Developers Nation Wide Must Regroup to Handle The Housing Market Crisis

An article in the Herald Tribune discusses how many developers in Sarasota, Florida as well as the rest of the country are being forced to strategize alternative uses for their condo projects. Some of these alternative uses include converting the condominums to rental or hotel properties or even selling the property outright.

Every time we come across this type of article, which seems to be happening more and more often, 3Dwalkthroughs.com discusses the effect the housing market crisis will have on our industry. There are certainly two schools of thought we have witnessed over the past few months. An increased utilization of tools such as 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Renderings and 3D Floor Plans vs. a slowdown in the willingness of development companies to spend money on marketing materials.

It is certainly our belief that if a project is set to move forward, whether it be a condo, hotel or rental property, superior marketing materials CAN ABSOLUTELY MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Article published Aug 31, 2007
Sarasota condo developers regroup
Soft market has them backing away from residential projects

By KEVIN MCQUAID

kevin.mcquaid@heraldtribune.com

Paradise Development Group hoped to ride the region's frenzied condo wave to the edge of downtown Sarasota when it bought the offices of the Kirk Pinkerton law firm in August 2005.

In the place of the aging 720 S. Orange Ave. building, Paradise envisioned a $35 million mix of retail space and more than two dozen high-end residences, priced at about $1 million each.

Two years later -- and after the collapse of the area's condominium market -- Paradise has pulled the plug and is offering the building for sale for $7 million. New designs from architectural firm DSDG Inc. are pushing alternatives like hotel rooms or up to 150,000 square feet of office space.

Similar scenes are playing out throughout the region and Florida: Developers who had hoped to capitalize on low interest rates and perceived demand are having to reconfigure, stall or abandon projects altogether. In Sarasota alone, roughly a dozen condo developments have either been shelved, revamped or put back on the market.

Projects with names like Washington Lofts on U.S. 301; Premiere at Main Plaza, on a parking lot behind the Hollywood 20 movieplex; CityPointe, on Central Avenue north of downtown; Avalon, site of the former Farm & Garden; The Azure, on Lido Key; and the Grande Sarasotan, at Gulf Stream Avenue and U.S. 41, have all fallen victim to the softened market and are being rethought.

Even mixed-use projects that looked like a lock to be built in 2005 -- the revamped Quay known as Sarasota Bayside, Pineapple Square, Michael Saunders' headquarters on South Orange Avenue, Atrium on Ringling and Benderson Development's expansion of the 13-story Bank of America building -- now appear to be a long way from reaching fruition.

"It's simple. Our market is in a coma," said Debra Garrett, an agent with MAM Realty Inc., in Sarasota. "There are too many condos, not enough buyers, and too many speculators. We're seeing a correction now from overinflated prices, caused because people thought price increases would never stop -- and they did stop."

Florida is not the only state imploding from the overabundance of housing supply, of course.

"It was a knee-jerk reaction around the country," said John Harshman, president of Harshman & Co. Inc., a leading Sarasota commercial real estate brokerage firm.

Just as reactionary was the total amount of new supply that was being offered by developers, who realized that residential projects provided greater immediate profitability than retail space, offices or hotel rooms.

"Demand was so strong in part because developers saw that residential development pays significantly more than a site, in the same zoning, that would be targeted for office or retail," Harshman said.

"And the thing was, during the tremendously active period here, from 2002 to 2005, developers looked at practically every site downtown and around it as a residential site," Harshman added.

Though experts differ on predicting when the region's residential market will rebound, most believe developers will have to look to product types other than condominiums if they hope to develop new projects within the next five years.

Read the rest of the article here>>

"3D to transform retail advertising"

There is about to be a new way to grab the attention of consumers that has defintely gained our interest at 3dWalkthroughs.com. The "3D Company" is about to launch a new 3D digital signage platform that will add a very creative way to advertise products to consumers. This product can be controlled remotely to help address different demographics at different times of the day.
"Fadi Mamlouk, General Manager, 3D Company, said: 'Breaking through the clutter and sustaining consumer attention are the key objectives of today's advertisers. The 3D Company's solutions take advertising to a whole new level, whereby promotional messages can be switched by the minute."
This would be an excellent medium to display our 3d floorplans and 3d animations to areas where development is high.

Read Below for Article:


The 3D Company FZ LLC, the audiovisual and virtual solutions provider for retail and commercial advertising, will launch its new digital signage platform during GITEX Technology Week 2007.

The company will showcase its products under the umbrella of Dubai Internet City, a TECOM Investments arm and one of the largest managed ICT free zones in the world. GITEX 2007 will be held from 8-12 September at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The 3D Company's digital signage technology integrates high-tech 3D displays giving advertisers the ultimate marketing tool. The supplier of 2D/3D content and hardware is the first to combine traditional digital signage networks with 3D display technology in the UAE.

Controlled remotely from anywhere, digital signage technology enables advertisers to display targeted messages based on viewer profile or hour of day. Point-of-sale advertising through digital signage appears on the display, targeting shoppers with their specific requirements and tastes by providing dynamic content and enhancing the overall impact of their shopping experience.

Fadi Mamlouk, General Manager, 3D Company, said: 'Breaking through the clutter and sustaining consumer attention are the key objectives of today's advertisers. The 3D Company's solutions take advertising to a whole new level, whereby promotional messages can be switched by the minute.'


'We will feature special 3D displays for the GITEX stand this year. The exhibition will be an occasion to introduce the use of digital signage as an ideal advertising medium, illustrating its effectiveness in reaching the right audience and its edge over traditional forms.'



At GITEX, in-house experts at the company's stand will offer special displays that enable 3-dimensional viewing without wearing special glasses. The company also provides other audiovisual solutions for all markets.

NYC Taxis About To Install Marketing Machines in Each Car

Since 3dwalkthroughs.com is based in NY, we were interested in a company, "Creative Mobile Technologies",that is about to bring to latest technology to the 13,000 taxi's that drive around NYC. They are about to equip each taxi with a "passenger information monitor" that will allow each cab to accept credit/debit cards as well as show advertisments and other recent information. This technology will also offer a GPS system which will show the passenger their current location.

As this new venue in mass marketing expands to taxis, I can see our 3d floorplans, 3d animations and 3d walkthroughs being used as a intregral tool for developers to market their properties to potential NY residents.

Check out more about "Creative Mobile Technologies" below:

Creative Mobile Technologies, LLC (CMT), is a New York City based company that brings together longtime leaders in the New York City taxi industry with innovative minds in technology to create a new kind of company with a new kind of philosophy. CMT is the exclusive managing agent of Mobile Knowledge, a prime contractor that has received approval from the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) to proceed in furtherance of the proposal submitted in response to the Request for Proposals. Mobile Knowledge is a pioneer and world leader in taxi-data communications that holds patents on key functions of the passenger information monitor, a crucial component of the TLC technology mandate.

The story of CMT is the story of a taxi industry facing perhaps the greatest challenge in its 100-year history. In 2004, when the TLC mandated new taxi technologies including credit and debit card capability, text messaging, interactive passenger maps and electronic trip sheets, the industry had more questions than answers. After all, we got into the business to run taxicabs – not to run software.

So a group of industry leaders including lease managers, brokers, owner/drivers, lenders and fleet owners – large and small - started to evaluate what we needed to do, not only to comply with the mandate, but to elevate our business and make it more efficient, modern and profitable in the Information Age.

As taxi people, we knew the importance of cost and quality. We knew what we wanted to see in our taxicabs and how these new services should be integrated into our busy operations. And we certainly didn’t want to pay thousands of dollars for new equipment. So, we set out to find a solution that would seemingly do the impossible - provide taxi owners with FREE** use of the highest quality state-of-the-art equipment and a flexible overall solution based on an easy consolidated monthly usage fee that would give taxi owners the freedom to do what they do best – operate taxicabs.

