" 3D images projecting from a computer screen.

Without any need for awkward 3D glasses, users could feel a far-away object as if it were right in front of them, NTT said. “You would be able to take the hand, or gently pat the head, of your beloved grandchild who lives far away from you,” said engineer Shiro Ozawa. If a person linked to the system moves, his or her three-dimensional image also moves in realtime . The user would feel as if they were being pulled along if the image moves while grasping your hand.

How it works?
The technology depends on real-time rendering and transfer of photos, such as those of your hand when simulating a handshake. Using two cameras, the device films the hand from multiple angles. The glove worn by the user grabs the precise size and position, for optimum accuracy. This data is used to render a 3D image of the hand on the display screen. The screen used is NTT’s 3D Display – developed in 2005 – which allows users to view three-dimensional images without wearing special 3D glasses.

Once the image is displayed, it sends the data back across to the glove, which processes it to provide a feeling of actual touch. So, when the user grasps the hand, the sensors on the glove pick up that data and transfer it to the image displayed, which reacts accordingly. All this, done in real time, gives a feeling of real tactile movement.

The future
Normally, a lot of museum artifacts, such as dinosaur fossils or rare paintings, are stored at a great distance. But with this new technology, the dead could also be “resurrected” by the system and museum visitors could “touch” precious exhibits sealed in showcases, the firm said.

Another target for the technology is virtual classrooms, where students could feel and touch objects which are placed at a great distance, offering a new depth to the learning experience.

The future according to 3DWalkthroughs.com:
A user will be fully immersed in a 3D Walkthrough or 3D Floor Plan and have the ability to grab a beer from the refrigerator, pop a DVD into the home theater system and meld into the couch. OK,we might have to wait a while for this one:)

Something to consider...

An article in today's NY Times highlights the growing concern of detailed mapping technology getting into the wrong hands. On the heels of the foiled terrorist plot at JFK Airport and the fact that the terrorists admitted to doing research on Google Earth, many officials are getting nervous about the improper use of this quickly improving technology.

As 3dwalkthroughs.com has been predicting, it is only a matter of time before the technology incorporates very detailed 3D Walkthroughs and 3D Floor Plans into the searchable data. If not properly governed, this data could significantly increase the threat created by giving public access to this information.

While we strongly believe these tools can be a valuable asset to emergency first responders, it cannot be denied that they could also be used for the wrong reasons. As a New York based company we take these security issues extremely seriously and think that the more detailed information should only be accessible by the proper authorities. We applaud state comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli, and his efforts to address this issue NOW, before it is too late.

The Full NY Time Article Can Be Found HERE

There.com signs deal with CMG for band appearances in virtual nightclubs

Makena Technologies is announcing today that it has cut a deal with Capitol Music Group to bring music artists into the There.com virtual world.

The company will create a warehouse-like virtual nightclub that has a video wall on one side where visitors can view actual videos of the bands. For anyone that wants to chat with the various bands there will be a paid for VIP section that will allow for such privledges.

Bands such as Yellowcard, Korn, the Beastie Boys, and Lily Allen will interact in the form of Avatars that are built to represent the real band members.

Like Second Life, There.com is free, but it does charge $4.95 a month for premium service, which includes voice communication over the Internet.

3dwalkthroughs.com predicts this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the influx of various media formats into virtual platforms. As the ability to integrate custom 3d walkthroughs and 3d renderings becomes easier, the experience in the various virtual worlds will become more and more realistic.

Virtual Sales Office (iTheater Video Glasses)

Imagine creating a virtual sales office using only your video Ipod. A company in Japan, Mikimoto, has made this fantasy a reality with the release of their iTheater Video glasses. The 78g light video glasses create a 50 inch image seen from 2.5m. Besides connecting to the iPod photo and iPod video, any other video source can be connected to the Mikimoto Beans iTheater glasses.

A vision from 3dwalkthroughs.com: A real estate agent or new property sales representative downloads a presentation which consists of 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Renderings and 3D Floor Plans to their iPod or laptop computer. They make an appointment to meet with a client where they sit them down in a quiet room and hook them up with the iTheater Video Glasses. The immersive experience effectively sells the property and allows the sales agent to close the deal.

Clearly there would be many more steps in the process, but with direction of today's housing market it will be these type of innovative ideas that will help make one property stand out from another.

The 3D Flickr?

French software company Dassault Systemes has launched 3DVIA, a platform that will enable users to access, share and collaborate on three-dimensional services online.

The new platform seeks to become the Flickr of 3D content.
"Imagine a world where everyone can leverage the power of 3D, in which we can create, share, and experience life in 3D online, enabling us to join efforts to improve our living spaces and the products we use daily," says Bernard Charlès, president and CEO, Dassault Systèmes. “DS and its partners will develop 3DVIA to lead the way in this area, enabling anyone with access to a computer and the Internet to use innovative, fun-to-use 3D services online.”

3dwalkthroughs.com will continue to experiment with 3DVIA and looks forward to collaborating with other professionals on 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Renderings, and 3D Floor Plans.