As a result of these countless idea-sharing discussions and at the urging of taxi people from all segments of the industry who wanted a “by the industry for the industry” taxi technology solution, Ron Sherman, a longtime taxi industry leader, founded Creative Mobile Technologies. He is currently the company’s Chief Executive Officer.

With decades of taxi experience under our belts and the insights of so many friends and colleagues in the taxi industry, our challenge was in integrating all of the technology, banking and media components needed to realize this vision.

In 2005, Jesse H. Davis, a 25-year veteran of the financial and technology sectors, joined CMT as its President and Chief Operating Officer, arriving from Metlife, the country’s largest insurance company, where he led the successful integration of IT systems through three separate acquisitions including that of Traveler’s Life. Previously, Jesse was a Senior Vice President at the Bessemer Group in Woodbridge, New Jersey, one of the country’s premier wealth management firms for high net worth individuals, where he perfected a balance of technological skill and business management with a fine eye for the precision required of the financial services sector (Jesse has a BA in Mathematics from Columbia University and an MBA from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University).

Jesse’s expertise in making complicated and often disparate technologies into highly functional and distinctly innovative final products that work for real people in the real world made him ideally suited to the task that lay ahead for CMT.

With Jesse at the helm, CMT set out to develop and oversee a premier project team comprised of the best companies in banking, advertising and various technologies. CMT and Mobile Knowledge forged key and exclusive strategic business partnerships with Clear Channel, an international leader in advertising with a major stake in the New York taxi industry; Bank of America, one of the country’s largest banks, whose subsidiary Bank of America Merchant Services is a world leader in credit and debit card account processing services and World Line Communications Corp., which has more than a decade of experience building complex, large scale IT infrastructure projects for banking, retail, pharmaceutical and healthcare companies including Fortune 500 corporations.

In 2006, as CMT evolved from just a gleam in the industry’s eyes to a world class taxi technology provider, Jed Appelbaum, who is widely respected in the taxi industry, joined the team as Vice President in charge of Operations. Jed, a former Assistant Commissioner of Safety and Emissions at the TLC, who joined the agency in 1977, ran operations at its main inspection facility in Woodside, Queens, supervising a staff of 60 and overseeing the inspection process of over 60,000 taxicabs annually as well as the inspection of all licensed meter shops. In 2003, he oversaw the $10M renovation of the inspection facility, resulting in one of the newest and most advanced automobile inspection facilities in the world. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Operations for the Northeast Region at Clear Channel Taxi Media.

Another key member of the CMT team is Mike Sahm, Vice President, Sales and Customer Relations. Mike spent 20 years in sales for the auto electronics industry before serving as Vice President of Operations for Medallion Financial Media, the national outdoor advertising firm that included advertising sales for New York City taxi tops. While at Medallion, Mike’s integrity and his personal, “knock-on-the-door” style earned him widespread respect industry-wide. As a result, he built a vast network of lasting relationships in the New York City taxi industry that hold firm today.

To find out more information about the FREEdom Solution, call Creative Mobile Technologies, LLC, contractor agent for Mobile Knowledge Corp., at 718-349-7700.

3D Keeps Getting More Real

Hitachi recently announced their newest developments in 3D Holographic Technology. It is predicted that this technology will be used, at least immediately, with engineering and manufacturing. It would certainly be interesting to see if 3d walkthroughs.com would be able to utilize this technology to showcase its 3d floorplans and 3d animations.

3D holographics tuned up by Hitachi
Mark Sutton August 14, 1:00pm
Advanced version of holographic technology developed using mirrors
Hitachi has announced that it has further developed 3D holographic technology. It is now claimed that it is possible to project a 3D image into mid-air using a rotating mirror system. The technology works via a rapid spinning action of mirrors placed around a displayed object. Hitachi says the technology could end up in schools and museums as well as industry.

It's not hard to guess where the inspiration came from the 3D holographic technology (see Star Wars image) and it's no surprise that the futuristic technology has now been developed.
It is predicted that the technology will be best used in engineering and manufacturing where the design process could be greatly aided by a holographic 3D model.

Three years ago Hitachi first announced that it had developed a way to make a 3D display, which worked by capturing 24 angles of an object and transmitting them to form objects of upto 10cm in height. It was also announced that an image as complex as that of a human could be formed.

Coldwell Banker is First National Real Estate Company to Join Second Life

At 3d walkthroughs.com we believe that change is necessary to adapt to the current challenges facing the real estate industry. For this reason our 3d renderings, 3d walkthroughs and 3d floorplans have been an valuable tool for property marketing that help our customers show that they embrace innovation and technology. Very interesting article attached that shows "Coldwell Banker's" desire to be the leader in innovation and technology to change with the times.

In a recent article, Charlie Young, who is the Senior VP of Marketing at Coldwell Banker, says that “I think of ‘technology’ as a tangible tool or thing that helps make a process easier,” while "Innovation, however, is a new way of thinking-whether that’s in the Internet space or elsewhere.” According to the attached article he believes that "technology" and "innovation" are going to be the driving force for what will be in real estate. It is for that reason that they became the first National Real Estate Company to sell properties on "Second Life"


Coldwell Banker pushes into the future with an eye on technology and innovation

By Stephanie Andre

RISMEDIA, August 28, 2007-Do not confuse the terms “technology” and “innovation.” These two words go hand in hand as the real estate industry now pushes toward a future that will require more openness to change.

“I think of ‘technology’ as a tangible tool or thing that helps make a process easier,” explains Charlie Young, senior vice president of marketing, Coldwell Banker Real Estate, LLC. “Innovation, however, is a new way of thinking-whether that’s in the Internet space or elsewhere.” Regardless of description, Young believes these are two of the driving forces behind what will come to be in the real estate space. Here, Young talks about how sales associates can embrace this change, why the younger generations are so important to understand and what he believes needs to be done for sales associates to stay successful.

Real Estate magazine: Why do you believe technology and innovation seem to be driving a lot of marketing initiatives?
Charlie Young: Both technology and innovation are so important because of the market today and the business being conducted today. From my perspective, it’s about the consumer and their needs. They now have access to so much more information. They have the same level of expectation for the real estate buying-and-selling process as they do for anything else. Investors are also fueling the desire and need for innovative online needs for consumers. Big brands like us need to be on the cutting edge.

RE: What is the difference between the two words?
CY: I think of technology as a tangible tool or thing that helps make a process easier. Innovation, however, is a new way of thinking, whether it’s in the Internet space or elsewhere. It’s a new way of delivering a product or service.

RE: What you do on a corporate level is obviously different from that at a sales associate’s level. What tips can you suggest for sales associates to not only understand technology and innovation, but take advantage of the changes they have made in our industry?
CY: In a word-participate. Get involved. Through that process, sales associates can figure out how to bring value into this new world. I always tell people, “Run toward light, not away from it.” The world is going to change whether we want it to or not. You will have to contend with blogging, video, consumer-generated content sites, new real estate-oriented portals, etc. Consumers ask more about the process these days. As a sales associate, step one should be to participate. You have to figure out how to be inside the dialogue.

RE: Baby Boomers continue to drive real estate sales. That said, if they are old-fashioned, why do we need such discussion about technology and innovation?
CY: For a number of reasons. Change is happening all around-whether it’s the Baby Boomers or Generations X and/or Y. Change is already starting to trickle over to the Boomers. For their children-Gens X and Y-social networking and texting are part of their everyday tasks. It’s important for us to be innovative and to be searching for new technology solutions because these next generations, who are already buying at a great pace, are hot on the heels of having great influence; every year, 5 million people turn 21 and then begin to enter the real estate market.

RE: How much focus should real estate professionals put on attracting younger buyers and sellers?
CY: On a localized basis, you should serve your particular market the best way possible. It’s really an individual answer for different, individual areas. Different pockets will grow one way-more rural or older and others will become more urban and younger. Know your market. However, overall it’s still wise to get younger. It’s a good idea.

RE: So, does a sales associate have to think younger?
CY: Yes. An interesting trend we’re now seeing is agent teams. But not just agent teams, but specifically mother/daughter, mother/son, father/son, father/daughter, etc., teams. These people really have it right. The parent brings the years of experience in the business and the child, at typically 25 to 30 years old, brings a new perspective, one that is usually more tech savvy.

RE: How does a national brand’s ability to market impact the local innovation decisions?
CY: Our franchisees look to us for leadership. Our national programs need to be initiated so they can be tailored to the local markets. Real estate is local. Affiliated companies and their sales associates are the ones working directly with the consumer, shopping for homes, narrowing them down, making an offer, negotiating and closing has all changed. And our job is to harness technological advances so that we can provide our affiliated companies with an opportunity to attract buyers and sellers.

RE: Second Life (the online virtual world) has been a home run for the company. What lessons are you learning from this entrance into the virtual world?
CY: It goes back to what I said before about sales associates-they need to participate. It’s only through involvement that you can understand what it takes. Second Life is all about experimentation and using it as a test lab. We had three goals: to send a message to the real estate world about innovation; to see if this environment could drive people to coldwellbanker.com; and to experience life in the third-dimension world. For the home-buying and selling process, this was important to understand.
We are very much committed to innovation, figuring out where we need to be and going in with open eyes. We don’t know everything but we’d like to learn. RE

Coldwell Banker’s Second Life Experience

With the 3-D virtual world of Second Life having become an online phenomenon, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC is the first national real estate company to sell homes within the community. The company is offering houses in a variety of architectural styles and the ability to tour neighborhoods with a real estate professional.

Members of Second Life (www.secondlife.com) create personas for themselves, known as avatars, which they use to navigate through the community peopled with more than 5 million residents worldwide. While in the virtual world of Second Life, avatars explore the society, shop, interact with others, visit entertainment events and do essentially everything they might in the real world. One of the more popular activities within Second Life is the purchase and rental of virtual land, so players can build their own stores, homes and event sites.

Coldwell Banker has an inventory of more than 500 homes on 550,000 square meters in the Ranchero section of the Second Life mainland, one of the largest home developments in this virtual world. These virtual homes will vary in price based on size and style, including southwestern, colonial and contemporary, among others. In addition, Coldwell Banker is offering homes perched atop a picturesque hill overlooking the ocean. Second Life residents can meet with a Coldwell Banker sales associate avatar in the brand’s virtual office and schedule an appointment to tour virtual properties of interest. Home buyers who close a purchase with Coldwell Banker will receive free “virtual furniture” for their new home as a closing gift.

Real Estate Brokers and Agents Can Now Route and Assign Sales Leads on Their iPhones

I just came upon a very interesting new product from alamode.com that shares the value that 3dwalkthroughs.com sees in utilizing technology to maximize realtor efficiency and effectiveness. Alamode.com has given brokers and agents the ability to receive and act on leads in "real time" when they are on the go. Its not a far stretch to forsee our 3d floorplans, 3d walkthroughs and 3d renderings incorporated into this technology giving realtors the edge to shorten the response time needed to attract and maintain potential customers. According to the article:

" Almost three quarters of all home buyers consider a real estate agent’s
response time either a “very important” or an “extremely important”
factor in their decision when choosing an agent to work with. Nine out
of ten Internet home buyers say the same"

Full Story Below:

RISMEDIA, August 23, 2007—a la mode, a real estate technology company, has announced the release of lead routing tools built for the iPhone(TM).

This announcement highlighted a number of new feature integrations with the iPhone, following earlier lead management features introduced in August. iPhone lead routing and management functionality is part of a la mode’s broader “real estate now” mobile technology initiative.

a la mode is the first company to provide brokers and agents the ability to manage and route Web site leads on an iPhone. a la mode’s lead routing capabilities for the iPhone come at a time when:

— Almost three quarters of all home buyers consider a real estate agent’s
response time either a “very important” or an “extremely important”
factor in their decision when choosing an agent to work with. Nine out
of ten Internet home buyers say the same.

— Forty-seven percent of home buyers who use the Internet to select an
agent and 43% of non-Internet buyers say they select their agent
because the agent is either the first or the quickest to respond to his
or her inquiry.*

“The mobile era has changed how real estate business is done,” commented Rusty Lindquist, a la mode’s Vice President of Broker and Agent Products. “Other systems equip users with mobile access to data. But that’s no longer enough in today’s ‘real estate now’ climate.”

Brokers and agents need the ability to process that information, and act on it instantly, Lindquist stressed. “Sometimes that means immediately sending a lead to a particular agent, or agent team, and sometimes it means routing leads directly to an automated drip marketing campaign based on their specific responses to a lead form,” Lindquist said.

“Our new mobile lead routing and management features allow agents and brokers the mobile flexibility to process leads on the go.”

The newest iPhone integration with a la mode’s Agent and Broker XSite Web sites allow real estate professionals to immediately assign a Web lead to an agent, directly from their iPhone, or to a routing group, for “round-robin” group distribution. Also with the update, agents and brokers alike can assign a lead to a la mode’s automatic marketing suite, XSellerate, and immediately start a drip marketing campaign targeted specifically to the lead, such as first time buyers, high-end sellers, and so on.

Real estate lead routing and management for the iPhone enables real estate professionals on the go to more effectively manage, monitor, and respond to leads — even when brokers and agents are away from the office.

“While our mobile tools will work on any Web-enabled mobile device, the iPhone gives REALTORS(R) a unique and compelling navigational experience that lends itself well to new and advanced users alike,” Lindquist said.

Brokers and agents can learn more about a la mode lead management for iPhones by visiting http://www.alamode.com/iPhone.

* All statistics from California Association of Realtors’ annual Internet vs. Traditional Buyers Survey.

Boutique Hotelier Soon to be Marketed by Marriott

In our latest travels, we have been amazed at how many boutique or fashion hotels have been popping up in each major city. They usually offer the best mix of chic design and atmosphere that attracts the "in" crowd at their guests rooms and lounge. In very much the same way our 3D renderings and 3D animations have brought unique design ideas to life, "Marriott Hotels" is about to do the same.

In a recent article, it was announced that "Marriott International" is teaming up with "Ian Schrager" to market around 100 "Boutique Hotels" in the U.S, South America, Europe and Asia. According to the article:
"MARRIOTT is hoping to leverage Mr. Schrager’s aesthetic ingenuity and cachet with its own marketing and organizational muscle to gain entry into the boutique segment, among the fastest-growing in the hotel industry."

Our vision is that 3dwalkthroughs will help visionaries such as "Ian Schrager" and "Marriott" capture the same atmopshere through our property marketing tools.

For the full article click Here

Things To Come For 3Dwalkthroughs.com

As Labor Day approaches, 3Dwalkthroughs.com is working very hard to finalize our new Interactive 3D Walkthroughs and 3D Floor Plans. Along with our new suite of products we will also be announcing a few new partnerships that will expand our capabilities beyond our existing offerings.

For a clue regarding these new partnerships we encourage you to read some of our previous blog posts, specifically the ones that relate to the convergence of existing social networking platforms with virtual world platforms.

While 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Renderings and 3D Floor Plans will continue to be our core products, these new partnerships will allow us to leverage our expertise into areas we believe are set to explode.

A Qwest for 3D Realism

From the reflection in a mirror to the ripples of water in a pool, 3Dwalkthroughs.com is committed to creating the most realistic 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Renderings and 3D Floor Plans in the industry.

It is our belief that the more realistic the visual, the greater the chance that a potential buyer/renter will have an emotional response.