About 3DVIA:

3DVIA is Dassault Systèmes’ brand for online 3D lifelike experiences. It establishes 3D as a universal media for consumer and professional communities, and allows anyone to imagine, play, and experience products and services used in our daily lives. Once perfected in the virtual world, these can be delivered in the physical world. The Virtools product line is part of 3DVIA. For more information about 3DVIA, go to: www.3dvia.com.

Tracie Beer Designs

3Dwalkthroughs.com and Launchsight Solutions will work together to create a new website for the well known NYC interior design company Tracie Beer Designs.

We will impart elements such as flash animations,3dwalkthroughs, 3D Renderings and 3D Floor Plans to create an impressive showcase for her creations.

Validating the Need For Cutting Edge Marketing Materials

A discussion yesterday morning with one of our builder clients coupled with an article in today's NY Times illustrates the growing new home inventory crisis and subsequent predicament may new home builders are finding themselves in.

3dwalkthroughs.com believes the use of 3D walkthroughs, 3D floor plans, and 3D renderings will continue to increase as new home builders seek to find the most impressive pre/post construction marketing materials to help reduce their inventories.

June 23, 2007
Off the Charts
Homes Sell. Homes Don’t Sell. Builders Still Build.
By FLOYD NORRIS
THE American housing market, as measured by home-building activity, is falling at the most rapid rate in decades, underscoring the pain felt by builders who were far too optimistic about the state of the market.

Even with the plunge, however, starts have been very high relative to the number of homes that builders are trying to sell, a fact that could indicate the weakness will last while builders seek to sell homes they have already built.
The full NY Times article can be found HERE>

iMOUT By Autodesk Releases Web App For Urban Warfre and Emergency First Responders

iMOUT combines CAD, GIS, BIM (building information modeling) and 3D visualization technologies in a Web Application that is to be used for Urban Warfare Training as well as emergency first responders.

The application released by Autodesk allows for seamless integration between the exterior and interior environments. One of the cool features of the application is that it allows the user to remove walls to skeletal structures and other building features that could be important during an emergency situation or combat situation.

3dwalkthroughs.com predicts these mash-up applications will only continue to improve in direct relation to the realistic quality of the renderings, floor plans, and 3d walkthroughs.

Insight Media and US Display Consortium release study on 3D displays market

An interesting article from Insight Media describes the projected growth in the use of 3D technologies, specifically as it relates to the consumer market.

As with all other technologies, as they become more affordable, it can be assumed that a large number of consumer based applications will be launched into the market.
3dwalkthroughs.com strives to be a pioneer in the 3D explosion.

Insight Media - June 21, 2007

2007 is shaping up to be an exciting year for 3D technologies, according to Insight Media. The display industry analysts, with support from the US Display Consortium, released a comprehensive report on 3D display technologies, applications and markets, in conjunction with the Projection Summit held this week in Anaheim, CA, USA. While conventional wisdom sees 3D displays as niche market products, recent advances in 3D display technologies have given them image quality equal to the best LCD monitors and TVs and at price premiums that are in the range professionals and consumers have shown a willingness to pay.

The study indicates that key pieces of the 3D puzzle are falling into place and resulting in the adoption of 3D systems in several key market segments.

3D displays come in a wide variety of sizes from cellphone-sized to projectors capable of filling a giant cinema screen. These improved, moderate-cost technologies will first move into existing markets for 3D displays and enable the development of new, broader markets in the future.

Currently, 3D cinema is one of the most exciting areas of activity, but growth in consumer monitors and cellphone 3D displays are just around the corner too. Professional applications will also expand for stereoscopic 3D, holographic 3D and maybe even volumetric 3D displays. Digital Signage, data visualization and immersive environments top the list here.

"Throughout this report Insight Media has cut through the hype and wild forecasts that have been common in 3D systems throughout its 150+ year history," said Matthew Brennesholtz, one of Insight Media’s principle analysts on the report. "We have strived to produce a report that comes to reasonable conclusions and forecasts based on the facts, markets and technologies. This is different from many previous studies of 3D technology that were often written by enthusiasts and contained wildly inflated predictions."

About this study

The Insight Media 400-page report, "3D Technology and Markets; A Study of All Aspects of Electronic 3D Systems, Applications and Markets" coauthored by Matthew Brennesholtz and Art Berman, Ph.D., documents the current state of the 3D industry including displays, image sources, formats, standards, applications and markets. There is an in-depth evaluation of the current and forecast market, including industry revenue forecasts through 2011. These forecasts are broken down by display technology, display size and application category. Forecasts are also provided for specific markets, both in terms of unit sales and revenue streams.

In addition to display-specific material, the 3D Technology and Markets report contains an in-depth discussion of related technologies including ones for image generation, formats and standards. Special attention is paid to 3D video formats that are backward compatible with the existing 2D video infrastructure. The report also includes a list of 650+ companies, universities, consortia and standards bodies involved in 3D systems, with profiles on 26 of them.

3D Animation Used in 9/11 Study

The World Trade Center Towers attack was the subject of a two-year Purdue University study. The study created a 3D simulation of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the findings support the U.S. government's findings into why the towers fell, reports the AP.

Excerpt from Purdue News:
The simulation could be used to better understand which elements in the building's structural core were affected, how they responded to the initial shock of the aircraft collision, and how the tower later collapsed from the ensuing fire fed by an estimated 10,000 gallons of jet fuel, said Mete Sozen, the Kettelhut Distinguished Professor of Structural Engineering in Purdue's School of Civil Engineering.

Read the Full Article Here

See the full simulation at the bottom of this page

YouTube: A Modern Take on Real Estate Technology

An article in today's RisMedia is very relevant to the future of 3Dwalkthroughs.com. The article discusses the use of YouTube by real estate professionals and how adding property videos to a website can help it stand out from the competition.

Another trend mentioned in this article is the growing use of mobile devices as a means of delivering video to the real estate professional on the go.
As the technology continues to improve the integration of video into mobile devices is sure to increase.

While video is perfect for existing properties, 3D walkthroughs are the answer for properties that do not exist yet. The amount of realism that can be achieved is unbelievable and the features will only continue to improve. One of the other advantages of these presentations is that the final product can be rendered in many different formats, making them accessing via YouTube as well as all other mobile devices. 3D walkthroughs will be combined with traditional marketing techniques to create the ultimate pre-sales marketing campaign.

YouTube: A Modern Take on Real Estate Technology
By Kayla O'Brien

RISMEDIA, June 20, 2007-While it's already a known fact that about 80% of home buyers begin their search on the Internet, there's still a large demand for originality among real estate Web sites. Virtual tours, mapping technology, and neighborhood guides seem like a step in the right direction, but agents are in need of a new differentiator. That said, agents who want to lead the pack have begun creating engaging videos, utilizing YouTube and other online marketing vehicles to generate leads and ultimately close sales. Featuring qualities that can't be captured by still photos, these videos are the latest cost-efficient marketing tool and they're not alone. Thomas Harpointer, CEO and founder of AIS Media, an Internet consulting company, discusses the in's and out's of this new trend and what else we can expect over the next year in leading technologies.

RE: As an expert in online marketing, can you explain how you feel the Internet is going to drive real estate sales in the future?

Thomas Harpointer: The big driving force behind the evolution of real estate Web sites right now is Web 2.0. Web sites have made the transformation from informational- driven brochures to critical business tools, so the average broker's role is going to continue to grow in terms of technology and the Internet as agents, brokers, and developers are starting to see the value of Web sites. Buyers can peruse hundreds of homes on the Internet before hitting the streets with brokers-helping to make their jobs more efficient.

Video is a key component to raise the bar, and a few years from now it will be expected. Many agents are receiving the majority of leads from the Internet, which is less work for them. The more tools that are provided for the buyer, the more properties will be moved in a shorter period of time.

RE: Tell me more about the concept of combining the forces of real estate and YouTube. What advice can you offer to those who are interested in utilizing YouTube?

TH: It's still very new, which offers tremendous advantage. Agents and brokers can create videos and post them on YouTube as a hook into their Web site, driving traffic they wouldn't normally have. Plus, if you search a term on Google, there's massive competition, but there's only 500 results for the same term on YouTube, making you a bigger fish in a smaller pond.

Videos offer opportunities to highlight areas of the home, adding a whole new dimension. With the equipment available today, you don't need to spend thousands of dollars on a camera. You can take shots, hand the content over to someone who can edit it for a few hundred dollars, and make a decent video.

Start by shooting on a nice day, turn the lights on and let the house sell itself. Before you shoot, bullet out key features of the property. No two properties are the same, so list everything that you think is important to a potential buyer. Don't waste content on a new water heater, you can list that, but what about a back door terrace that overlooks a stream? That's exciting. Pick the top five elements and remember that a video is much bigger in size, takes more time to load. Some videos are 42 seconds while some run for a couple of minutes. It's up to the agent as to how long and comprehensive they are.

If a narrator has a good voice they can speak, but that's upon discretion. Keep it short, to the point, incorporate sound, use lighting and be honest. Always remember the purpose of the video-a lead generator.

When you create a video, add a watermark with your Web site address to the bottom of the video, so you can get credit back to your Web site and help marketing efforts. The name of the video should be a relevant name, rather than "movie1." Name it "Pompano Beachfront Property" so that when it's uploaded, Google will index the movie file name since search engines search content for keywords, whether it's picture or video. Put your phone number at the end of the video, and give the option for people to visit your Web site for more information.

RE: Do you feel these productions provide a substantial return on investment?

TH: There are two primary costs-the production cost and the broadcasting of the content. Production varies from a couple thousand to $10 to 20 thousand to produce, but if we were to run it on TV, we'd be paying thousands more. Start at the top, take the most expensive home, and it will have the biggest payoff potential. Instead of investing in newspapers or new office furniture, agents should focus on electronic media which is of higher value to customers.

RE: How does the development of Internet videos as a lead generation tool change the consumer's home buying and selling experience? Do you feel these videos will replace the open house or the role of the broker/agent in the future?