As per one of our previous posts it is proven that Gen X'ers are more likely to buy or rent a property if they have an emotional response to it. Fortunately for property owners and developers, this emotion can be achieved even before the property is built...enter 3Dwalkthroughs.com

Lodging Interactive Opens the Door Wider on Social Media Marketing

While doing some research I came across an awesome new resource for the hospitality industry launched by Lodging Interactive. Their new social media service, WebShow, is a blog for hotel or travel services featuring rich content to promote their offerings. The Lodging Interactive WebShow is distributed on You Tube.

3dwalkthroughs.com will be looking at this new service very carefully as it would be a perfect vehicle for our new interactive 3D Walkthroughs and 3D Floor Plan products and services which are set to launch in the next few months.

Below is the Press Release from Hospitality Net.

Lodging Interactive introduced its newest social media service today, WebShow is a blog for your hotel or travel service featuring your own rich content to promote your hotel or travel service. The Lodging Interactive WebShow is distributed on You Tube. YouTube is the leading social media website with more than half of the United States social media traffic. The new YouTube WebShow gives hotels and other travel services a way to reach millions of online travel shoppers with rich video content at an affordable price.

Following the launch of its Chatter Guard, a tool that monitors and enables professional, cost effective management of social media chatter about your business, Lodging Interactive is moving quickly to be the industry leader in managing and marketing via the rapidly growing world of social media. “WebShow give all hotels the ability to deliver a professional video montage of property’s photos with appropriate music, reaching millions of YouTube travel shoppers. A hotel can feature as many as thirty photos describing all attributes of its hotel for less than a one time fee of $1,000 for the year”, stated D.J. Vallauri, President and Founder of Lodging Interactive.

Richard Walsh, Vice President of Business Development for Lodging Interactive added, “Our goal at Lodging Interactive is to give hoteliers the tools they need to gain the most from all marketing opportunities offered by the Internet, while measuring their Internet marketing ROI. Our services capitalize on how consumers are shopping online today and enabling hoteliers to manage their search engine marketing along with social media marketing. When it comes to social media your goal is to join the conversation where ever it may occur. Social media is more than just a couple travel review websites. We open the social media door for you and help you to join the chatter to promote your hotel or other travel services.”

About Lodging Interactive | Lodging Interactive is a leading provider of Internet Marketing Services to the travel and lodging industries. The company provides a portfolio of effective Internet Marketing Services to hundreds of hotels, resorts, timeshares and bed and breakfasts worldwide.

The Company also offers effective online tools and services: ChatterGuard.com, an online social media monitoring and reputation management system, CommentCards.com, a full-service business-2-consumer comment card service, eProposalSystem.com, an online RFP response system hotel Sales Managers, and RFPLink.com, a group RFP lead generation and reporting system, and customized interactive Google mapping services.

Lodging Interactive clients include branded properties such as Marriott, Sheraton, Hilton, Radisson, Crowne Plaza Hotels, Doubletree Hotels, Candlewood Suites, Best Western, Wyndham Hotels plus numerous independent properties.

Logitech MX Air Mouse with 3D capabilities

3dwalkthroughs.com has been actively looking for a device to improve the experience of navigating in a 3D environment. As our 3D Walkthroughs and 3D Floor Plans continue to evolve towards increased interactivity this need is becoming even more important.


We have recently come across the new Logitech MX Air Mouse with 3D capabilities and are interested to get feedback from people whoe have tried it.

The initial reviews include a: a nice charging stand, a long range offered by the propriety 2.4GHz wireless connection, and a dynamic scrolling feature (similar to the iPhone's "kinetic scrolling"). Reviewers note that the 3D capabilities are best achieved if the MX Air is held like a remote, rather than like a mouse.

Aside from navigating our 3D Walkthrough products these tools will also become more valuable as the social networking platforms merge with virtual world platforms.

Any reviews from users would be much appreciated.

3D Marketing Tools + Traditional Marketing Tools = Success

3Dwalkthroughs.com strongly believes it takes a combination of 3D marketing tools and traditional marketing tools to realize a successful property marketing campaign.

Creating a superior 3D Walkthrough, 3D Rendering, 3D Floor Plan or Interactive 3D Walkthrough will have little effect if they do not get any exposure due to a weak traditional marketing strategy. Furthermore, even if these tools are seen, and an interest is peaked, a closing and follow up strategy needs to be in place.

We just recently came across a press release from an advertising firm, Vitamin, that is expanding it's focus to the creation of marketing campaigns for developers, owners, property managers, architects, engineers and suppliers. The company has an impressive website and roster of clients. They are definitely a company worth considering if you are looking to launch a marketing campaign in the industries in which they are focused.

BALTIMORE, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Karfakis, president/CEO of
the boutique design and marketing firm, Vitamin(R), announced today the
firm's continuing expansion in the architecture industry. With Karfakis'
announcement, Vitamin adds GWWO, Inc./Architects to the firm's established
roster of architecture, engineering, construction and commercial real
estate clients.

Karfakis said, "For the past several years, Vitamin's niche in the real
estate and built markets has grown steadily. Our work spans the industry,
and includes marketing campaigns for developers, owners, property managers,architects, engineers, and suppliers."

You can read the rest of the press release here>>

Five architectural teams take on the challenge to create a New York destination

There is an interesting development competition that offers New Yorkers the opportunity to reflect upon the future function and significance of the islands that dot the New York harbor. Titled The Park at the Center of the World: Five Visions for Governors Island , the show, sponsored by the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC), features the work of five finalists that explore a range of possible uses for the site. Entries were chosen on the basis of the promise they showed as schematic designs, as concepts or ideas, and are still subject to revision.

3Dwalkthroughs.com recommends that you check out some of the 3D Renderings and 3D Walkthroughs representing the entries. The official website for the competition can be found here>>. Once a winner is selected we would love the opportunity to utilize our capabilities to showcase the concept as realistically as if it were built.

Here is an article describing the competition.

Metropolis Magazine
By Nader Vossoughian
Posted July 27, 2007The islands around Manhattan have historically been treated as places for sequestering the ill or socially disenfranchised. Throughout the 19th century, Roosevelt Island was the site of various hospitals, asylums, and correctional facilities. Through the mid-20th century, Ellis Island was the port of call for incoming, non-naturalized immigrants. Today, however, Manhattan’s islands are increasingly being rezoned and redeveloped for recreational, residential, and public use – that is, they are being treated as destinations rather than transition points or buffer zones.


Governors Island is presently the subject of an exhibition and development competition that offers New Yorkers the opportunity to reflect upon the future function and significance of the islands that dot the New York harbor. Titled The Park at the Center of the World: Five Visions for Governors Island , the show, sponsored by the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC), features the work of five finalists that explore a range of possible uses for the site. Entries were chosen on the basis of the promise they showed as schematic designs, as concepts or ideas, and are still subject to revision.


The teams included in the exhibition include Field Operations, which worked with Wilkinson/Eyre Architects; Hargreaves Associates, which partnered with Michael Maltzan Architecture; REX, which teamed up with MDP; West 8, which submitted its proposal with Rogers Marvel, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Quennell Rothschild, and SMWM; and WRT, which collaborated with Urban Strategies. In accordance with the competition brief, all entries were to offer plans for approximately 150 acres of Governors Island’s 172 acre site. Participants were asked to address the island’s historical and physical fabric, as well as its relationship to Brooklyn and Manhattan (the former is just 200 meters away, while the latter, twice that). All teams were also asked to make provisions for a “Great Promenade” that wraps the perimeter of the site and also incorporate a “Summer Park” to the south—and the submissions vary enormously in terms of their range and approach (See the slideshow for images and information on each entry. )

Seen as a whole, the strength of the designs is that they provide convincing arguments for how Governors Island could function as a destination for New Yorkers—and not just for tourists. Mollusk is intriguing for how it uses Governors Island’s location in the center of New York harbor as an opportunity to promote clean water, and sustainable urban design more generally. The Living Matrix is also impressive in terms of how it offers a rereading of “The Great Promenade,” blurring circulation spaces with cultural programs. This proposal also concentrates activity along the entire perimeter of the island—and not just along a central axis—which is sensible for two reasons. It represents an intelligent way of managing density (helps prevent bottlenecking) and leaves the core of the island open for more private uses (picnicing or gardening, perhaps). While the idea of imposing a grid on Governors Island is not entirely plausible (won’t the site feel small enough already?), the flexibility that the design by REX/MDP allows still makes sense given the open-ended character of the development as a whole.