TH: It's more exciting for the consumer. A video creates the perception of reputation, quality of service, and good strength. The best way to illustrate that is through a Web site, since very few buyers initially walk into an office. They'll do their research online, limit the properties they want to see, and then make an appointment to see those properties.

Open houses are going to continue to grow because buyers will still need an agent. The Web is wonderful, but it won't replace personal interaction. There will also be more people at open houses. You can advertise to the world through YouTube, expanding it to a much bigger market. No one's going to buy the house just by looking at the video, but the more people we reach, the more that should show up.

Brokers and agents are of bigger use than ever before. Eighty-one percent of those who use the Internet to look for a home also use an agent. For example, in 1991, 19% of sellers sold their home without an agent, compared to last year's 13%.

RE: In addition to the creation of YouTube videos, what other technology do you expect to see within the real estate industry in the latter half of 2007?

TH: Mobile phones today have many capabilities-some have video, most have text. Few real estate sites take advantage of that, so we will see that in the second half of 2007.

The two most cost effective ways to draw people to Web sites are through e-mail and RSS feeds. RSS blasts instantly drive traffic and agents can do it. Once you have an e-mail address, you can update and push information to visitors instead of waiting for them to come back to your site. The magic behind RSS is that if people subscribe to that feed, the moment you update your site, they'll instantly receive notification without the agent having to make an announcement.

RSS is going to expand threefold by 2008; it doesn't cost anything but time and knowledge. It's overwhelming, but keep an open mind and approach it with baby steps. If a video is going to be produced, produce higher values first and get user feedback. A Web site is a tool; the more you use it, the better you get at it. In order for it to continue to work, it should improve over time.

Companies like AIS and other partners are there to work with businesses one-on-one, to help understand the process of establishing Web presence, become comfortable with Web technologies and grow as they need. To effectively compete, there's no way around it.

RE: Why should interested agents act now if this is of interest to them?

TH: It's a very easy way to stand out from the pact. Today video is exciting and the number one selling point is that it helps you stand out from the pack-few sites are doing it. Buyers and sellers love technology and want to feel confident when they elect a professional and value is in the technology and sophistication of a Web site. People form an opinion of a Web site in less than 30 seconds.

At this point, if agents have a basic site, it puts them behind against competitor sites with virtual tours. Everyone resists change at first. Not everyone had an e-mail address or Web site at first, but it's something that people expect now. Professionals that are serious will need to embrace this technology-Web 2.0, video, and RSS feeds. I would encourage agents to contact a professional Internet consultant to help them make sense of all of this-update their Web site and get up to speed on YouTube. Once you understand it, you'll understand it always.

Look Out Jason Bourne!

In April we posted about Microsoft's Photosynth product which provides the ability to create 3D objects from 2D photos. In this month's wired magazine there was an article about a new product that was demonstrated at the International Virtual Reality Photography Conference in BERKELEY, California. The product is HD View, a high-definition panoramic viewer that can handle monster panoramic shots, often several gigapixels big.

The browser-based viewer provides an immersive wide-angle view, up to 360 degrees, and is capable of displaying images composed of billions of pixels. The demo is really cool as it allows you to zoom in extremely close from a significant distance with very little loss of clarity.

3dwalkthroughs.com is interested in this technology as we believe it will continue to improve, become more user friendly and ultimately integrate with 3D walkthroughs, 3D Renderings, and 3D Floor Plans to create the ultimate previewing tool for all types of properties.

Preview Attractions in 3D Before Travelling

New online travel portal, www.Door2Tour.com, based in the UK is offering customers the chance to take a virtual tour of their holiday destinations through Google Earth, allowing travellers to track tours and zoom in on specific attractions using detailed satellite views.

3dwalkthroughs.com is excited about the new services being launched using Google Earth technology because the logical next step is to incorporate 3d walkthroughs, 3d floor plans, and 3d renderings to make the experience even more immersive.

Here is an explanation of of their service from the Door2tour.com website:
With our layer on Google Earth, it's possible to go the extra mile in really exploring a destination before you travel on your coach tour. All towns and cities in our travel guide section are featured in Google Earth, giving fascinating satellite views over world famous cities throughout Italy, France, Spain, Belgium and England.

Select the terrain layer on Google Earth to glide down the slopes of Chamonix taking in impressive Mont Blanc as you go, take a 360-degree tour of the Colosseum and swoop down on the Houses of Parliament. Before you leave on your coach holiday, you can even view the roads and paths that your coach trip may travel!


Once you've found the perfect place to visit on a coach tour, why not click on our special star and information icons to read more about a destination or attraction and view more images. From here, you can even view coach tours should you wish to book.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY

3dwalkthroughs.com would like to wish all of our friends, partners, clients and specifically our families a very Happy Fathers Day.

Microsoft Surface - WOW!

Microsoft unveiled an unbelievable new product last month called "Surface". Surface is basically a touch screen table top computer that offers an endless array of possibilities. Here are some ideas of what the product can do:
1) Place a digital camera on the surface and it automatically reads all the images which can be moved re-sized, manipulated, etc.
2) Place your cell phone on the surface and it will tell you anything you need to know about your phone, allow you to drag new ring tones, upgrade to a better model, download directions, etc.
3) Place multiple credit cards on the surface and drag and drop different menu items from a restaurant as a way of splitting the bill.

3Dwalkthroughs.com envisions using the technology to provide real estate professionals with an ability to create a totally virtual sales office. Imagine being able to select a group of properties within a certain price range and then with the flex of your wrist start a 3d walkthrough, view a 3d rendering or 3d floor plan or start a video of what the surrounding area has to offer.

About
Surface is the first commercially available surface computing platform from Microsoft Corporation. It turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, interactive surface. The product provides effortless interaction with digital content through natural gestures, touch and physical objects. In essence, it’s a surface that comes to life for exploring, learning, sharing, creating, buying and much more. Soon to be available in restaurants, hotels, retail and public entertainment venues, this experience will transform the way people shop, dine, entertain and live.

We highly recommend checking out MaxPodcasting. They offer a great way for realtors and new builders to market their new and existing properties by delivering audio or video real estate content to iPods and other portable media players, like PDAs or Sony PSPs, on demand, so that it can be listened to or watched at the user's convenience.

We look forward to using this service to deliver our clients Custom 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Renderings, and 3D Floor Plans in an impressive format that they can watch at their own convenience.

About MaxPodcasting
MaxPodcasting allows real estate professionals from individual agents to brokers to home builders to publish, syndicate (think of a newspaper columnist or TV show) and distribute their own online real estate TV show.

MaxPodcasting real estate video podcasting technology is the marriage of streaming video technology with distribution channels across the Web. We create your video podcast feed and episodes for your listings. People find your podcast on various websites, podcast directories, video sharing sites and blogs. Then, they can subscribe to your custom-branded "show" so that anytime you add a new listing episode, they will receive updates automatically to their news feed, desktop or through e-mail. You can even add your podcasts listing episodes your website, so people can also download your listing videos to their PC, iPod™, Sony PSP or PDA device. You, your brand and your client's listing are always top of mind! It's PUSH marketing that will get you noticed!

The race is on but is there a finish line?

An article in today's RisMedia reminds me of the TV commerical with the guy driving home all excited about his new computer. On his way home he passes a billboard being changed to advertise a newer version of his computer has been released even before he reached his house.

This clever ad demonstrates how fast technology is changing and how stressful it can be to stay on top of the latest tools. The article discusses some of the different types of mobile devices and how real estate professionals must embrace them to stay competitive.

While the ability to send 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Renderings and 3D Floor Plans to a mobile device already exists. 3dwalkthroughs.com predicts that the use of these tools will explode as mobile technology continues to improve and come down in price.

The Race is On: Winning Technology Wins the Customers

By Stefan Swanepoel

RISMEDIA, June 15, 2007-Over the last decade the pace of technological change has been startling and for many brokers and agents, a seemingly endless pit of innovation, change and of course, dollars.

Real estate, one of the more mobile careers, has long proven its ability to rapidly seek out the latest technologies-especially those devices identified as having the ability to make life easier and simpler. Hence, throughout the last decade, agents have bought hundreds of thousands of pagers, PDAs, mobile phones, smart phones, digital cameras, GPS systems and laptops. And now that wireless networks are becoming more common place we are again seeing an awe inspiring potpourri of electronic tools, devices and gadgets rapidly adapting to integrate and combine into one device … or at least fewer pieces.

At the same time, the Web has emerged as the most powerful consumer real estate research device, thereby forcing agents to be connected with the Internet on a permanent or at least more regular basis than before.

Thus the race is on to find the "perfect" device-small devices are racing to include "more" and large devices are racing to reduce size but not functionality. Today we find ourselves at a point where we are trying to balance functionality, screen size, weight and battery life.

So here is the latest buzz. This all started two weeks go at the "D: All Things Digital" conference held in Carlsbad, California when Jeff Hawkins announced his latest innovation.

First, it's imperative to explain why what Hawkins says is significant. Hawkins is the founder of Palm, Inc. and has three important inventions to his credit - GriDPad, one of the first tablet computers; PalmPilot, the first personal digital assistant and more recently the Treo smartphone; all three products are leading innovations.

Named Foleo, this new device is positioned as a "tweener." A tweener is basically an ultra-compact computer with nearly a full size keyboard, a 7 to10-inch screen and the power to run most Office-type programs such as Word and Excel. Microsoft and Intel have already labeled this new category of device by calling it a UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC). Intel is designing a new chip while Microsoft is working on improving the small-screen Windows Vista experience.

Interesting, but here is a word of wisdom to brokers and agents. No one knows yet whether UMPCs will replace notebooks and in the end it probably isn't even important. Be careful not to focus on every new technology innovation. The lesson to take home is to remember that technology is a powerful force and it does shape many aspects of our daily lives and the industry we work in.