The rest of the article... here>>

An Article That Leaves Clues For Effective Marketing

An article in today's Newsday describes some of the things that drive Gen X'ers when deciding to buy a home.

When it comes to buying their homes, "Gen Xers have acted more on emotion than baby boomers," says John Lessler of the Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate office inMiller Place, adding, "if they see something they love, they will jump on it."

3Dwalkthroughs.com believes this article leaves clues as to things that should be highlighted in a 3D Walkthrough, 3D Rendering or other marketing materials if the target market is the Gen X demographic. We are also confident that no other marketing tool can generate an emotional connection to a property as effective as a highly realistic 3D Walkthrough.

The Newsday Article Can Be Found Here>>>

Intermap announces 3D off-road maps for the US

An interesting new product, AccurTerra, was launched by Intermap Technologies Corp that will provide 3D Maps and off road points of interest integrated with interactive 3D rendering software.

A quick visit to the Intermap website demonstrates a few small clips of the capabilities of this new product. According to Brian Bullock, Intermap’s president and CEO, "The product provides the outdoor enthusiast with 3D viewing capability on a hand-held device that extends the user experience beyond what we have become accustom to from Internet search engine providers.”

3Dwalkthroughs.com is very interested in any application that can effectively deliver 3D walkthroughs and 3D renderings to a handheld device.

Below is the press release of the launch of this new product.


New Product Allows PND and GPS Devices to Display 3D Maps and POIs for Off-Road and Recreational Use

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Intermap Technologies™ Corp. today announced the launch of AccuTerra™, the Company’s newest product offering that provides existing outdoor GPS and PND products with 3D maps and off-road points-of-interest (POI) -- integrated with interactive 3D rendering software. The product addresses a market that is currently limited to two-dimensional data and provides limited or no map coverage once you leave paved roads.

According to Brian Bullock, Intermap’s president and CEO, “AccuTerra’s 3D aerial maps and digital terrain model content, with overlaid route tracking information, is unique in today’s outdoor hand-held device market. The product provides the outdoor enthusiast with 3D viewing capability on a hand-held device that extends the user experience beyond what we have become accustom to from Internet search engine providers.”

The AccuTerra map content is developed from the Company’s ongoing and highly successful NEXTMap® countrywide 3D digital mapping program and includes the aggregation of data from other sources. AccuTerra enables PND features that can alert individuals when they deviate from a pre-selected route or miss a turn when traveling under poor visibility.

“AccuTerra will change the way we use GPS devices in recreational activities,” added Mr. Bullock. “As an example, National Park information that is included in existing PNDs and handheld GPS devices typically contain sparse 2D national park content that has limited value to users. The AccuTerra product provides users with an unparalleled experience because they can now visualize trails and other points of interest in the context of the natural terrain where they exist -- all in three dimensions.”

The user interface includes realistic 3D views; accurate elevation information; clearly identified and classified trails, paths, and roads (overlaid on the 3D terrain); outdoor-specific points of interest such as campgrounds, service facilities, and trail heads; the ability to route to points of interest and track progress; easy to reference visualization tools to improve trip planning and safety; and, a land use display that depicts the location of public and private property, including areas of restricted use.

“In addition to the new features AccuTerra makes available to device manufactures, the product inherently makes recreational activities safer by reducing the chance of taking a wrong turn and getting lost. The product presents users with a greater sense of reality by allowing them to accurately locate trails, points of interest and hazards,” continues Bullock, “even to the point of allowing users to determine where to go for help in case of injury or other types of emergency.”

The current version of AccuTerra has already been integrated to run on several PNDs available in the market today. The Company has no plans to build a PND or GPS device; rather it will offer AccuTerra under license to manufacturers of these devices. The geospatial map database embedded within AccuTerra software is available for the entire state of California today and will be commercially available for the remainder of the U.S. later this year.

True Place - A shared online 3D space

Caligari, the makers of collaborative 3D technology, announced its Thursday Night Live!, a weekly online discussion open to all members of the 3D community, True Place, around the globe. Participants to the forum will meet in Caligari’s truePlace shared online 3D space and can communicate using voice or text based chat.

3dwalkthroughs.com believes these types of applications are the social networking platforms of the future. As the quality of the avatars and 3D walkthrough environments continues to become more realistic we believe current social networking sites such as My Space and Facebook will either become obsolete or merge with virtual worlds suchs as True Place.

About True Place
truePlace is a shared online 3D space which you can visit and explore as well as meet your friends and colleagues for fun, learning or work.

truePlace is great for social networking and fun as it provides world’s first 3D positional voice chat and a rich set of interactions in a realistic shared 3D space. It is also ideal for trueSpace users who want to discuss their latest projects and ideas.

Unlike other online 3D spaces, 2D social networks, instant messengers, voice chats or text chats, truePlace lets you talk with the people you meet using a headset so you can hear where they are in the room in relation to you.

truePlace is as much about sight as about sound. While at the moment visitors are represented by simple avatars, that will soon change and the avatars will then have the same level of detail as the environments they inhabit.

When you want a friend or colleague to join you in a particular location, you'll be able to just send them a link in an email, web page or Word document to invite them. As long as they have registered for truePlace, they just click on the link you send, and they'll log in and find themselves in the same space as you.

This is a perfect solution for business events and special occasions too, just send out your electronic invitations and it will be easy for your guests to join you.

Blog For Google 3D Warehouse Part 2

125 High Street Boston, Massachussetts



As per our post in early July Greg Rose of San Jose, California started up his blog in June which highlights new 3D building models as they are added to Google's 3D Warehouse.

We have decided to pick one model Greg posts to his website every month which we feel exemplifies impressive modelling skills.

The pick for August: 125 High Street Boston, Massachussetts

Description of Model by Alex Juhola
Boasting three towers, and three restored 19th century buildings at 6,5, and 4 stories, this block known as 125 High Street is located in Boston, MA. Architect Jung|Brannen Associates, Inc. completed the final 30 story, 452 feet tower in 1991.

Many new applications are being developed to promote the sharing of 3D images to be integrated into Google Earth. 3DWalkthroughs.com seeks to be a big contributor of 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Floor Plans and 3D Renderings as the technology continues to evolve.

Real Estate Shows - A Company On The Road To Success

A couple of months ago I had the opportunity of speaking with Jeff Turner of Real Estate Shows. Real Estate Shows is an extremely easy to use system that gives Real Estate Agents the ability to create very powerful online commercials for their property listings.

The presentation allows an agent to add his/her logo, contact information and schedule an appointment to see the property in person. In addition the aesthetically pleasing interface supports video, floor plans, endless photos, videos, panoramic images, mortgage info, school info and more.

Real Estate Shows has announced that in the next few weeks they will be adding new features to their already impressive offering including:

Flyers And Distribution - Instantly create and distribute a flyer from the photos and information already contained in your Real Estate Shows.

RSS Feeds For Each Show Category - Display all of your Neighborhood Shows in the sidebar of your blog or website or all of your active listings via a widget of your choosing.

Full Screen Play - A new version of the Real Estate Shows player will include the ability to view the main Show in full screen mode.

3Dwalkthroughs.com views Real Estate Shows as the perfect vehicle to deliver our 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Floor Plans and 3D Renderings to a large audience in a cost effective way.

During my conversation with Jeff, he led me to believe that his company would continue to improve their product offerings. Unlike many companies that we speak with it is nice to see that Jeff has stayed true to his word.

If you get a chance I encourage you to check out this sample show.

3D Walkthrough of Citi Field (NY Mets)

Everyday while driving past Shea Stadium, home of the NY Mets, I am amazed at the progress that is being made on Citi Field.

Citi Field which is set to debut on opening day of 2009 will feature unprecedented sightlines, amenities, and comfort for Mets fans, sports fans and visitors to the New York metropolitan area. The open-air ballpark connects the Mets' National League heritage to the future and to the City through a number of unique design elements. Citi Field will feature natural grass and capacity for approximately 45,000 fans. A contoured seating configuration will bring spectators closer to the field on all levels to provide optimal sightlines for a more intimate and entertaining experience throughout the park.

The staff at 3Dwalkthroughs.com <---Met Fans, found a very cool 3D Walkthrough of the new stadium on the NY Mets website. The 3D Walkthrough effectively demonstrates Citi Field from all angles including the impressive Jackie Robinson Rotunda. As a Queens resident and Met Fan for 38 years I cannot wait until the opening pitch of 2009...and my first beer in the new stadium.

To View The 3D Walkthrough Go Here>> and click the link that says Virtual Tour.

Rentals Reach a New Level of Luxury

In the face of a continuing crisis in the mortgage industry many newly developed buildings in Manhattan are looking to renters as their primary target market. As the focus shifts away from condominium sales to the rental market, developers are pulling out all the stops to help their property stand out from the crowd.

Amenities such as golf simulators, party rooms, built in washer and dryers, swimming pools, massage studios and health clubs are just some of the extras developers are offering to entice this new target market.

Perhaps 3dwalkthroughs.com will have to start focusing our own marketing efforts of 3D walkthroughs, 3D floor plans, and 3D renderings to include rental properties as well.

An interesting article in today's NY Times explains this phenomenon in more detail.

The article can be found HERE>>

Emerging Technology - Interactive 3D-environments based on MPEG-4

We came across a blog post on ZDNET, that speaks of a new technology that can potentially have a large impact on the future of 3Dwalkthroughs.com and the possible applications of our technology.

The Institute for Digital Media Technology (IDMT) has developed a media player for interactive 3D-environments. The media player allows viewer to walk through a 3D model and interact with objects, video and sound. It also allows for an actual filmed image to be inserted into the viewer. Our heads our spinning when we think about the possibilities...I guess we will have to wait until it is released into the mass market. Apparently they are presenting this new technology at a conference in Berlin at the end of the month. We will certainly be following this developing technology.

The article is posted below:

August 11th, 2007
Interactive 3D-environments based on MPEG-4
Posted by Roland Piquepaille @ 8:58 am

Computer scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology (IDMT) have developed a media player for interactive 3D-environments. ‘Our system allows us to actively involve the viewers — they can walk through rooms and select objects, for instance,’ says one researcher. This is possible because each element — a person, a video clip or a sound — can be integrated into the display. And if you’re a — filmed — spectator, your image also can be interactively inserted into the viewer.

You can see above one example of how 3-D displays can be used interactively with the Fraunhofer technology (Credit: Fraunhofer IDMT). Here is a link to a larger version of this image.

For example, here is one scenario imagined by IDMT. “With just one click of the mouse, music-lovers can look over the guitarist’s shoulder in a three-dimensional scenario. The joystick enables viewers at home to ‘walk’ right across the stage and experience the recorded concert from all sides. The surround sound moves with the spectator — if you turn your back to the stage, then the sound seems to be coming from behind.”

Uwe Kühhirt, who heads the development at the IDMT, adds that “Camera perspectives can also be interactively selected. Ambient sensors that determine factors such as the brightness, the temperature or the number of spectators, enable the scene to be dynamically controlled — for example, the viewer can be integrated into the three-dimensional scene with the aid of a video camera.”

And if you don’t have a 3D display at home or at work, don’t worry. You’ll be able to benefit from this technology on any time of monitor — even your cell phone. “‘The player receives the data, such as a scene from a concert, and calculates the optimum image and sound reproduction for the respective playback system,’ says Kühhirt.”

This development has been based on a previous project named “Interactive Audiovisual Application Systems” (IAVAS) which ended in September 2004. You’ll find more information about IAVAS here and there.

The new IDMT display system will be shown during IFA 2007, which will be held in Berlin between August 31 and September 5, 2007. The IDMT’s exhibit will be called “Immersive Environments – Interactive 3D-scenarios based on MPEG-4″ and be on display on stand 18. You’ll find a short introduction on the Interfaces Exhibits page. “The technology allows for immersing and interacting within a three-dimensional mixed reality scene based on the object and scene concept of MPEG-4. Instead of using special shutter glasses one can realize three-dimensional audiovisual applications by using an auto-stereoscopic display and– with the help of a multi-channel sound system — implement immersive scenes.”

AdMission Spotlight Ads Increase Effectiveness of Online Marketing for Home Builders

An interesting press release in today's RISMEDIA describes a new online advertising tool that seems to be extremely effective for marketing new homes to local shoppers.

Spotlight Ads, a product of ADmission, are being used to reach local consumers with a powerful combination of real-time new home listings and home builder branding that reaches new consumers, increases consumer engagement and drives home builder Web site traffic.

Full service media planning and buying agency Mediasmith piloted AdMission Spotlight Ads with their home builder clients as a new online advertising option. “Traditional advertising programs have mass reach but are often not as effective,” said Karen McFee, executive vice president, Mediasmith. “Spotlight Ads is an interactive, visual ad unit that can be precision targeted and performance tracked. It’s an excellent component of a digital campaign for advertisers with an inventory-centric business. We are impressed by our pilot ad stats that indicate substantial interest among online new home shoppers.”

3Dwalkthroughs.com finds Spotlight Ads interesting because it validates our reasoning behind the development of our Interactive 3D Floor Plans and forthcoming Interactive 3D Walkthroughs. Consumers are more likely to click through and stay on a site that they can interact with.

The full article from RISMEDIA can be found HERE>>

Developer’s Marketing Strategy Takes Off

3Dwalkthroughs.com is constantly researching new and innovative ways to market real estate. As the housing market continues slump throughout the country, developers and agents are required to think outside the box to make their properties get noticed. We just read a story about a developer in Chicago that decided to take his marketing campaign to the sky.

For the past year, 12 Oaks developer Michael Sparks has commissioned a small plane to buzz over Woodfield Shopping Center three times a week pulling a banner that advertises his Schaumburg town homes.

While some might view this marketing campaign as far fetched, Michael credits his airborne ads with helping sell more than 400 units in the past year. As soon as the plane lands, and a buyers interest is peaked, tools such as 3D Walkthroughs and 3D Floor Plans can help further motivate a property visit..next step, the Good Year blimp.

Condo's are Using The Term "Pet Friendly" as a Marketing Tool

If you take a walk around NYC you will still see a tremendous amount of construction underway in spite of the current real estate crisis. With the large inventory of available new homes on the market, developers are constantly searching for innovative marketing techniques to get their properties to stand out from the rest.

One of these techniques is advertising that a property is "pet friendly". As a huge dog fanatic, 3dwalkthroughs.com totally understands the value of this type of offering. Some of these buildings not only welcome animals but also cater to them with services such as dog-walking and pet-sitting "concierge" services.

Perhaps it makes sense for us to start including dogs in our 3D Walkthroughs and 3D Renderings instead of people.

Personal Navigation Devices to Offer 3D Views

Personal Navigation Device's (PND) manufacturer Mio today announced its forthcoming Mio C620 PND featuring 3D maps and 3D landmarks. The device will have a 4.3 inches screen and will be able to show 3D maps from Tele Atlas. (we have posted about Tele Atlas in the past)

According to a Tele Atlas study, 81% of current and potential navigation system's users have a preference for 3D display over 2D display offerings. The study also indicated a strong willingness to pay for additional 3D city map content.