Gone are the days where brokers and agents could resist technology. Gone are the days where brokers and agents were the gatekeepers of all real estate information. Gone are the days where real estate was only local and global doesn't matter.

To succeed in the changing the world of real estate, brokers and agents must remain knowledgeable concerning the trends impacting the industry and technology is near the top of the list. Become more technology proficient; learn to understand how technology can empower you to offer a broader base of services, how you can offer those services quicker, and above all, how you can reduce the overall cost of the transaction.

The race is on.

Condo.com Launches Real Estate Social Networking Community – Empowers Global Audience to Come Together

Condos.com dubbed the worlds largest online marketplace for condos launched a new feature called the "Community". We find this interesting because there are many new condo's projects on this site are using 3D Renderings, 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Floor Plans, and 2D Floor Plans as part of their listings.

Excerpt from Business Wire describing the site:
Designed to bring all participants in the real estate space together on a single platform, the site allows users to discuss recent sales trends, market conditions, new unit listings and other real estate topics and connect with a global audience through user generated content by providing the tools for users to list condos, post videos, blog and network – FREE of charge.

Social networking is a growing trend that has catapulted numerous online companies to success. Although several websites have attempted to grow social networks in the real estate industry, none have been able to achieve the level of success they desire – until now. Condo.com has a crucial, built-in component that others lack – a robust community of users that has already been established around the website – along with a vast amount of user generated content for participants to obtain services and support

3D Mailbox - Bring E-mail To Life

Anyone that reads the 3dwalkthroughs.com blog knows we are always on the lookout for cool new 3D products.
I think we have come across one of the wildest 3D applications we have seen thus far. 3D Mailbox integrates with Outlook and creates a photo-realistic virtual world where avatars represent all of the common mail functionalities. You can download a free version or upgrade to a second level for a modest fee. It will take some getting used to but it is so fun to work with it might soften the blow for any tough incoming emails.

About 3D Mailbox
Email is the killer app. But it's deadly boring. 3D Mailbox makes it fun!
Think of 3D Mailbox as "Outlook Express®" meets "The Sims®" -- or as email meets videogame. Do you love videogames? Are you passionate about email? Then 3D Mailbox is for you. It's e-mail for the gaming generation.

3D Mailbox turns your emails into people: In the first level, Miami Beach, beautiful models represent good email, and sleazy guys represent spam. Chill with your email poolside and in private cabanas, and feed your spam to the sharks! The beautiful locales and relaxing background music make you feel like you're on vacation any time of the day.

In the second level, set at Los Angeles International Airport, every email is a Boeing 747!

This is the complete opposite of any email program you've ever used.
3D Mailbox's shader-based renderer creates beautiful and realistic settings never before seen in an e-mail program. Imagine photorealistic environments rendered in real-time, and you only begin to understand what this engine is capable of.

With startling realism, 3D Mailbox puts you in the middle of this gorgeous virtual world. But the beauty of 3D Mailbox is more than skin deep -- it also has an integrated top-notch spam filter (SpamBayes), and dozens of easy-to-use email features.

The 3D Race Is On

An article posted on the Google Earth Blog reports they are licensing a new technology from Stanford University that will automatically create 3D models of buildings from photos. This technology will allow Google Earth to fill in the gaps left from relying solely on Google Sketchup to build their warehouse of 3D models.

3Dwalkthroughs.com is working to deliver our end product in a format that can also be integrated into Google Earth. The goal being to create the ability to do a 3D Walkthrough of a property once you click on the 3D Model.

May 19, 2007
Google Licensing Automated 3D Building Generator
Last night, the San Jose Mercury News reported (registration required) that Google is licensing technology from Stanford University which will enable it to produce 3D building models automatically. The technology comes from robotic car technologies developed by Stanford which won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge. In that race, the Stanford robotic car drove 131 miles through a New Mexico desert autonomously. The technology will enable Google to capture shapes and photos of buildings and allow them to automatically generate 3D building models which can be viewed with Google Earth. A Google spokesperson said they will make an announcement at Where 2.0 week after next. I'll make sure to report on this, since I'll be attending Where.

Google's approach so far has been to use its popular, and very powerful, 3D modeling software SketchUp to generate quality models. The resulting models can look stunning inside Google Earth when built properly. Google created a 3DWarehouse where anyone can upload models. And, there are now thousands of buildings from cities all around the world viewable in Google Earth as a result. However, there are some drawbacks to this approach: 1) the models are built by many people and the quality and level of detail varies a great deal; 2) only the buildings which are more popular or of personal interest get attention - all the rest of the buildings of a city generally are not built.

Meanwhile Microsoft acquired technology for automatically generating 3D models of buildings based on photos taken from the air from multiple angles. Already, Microsoft has released about 50 cities where a substantial portion of all of the buildings are modeled with phototexture details. These are visible with their Virtual Earth 3D plug-in available for Windows XP SP2 or Vista with IE or Firefox. The VE 3D building models look quite good from a distance, but the quality of the 3D models released so far has been lacking upon closer inspection. Some of the VE 3D buildings are hand-made, so the quality is better in some of those cases.