3Dwalkthroughs.com is excited about this announcement and we believe it is just another step towards a fully 3D internet. Obviously it will take some time and a great deal of effort for all buildings and landmarks to be modeled. However, as more applications are developed which integrate 3D models, the number of buildings modeled in 3D will surely increase exponentially.

Next step...the ability to walk through the building.

Business Week - August 17th 2007 - The Future of a 3D Web and The Ability To Move Between Virtual Worlds

An article in this weeks Business Week validates a few of the things 3Dwalkthroughs.com has been predicting for quite a while. Here is an excerpt taken directly from the article followed by the full article. It is a very intriguing article for anyone interested in the future of a truly integrated 3D internet.

Exploring real estate or anything spatial is another area where 3D might make sense, says Thomas W. Malone, a management professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Before booking a hotel room or renting an apartment, you could walk through a realistic digital version of the property and look at it from any perspective you want or check out a few blocks in the surrounding neighborhood. That should be a big improvement over the wide-angle video tours on today's hotel and real estate Web sites.

Just Ahead: The Web As A Virtual World
Imagine being able to have a digital replica of yourself stroll from one site to another

When Google Earth launched in 2005, users were exhilarated to type in their home address, see the earth as if they were floating in space, and then swoop down to view a satellite image of their house or apartment. These days users have moved on to upgrading Google Earth with their own photographs and three-dimensional digital replicas of buildings. But one day they'll be able to alight on a Google Earth street and meet someone else there--and even have a conversation.

That sort of encounter is still a few years off, but it's no pipe dream. Google (GOOG ), Second Life creator Linden Lab, IBM, and a bevy of additional companies are moving toward the day when you can stroll around a 3D Web--and not just their own sites--using a virtual replica of yourself that you've created. They are working to establish technical standards, open to all programmers, that would allow the entire Internet to become a galaxy of connected virtual worlds.

In this future scenario, you could go mall shopping with a gang of friends during a lunch break, even while you remain miles apart. In reality, you'd all be pinned to your work terminals, but on that screen you would be transported to a digital replica of the shopping center. As you walk by a sale at a virtual jeans store, Web cameras in the real store let you see how crowded it actually is, in case a popular item is selling out. Your avatar, set to your body's measurements, tries on the jeans and spins around to show them to your pals. You might buy the pants online or visit the physical store later. Either way, you'd have had a fun afternoon without leaving your cubicle.

Such an advance in technology will require overcoming massive hurdles. The computer interface to take 3D imagery and interaction beyond the confines of Second Life or other virtual simulations will have to be intuitive to users. That would entail breakthroughs on the order of those that took Web pages from static documents to dynamic pages updated in real time and navigated via hyperlinks. "It feels like the early days of the Internet," says Steve Prentice, a vice-president at Gartner Research (IT ). Gartner estimates that by 2011, 80% of Internet users and major companies will have avatars, or digital replicas of themselves, for online work and play.

For all the flurry of excitement, there's still a lot of skepticism among tech experts about whether companies can agree on standards that would allow an open 3D world to exist. After all, look at the battle still raging over the HDDVD and Blu-ray DVD standards. For now, Second Life, There.com, and other virtual worlds are fenced-in spaces where one company calls all the shots. If a consumer creates an avatar or a company creates a virtual storefront, they're stuck in that site. Avatars can't stroll from an American Apparel store in Second Life to Wells Fargo's (WFC ) stand-alone virtual-world bank.

So it could take up to a decade before anything like this becomes mainstream. But companies already are developing new browsers and other technologies that are the baby steps toward making the 3D Net a reality. Linden Lab plans to publish the software code for its servers within a year or two. When it does, developers will be able to modify it to create their own Second Life-like sites and build connections so that a store or other application in one virtual site could interact with those in others, says Cory Ondrejka, Linden Lab's chief technology officer. The company has not decided whether it will hand the code to a standards body to oversee or will write it, get it working, and hope to set a de facto standard the way Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT ) Windows trounced Apple Inc.'s (AAPL ) platform by opening up in the 1980s.

Within 18 months, one of the standards groups, the Web3D Consortium, hopes to launch an avatar that can jump between sites, says Rita Turkowski, the group's executive director. The consortium comprises big companies like Sun Microsystems Inc. (SUNW ) and smaller businesses that do 3D modeling for the likes of Shell Oil Co. (RDS ) It is striving to develop 3D objects and scenes that work in a variety of applications through a shared file format called X3D. The interoperable avatar likely will be approved by the I.S.O., an organization that has verified technical standards like the JPEG, a shareable format for digital images, for its 157 member countries.

DRAG-AND-DROP WORLDS
Some virtual-world creators already encourage open technologies. The Multiverse Network Inc., founded by several early Netscape employees, has developed avatars that can move from one world to the next. But people need to use the company's "world browser," which surfs only worlds created using Multiverse software tools. The company's business model encourages experimentation: It gives away the tools so that users can build their worlds for free. More than 200 are in the works. If those worlds generate a profit on digital sales, the company collects 10%. Qwaq, a company based in Palo Alto, Calif., has also developed tools to build virtual worlds, for customers such as Intel Corp. (INTC ) and BPPLC (BP ) (BP ). Different companies, such as a vendor or a supplier, can connect their virtual spaces and drag-and-drop any document, spreadsheet, or Powerpoint presentation from their desktop into the "world" to share with others.

Researchers have very different visions of what a 3D Internet will look like. Most agree it would not eliminate the Web as we know it. Rather, it will be possible to move back and forth between Web sites and virtual worlds, just as we now switch between reading a news article and watching a video clip on YouTube. For searching or reading text, today's sites work fine and will continue to do so. But a 3D Internet could make possible a virtual version of activities you might do in real life with like-minded people. You could buy tickets to a baseball game on a standard Web site, for instance, but then go to a stadium in a separate virtual world to meet up with your friends and watch the game (at a lower price than the real thing, one hopes).

Exploring real estate or anything spatial is another area where 3D might make sense, says Thomas W. Malone, a management professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Before booking a hotel room or renting an apartment, you could walk through a realistic digital version of the property and look at it from any perspective you want or check out a few blocks in the surrounding neighborhood. That should be a big improvement over the wide-angle video tours on today's hotel and real estate Web sites.

Still, something as simple as taking your avatar from one Web site to another requires the back-end technology of different sites to communicate in a lingua franca. And portable avatars raise a host of legal considerations about who owns them once they're on the move--the user or the companies that own the originating site. "It may make sense not to move the whole avatar, but just the important characteristics," says Sandy Kearney, IBM's global head of 3D Internet.

Practically speaking, it could mean that when you move from a social networking site such as MySpace (NWS ) into a virtual world like There.com, your list of friends and your basic details (gender, age, ethnicity) move, too. Or it could mean that you appear as a cartoony purple-haired digital person in a social virtual world but that your outfit morphs into a corporate suit when you enter your employer's 3D site.

For now, some companies are focusing on making less complicated digital objects, such as buildings, "moveable" across the Web. In 2006, Google acquired the company that created Sketch-Up, a design tool that lets the masses create 3D objects and import them into applications such as Google Earth. Google Earth also supports a file format called COLLADA, originally developed by Sony Corp. (SNE ) for PlayStation. Now Google, Apple, DaimlerChrysler (DCX ), Nokia (NOK ), Intel (INTC ), and others support COLLADA, too.

Those may turn out to be important first steps toward a broader 3D Web. Google is already working to connect the 250 million users of Google Earth to make it more of a social networking space, says Peter Birch, a Google product manager. Today, enthusiasts chat and network in separate discussion boards and blogs. Tomorrow, they may take that conversation out into the virtual street.