Google will probably take the approach of continuing to use quality hand-made models and the new automatically generated models will fill in the gaps for other buildings. I'm looking forward to whether they will show examples of the new technology's capabilities.

Wired to Sell

At 3dwalkthroughs.com we tend to focus on the new marketing tools developers are utilizing to promote their properties. An article in today's NY Times talks about new technologies being installed in the properties themselves and why these "Smart Buildings" are more attractive than their competitors.

We found one technology mentioned in the article especially interesting. A company called LaundryView allows a resident in a participating building to login to a website and see a 3D View of the laundry room. Once you are logged in you can see which washers and dryers are available along with the status of the ones in use. If you have ever lived in a NYC apartment the value of this tool cannot be overstated.

About Laundryview
LaundryView is an Internet application that allows you to monitor the status of washers and dryers in connected laundry rooms through a Web browser. LaundryView was developed in response to requests for greater control over laundry activities. Since many people tend to do their laundry during similar time periods, it results in busy laundry rooms. LaundryView's mission is to help you save time by providing information about the current state of laundry room equipment wherever you have access to a browser or e-mail messages.

Ever hear of a 3D Walkthrough?

An article in the Washington Post talks about the use of model homes to help market the growing inventory of newly constructed properties as the housing market continues to cool off across the country.

Hey Homebuilders! Ever hear of a 3D Walkthrough? Model homes are great to show the interior possibilities, but what about the amenities, surrounding areas and other planned features that cannot be replicated with a model home?
In addition to being able to demonstrate features which are limited by a model home 3D Walkthroughs and 3D renderings are also a lot more inexpensive to create, much more flexible and much quicker to turnaround. 3dwalkthroughs.com predicts it is just a matter of time before a 3D Walkthrough totally replaces the use of a model home.

Dressed to Sell
With Houses Lingering on the Market, Builders Outfit Their Model Homes

By Nancy Trejos
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, June 2, 2007; F01

Sales were swift when Winchester Homes began marketing Broad Creek Landing, a cul-de-sac community of 24 single-family houses not far from downtown Annapolis -- so swift that Winchester officials saw no need to decorate their model home.

But 18 months later, the market has cooled and there are seven houses left to be sold, starting in the upper $700,000s.

In January, Winchester enlisted Model Home Interiors of Elkridge, Md., to decorate three key rooms in its model, which had been sitting empty since it was constructed in July because it was assumed that the project would sell out quickly. In went two oversize brown chairs and a coffee table in the family room; a table, four chairs and a pitcher in the solarium; and another table with four chairs and a bowl of fake pasta in the dining room.

"This is better than it being plain white walls," said Pat Vogt, community sales manager for the project, as she stood in the dining room.

Back during the boom years, when people would camp overnight to buy into a new community, the model home lost some of its impact as a selling tool. Like Winchester, some builders did not even decorate their models. Others used the models only to market their upgrades. Now that the pace of sales has slowed, however, builders and interior designers say the model home has become more important than ever in marketing an entire community.

One sign that model-home merchandising is making a comeback is the growing popularity of "vignette" decorating, or dressing up certain rooms rather than an entire house. When builders are stuck with leftover houses to sell, they try to entice buyers by making the most popular spaces, such as the dining room and family room, seem more livable by adding furniture, tapestries, knickknacks or even fake fruit. In essence, it is a quickie styling job to get a house off the market.
The rest the article can be found here>>>

YouTube for Real Estate?

We met the guys from YourVideoViews.com at the NAR conference in Washington DC and were impressed with their business concept. They have created a very easy to use video posting website specifically geared towards the real estate industry. The site is great for posting videos of existing real estate as well as 3D Walkthroughs and 3D Renderings of properties that are not built yet.

Here is a link to a sample posting using one of our 3D Walkthrough samples.

Westport3D –Ireland's First Interactive 3D Town Official Launch

A town in Ireland, Westport, is using an interactive 3D Model to market the current and future plans of the town. The 3D Walkthrough was created by a company called AMT3D which specializes in creating virtual towns. We found the interactive demo to be pretty cool as it allowed you to switch from an actual 3D view to a wireframe view. The only downside was you had to download a viewer and the navigation was a little unresponsive. With that being said it is nice to see the use of 3D technology to market a whole town.

Holographic Video 'Here by 2009'

Thanks to a technology breakthough by German Start-Up SeeReal Technologies we might be in for a revolution in the level of realism that can be achieved when creating a 3D Walkthrough of a property. An article we found in todays Personal Computer World's online magazine describes the technology in a little more technical detail. The technology could be ready by the year 2009 if SeeReal is able to attract the right partners.

You can read the full article here>

Today’s Tough Market Requires a New Approach for Home Sellers

An article today from RISMEDIA describes the advantages of single property websites and how they allow buyers to get very detailed information about a property including property photos, virual tours, google maps, etc.

3Dwalkthroughs.com is dedicated to ensuring that 3D Walkthroughs and 3D Floor Plans are on included on this list in the very near future.