3D Model of the Frost Bank Tower - Austin, Texas

The staff at 3Dwalkthroughs.com is on another business road trip and this time we are visiting Austin, Texas. In between our meetings we had the chance to walk around the "very cool", historic downtown area. One of the buildings that caught our eye, probably because it is the tallest building in the Austin skyline, is The Frost Bank Tower.

After doing a little research we found some interesting facts about the tower (see below). We also came across a 3D model of the tower from the Google Warehouse.

About The Frost Bank Tower

The Frost Bank Tower was developed by Cousins Properties of Texas. Building construction began in 2001 and was completed in 2004. This 515 ft office building contains over 525,000 sq. ft. of leasable space. The lower floors of the structure are finished in limestone. The tower is finished in an energy efficient blue glass. This type of glass is only known to have been used on one other building, the Reuters Building at 3 Times Square in New York City. Interesting Facts: The crown of the tower contains more than an acre of glass. Per tradition, tin crosses were embedded in the concrete on every floor. Cousins Properties contends that at the time of its groundbreaking, "this was the tallest building in America to have started construction after the September 11th attacks". This 3D Model developed by BrightGIS. For more information, visit us on the web at http://www.BrightGIS.com

Property Marketing - Using music to evoke an emotional reaction to a property.

Let me first start out by saying that 3dwalkthroughs.com are the the first ones to discourage the use of music on the homepage of a website. In the past we have found it to be potentially annoying and outdated.

With that being said, there is an article in today's NY Times describing the use of music to market new condo's and other properties. According to the article the music helps to define the soul of the building, many times before the construction has started. After viewing some of the newer websites that use music as part of a well thought out presentation, we are softening our view on this topic.

If the music can be turned off and if it is not offensive, it definitely can create a strong impression on the type of culture to be expected in the building. This is very similar to when we use a certain demographic integrated throughout a 3D Walkthrough or 3D Rendering to focus the sales towards that group.

Selling a Concept With a Song
By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM

Has your condo got a song in its heart?

It seems every new condominium these days has its own tune, meant to convey its soul to potential buyers. At 151 Wooster Street (151wooster.com) in SoHo, it is a jazz track featuring a lone trumpet. Vigorous strings evoke Vivaldi at the Cielo (cielocondos.com) on the Upper East Side. Electronic music heralds 166 Perry Street (166perryst.com) in the West Village.

Developers are forever adding bells and whistles to distinguish their properties from all the others on the market. And as Web sites are increasingly being used as teasers to drive buyers (especially out-of-state and international buyers) into sales offices, many developers are going beyond slick graphics and literally orchestrating the journey.

Reports about classical music being played in public spaces to decrease crime or ease anxiety, as well as widely publicized studies from Muzak about music’s ability to increase efficiency and make people feel better, have led some developers and marketers to think music will make buyers more relaxed and engaged at their Web sites.

More significantly, by commissioning or licensing (or illegally using) music for their Web sites and sales offices, developers say they are better able to convey the vibe of a particular building, especially when that building is yet to exist. Music is also seen as an effective way to announce a building’s intended demographic without ever saying a word.

“Certain types of people generally have an affinity for one type of music more than another,” said Shaun Osher, the chief executive of CORE Group Marketing, which has worked on a number of music-infused campaigns.

This, of course, raises questions about exactly who is invited, so to speak, by which developments.

The Rest of the Article Can Be Found Here>>

Another Step Towards Connecting The Real World With The Virtual Worlds

According to a blurb from Techtree.com, a website devoted to technology enthusiasts, discussions are underway to create an interface that will connect virtual worlds with the real world.

3Dwalkthroughs.com has been predicting this convergence ever since we began working in the 3D and Virtual World space.

Our vision...
1) 3Dwalkthroughs.com creates a full 3D Walkthrough of a property.
2) All Appliances would be rendered as virtual appliances.
3) Logging on to your 3D Home you can literally walkthrough the property and turn appliances on/off, turn on/view actual real world security cameras, check to see if there is mail in the real world mail box, check on your virtual and real world pets, etc.
4) Walk into the virtual bedroom, take a nap and actually feel more rested in the real world (OK maybe we are getting a little carried away. Forget this one for now.)

Here is the Blurb

Techtree News Staff
Aug 2, 2007


If reports are to be believed, IBM India is mulling a novel 'interface' that will help connect virtual worlds with the real world, and vice versa.

For instance, the 'interface' will help connect a Web cam to a virtual monitor, or an electric appliance to a virtual switch, according to IBM India.

Reportedly, the idea was conceived as part of a recently concluded internship program titled 'Extreme Blue', held over a period of 12 weeks especially for students of IBM India Software Labs. The program saw a participation of nearly 30 students, with one Benjamin Chodroff of Case Western Reserve University, USA, coming up with the novel concept.

Such an 'interface' would spell immense possibilities for virtual worlds like 'Second Life', Chodroff said. The 'interface' would allow users in 'Second Life' to experience real world objects through a new and exciting 'Rich Immersive Environment'.

'Second Life' is a wildly popular virtual world, wherein members interact with each other, trade in properties and services, et al, through animated proxies of themselves that are better known as 'avatars'.

Chodroff hopes his idea will be further developed and marketed with help from 'Big Blue' (read: IBM India).

Girls With Goals - Erin Hurry

3Dwalkthroughs.com is excited to announced that our interactive division, Launchsight Solutions, has launched the beta version of Girlswithgoals.com.

Over the past year we have had the extreme pleasure of working with Erin Hurry, an entrepeneur in the truest sense of the word. (For non-entrepeneurs, this means she stayed focused and professional even through the inevitable bumps in the road). Her fierce determination, business experience, and foresight, make her the perfect role-model for the audience she is targetting.

Erin has masterminded what is sure to be a very successful concept with many future development plans already underway.

Girls with Goals is already set to be featured in many nation wide publications as well as a featured topic in an upcoming event along side some of the most famous woman in movies and television.

3Dwalkthroughs.com will be posting a once a month update on Girls with Goals, tracking the progress of the site and documenting any newsworthy developments.

About Girls With Goals

Girls with Goals is an online community and marketplace servicing women in business. Girls with Goals will be offering business tools to empower women to start or expand their business.

Girls with Goals wants to change the face of Ecommerce for women by providing informative content for a rapidly growing market of women in self owned business’s online and offline. Girls with Goals focus is to help women create a goal oriented business that helps them to achieve business success. Girls with Goals member's create a "G-Store" from a choice of templates and control their content, products and sales. Members have access to free workshops, G-Coaches, an online community, G-Cards,G-Business resource center, G-Fitness and G-Towns in their local community. Members are encouraged to succeed through goal oriented tools, contests and success advertisements on the web site.Girls with Goals will be adding enhancements to the members services in the fall of 2007 which will include store commercials, seminars as well as added store features.

Girls with Goals is the first online hybrid ecommerce community and how-to business resource specific to women. The company, established in 2002, has been created specifically to assist women in business. For more information about Girls with Goals, please visit www.GirlswithGoals.com, or contact company representatives at support@girlswithgoals.com.

About Founder:

Erin's career life includes a broad business and social skills background, as well as being a successful G-Coach and mentor at Girls with Goals, which she founded in 2002. As a G-coach, she helps to recreate people's lives into successes and uses her business skills to enlarge the goals of business ownership for her clients. Erin offers all this experience and knowledge to help stay at home moms, executives and individuals from all walks of life to become more successful in both their personal and business lives. Erin believes that everyone has a talent and that we should be living as a partner in that gift. As a G-COACH, Erin approaches the work on a cognitive-behavioral level. She believes that each one of us have to learn to live on a "conscious" level by using our very own unique talents and skills to suit our needs for living our best lives. Erin wants you to move forward in a life of conscious choices to a life full of happiness and goals realized. Erin helps her clients make the life they currently live into the life they were meant to live.