RISMEDIA, June 5, 2007-Per an article dated May 31, 2007 by Robin Morgan, published on RISMedia, "Eighty percent of all home buyers are searching online, and are looking for more information than ever before. The most important thing that a potential buyer wants to see is photographs, followed closely by detailed property information. Individual property Web sites allow sellers to provide exactly what these buyers are looking for."

Dennis Handa, the owner of a site dedicated to developing individual property Web sites explained, "I was glad to see the article as it really reinforces this new concept." He continued, "We are in a tough real estate market. There are fewer buyers and today's seller really does need to market their home differently."

"There are four primary reasons that an individual home Web site gives a home seller an advantage," says Dennis.

1. They really attract buyers. For example: Most buyers will drive by a home and may like what they see, but don't want to call and get involved. With our home Web sites, when a prospective buyer drives by, they only need to remember the www.homeaddress.com from the sign rider. They can then log onto the Web easily, privately and see a complete presentation.

2. A home Web site is a 24/7 presentation. Buyers can access these Web sites whenever and wherever. An individual home Web site is first and foremost a live sales presentation, much better than just a flyer or show sheet.

3. A home Web site is both inexpensive and easy to promote and advertise. A Classified ad example: Incredible Florida Keys Estate, visit www.yourhome.com. Nothing more needs to be said. Just a strong headline is required.

4. Individual home Web sites allow sellers to feature photos, virtual tours, Google maps and unlimited text in their property descriptions. When a buyer logs onto one of these Web-sites, he sees a complete description of the home and its features and benefits, plus he has the sellers contact info and e-mail address to ask further questions.

Using today's technology to get to today's buyer, Dennis concludes, "If you combine all the features and benefits of a home Web site, the benefits for a seller are incredible."

Search The Internet in 3D

We were doing some research and came across this awesome new 3D tool created by a company called Space Time. Here are some of the features of their newly launched beta site. We are interested to see how well the tool works when we are actually searching for 3D objects such as 3D Renderings and 3D Walkthroughs...we'll keep you posted.

Click Here to See All The Features of This New Technology

New Virtual World To Challenge Second Life

Yesterday the Swedish virtual world Entropia Universe announced that it was teaming up with an offshoot of the Beijing municipality, to build a virtual universe able to handle 7 million users at any one moment.
3dwalkthroughs.com is excited about this new universe because the graphics seem to be much more realistic and can handle the level of detail we can create with our 3D Renderings and Custom 3D Walkthroughs.

Long Island Children's Museum Fundraiser June 1st 2007

The staff of 3dwalkthroughs.com was proud to be in attendance at last night's Long Island Children Museum fundraiser honoring one of our best friends, Craig Koenegisberg, CEO of CLK Properties.

Craig's involvement and tireless effort led to a record breaking event with over 1 million dollars raised even before the events auction. In attendance were some of the biggest names in real estate as well as virtually every other industry throughout the entire country. WHAT A NIGHT!

About CLK-Properties
Company Overview
Persistence Dedication Value Growth
For over 20 years, these have been the watchwords of CLK Properties. Founded in 1980 by Maynard Koenigsberg and his son Craig, it is the conviction of these principles that have allowed us to grow from a reputable owner/operator of New York City apartment buildings into one of the largest, well respected privately held companies in the national multifamily and commercial real estate industries.

With a combined 75 years experience in the industry, and their unwavering belief in the future of real estate as a long term investment, the Koenigsbergs have consistently applied these principals and amassed a diverse portfolio of apartment, office and light industrial properties nationwide.

With over 135 assets in 43 cities, consisting of over 24,000 residential units and over 4 million square feet of commercial property, CLK continues its quest to acquire properties in target markets, while always evaluating potential new markets to broaden its reach across the nation.

About the Long Island Childrens Museum
The Long Island Children’s Museum is 30,000 square feet of colorful and engaging gallery space for hands-on exploration and fun. Fourteen galleries and exhibits offer play space for the young and young at heart!
The Museum is a private, non-profit educational organization chartered by New York State Education Department. An anchor institution on Museum Row at Mitchel Field, the Museum is conveniently located off of the Meadowbrook Parkway on Charles Lindbergh Boulevard.

Gizmos.com - Check It Out

We just came across a new site (Gizmoz.com) that launched on Thursday that is quite interesting as it relates to my last few posts regarding the blending of different technologies in social networking sites. Here is a description of their service pulled from the About Us section of their website.

Gizmoz offers consumers a new generation of character-based visual expression for use across their digital lives. The Gizmoz service makes it easy and fun to create, customize, animate and share lifelike, 3D talking characters that enable consumers to put a unique face and voice to their digital communications.

Gizmoz characters can be fashioned either as a self-portrait starting from a single personal photo, or created using images from the Gizmoz library, all in just a matter of minutes. The result is a customized digital character that consumers can use to deliver personalized, lip-synched messages in video clips and other forms of original content.

Gizmoz characters provide consumers with a unique and engaging way to represent themselves, unleash their creativity, communicate, and have fun on social networking and video sharing sites, blogs, via email and more