Highly Detailed 3D Floor Plans - A Great Commercial Real Estate Leasing Tool

3D Renderings are a very effective way of showing new capital improvements in great detail, one room at a time, but what about when a leasing agent wants to demonstrate a whole floor to a perspective tenant?

Highly detailed 3D floor plans are a great way of showing the layout of a space and it's potential. Incorporating furniture choices, material finishes, and interior design selections helps stimulate an emotional response to the space and is a much more effective leasing tool than flat 2D Floor Plans.

The process of building a 3D Floor Plan requires complete CAD files and suggestions from the architect describing all the interior design choices. Once these are delivered we can create a very accurate depiction of the property and even brand it with the tenants corporate logo. "Using 3D Floor Plans as a leasing tool can help close deals with big tenants", said one of our recent clients. In some buildings, new tenants can represent hundreds of thousands of square feet of leased space. "Adding 3D Floor Plans to a leasing agents aresenal is a small price to pay for such a potential huge return."

We recently delivered a 3D Floor Plan of a section of a new building in Memphis Tenessee. The goal of the project was test the architects design concepts while simultaneously create a marketing tool to attract new tenants. The client was very happy with the end product which were used to created display boards for the lobby and will also be included in print materials passed out to local commercial brokers.

3D Floor Plans can also be used in the retail real estate industry as well. They can show a full site plan, showcasing specific stores, anchor tennants and other common spaces in great detail. Our clients have reacted very positively to this technology as it's success is easily measured by an increase in deal closings.

Affinova - Maximize the Impact of Your Website as a Marketing Tool

As a partner in an interactive services company, I am well aware of the inherent dangers of designing a website in a vacuum. Designing in a vacuum means the website was designed based on the preferences of the website owner and staff as opposed to what might be most effective for the end user.

When we first started creating websites it was typical for some of our website clients to demand a certain look and feel simply based on their aesthetic tastes. We quickly realized that the problem with this philosophy was while the end product might have been a nice looking website, the website's various calls to action were not achieving any real success.

After many years of experience we have been able to move away from these types of clients and have gained a wisdom regarding what it takes to truly optmize a website and maximize it's effectiveness. Are you ready for the answer? Affinova

Whether the objective is to create a new product, reinvigorate an existing brand, or develop a breakthrough marketing plan, Affinnova's solutions enable marketers to generate and evaluate millions of viable options to find the best ones. Affinnova empowers marketers to unleash their imagination, and innovate with speed and confidence.

Affinnova's patented IDDEA™ (Interactive Discovery & Design by Evolutionary Algorithms) technology engages consumers to amplify and optimize marketers' ideas. From an initial set of marketers' inputs, IDDEA's "Darwinian" process interacts with consumers to evolve a desired endpoint, such as a new product concept or a new promotion event. Consumers' preferences provide the critical selection pressure, through which good ideas live to breed better ones, and weak ideas die out. In the end, IDDEA™ identifies the best possible ideas, and draws powerful consumer insights from the evolution process.

For a formal introduction to the contact person at Affinova please contact us at 3Dwalkthroughs.com. It is amazing that changing a 3D Walkthrough button from one side of the page to another or changing it's color can have such an impact on lead generation. These are the types of answers that lie within the Affinova algorithm.

The Launch of Everyscape 3D Virtual Tours - 3D Map Views Inside Buildings

In September, 3Dwalkthroughs.com posted a story about the beta release of Everyscape.com. Everyscape's technology lets businesses and organizations build engaging, immersive relationships with consumers through three-dimensional, photo-realistic experiences of cities and towns, streets and sidewalks, building exteriors and interiors.

This morning Everyscape officially opened its doors for business and is seeking to quickly capture images throughout the world. By the end of 2007, EveryScape plans to capture 10 metropolitan areas and 15 additional towns.

Unlike a traditional virtual tour, which spins in a 360 degree circle, this new technology allows you to transport forward, fully experiencing the environment from all angles.

As NYC was one of the first cities to be captured, I was able to test out this cutting edge technology by navigating from Madison Square Garden directly to the 3Dwalkthroughs.com office. The result is pictured above.

One of the advantages of this technology over Google Earth is that it also allows you to capture interior views of buildings. Currently interior views are only available in Miami and Aspen. When the view moves from an outside to an inside view, the map window changes from a city view to a blueprint of the layout of the building or room. As you move through the building, the map changes to reflect where you are.

One of the other cool features of this technology is that you can learn more about a specific location by linking from Everyscapes interface to sites such as links to Flickr, Yelp, Wikipedia and YouTube.

Integrating our 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Renderings and 3D Floor Plans into Everyscape's technology might be an interesting way for visitors to better understand the areas surrounding a new development project we are involved with.

3D Technology Green Buildings

It seems like every new development project in NYC is described as being a "Green Building". I am sure most of you have heard the term, but do you really know what it means?

Here is a good definition I pulled from Wikipedia

Green building is the practice of increasing the efficiency of buildings and their use of energy, water, and materials, and reducing building impacts on human health and the environment, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal — the complete building life cycle.

A similar concept is natural building, which is usually on a smaller scale and tends to focus on the use of natural materials that are available locally.[1] Other commonly used terms include sustainable design and green architecture; however, while good design is essential to green building, the actual operation, maintenance, and ultimate disposal or deconstruction of the building also have very significant effects on buildings' overall environmental impact.

The related concepts of sustainable development and sustainability are integral to green building. Effective green building can lead to 1) reduced operating costs by increasing productivity and using less energy and water, 2) improved public and occupant health due to improved indoor air quality, and 3) reduced environmental impacts by, for example, lessening storm water runoff and the heat island effect. Practitioners of green building often seek to achieve not only ecological but aesthetic harmony between a structure and its surrounding natural and built environment. The sustainable buildings are also environmentally friendly in the fact that they are built out of materials that are good for the environment.The appearance and style of sustainable homes and buildings can be nearly indistinguishable from their less sustainable counterparts.

Green buildings are scored by rating systems, such as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, Green Globes from GBI and other locally developed rating systems.

So how does 3Dwalkthroughs.com believe 3D technology can help promote the benefits green building? Unlike video and virtual tours which typically show an existing building, as-is, 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Renderings and 3D Floor Plans can be created to effectively demonstrate the environmentally friendly materials and planning that are being in a Green development project. Using 3D technology to stimulate an emotional response by viewers is a much more impactful way of demonstrating the benefits a Green Building can have on the environment and can go into much more detail than just showing pictures or adding some copy to marketing materials.

We are right about to start creating a 3D Walkthrough for one of these properties and will post the link once it is completed.

LifeAt- Private Social Networking Intranets For Property Developments

3Dwalkthroughs.com recently came across a new website/service that we find very interesting and ripe with potential. LifeAt, creates private, password protected websites for exclusive use by members of residential communities. Residents use LifeAt sites to communicate with neighbors; post classifieds; and rate and review local retailers, restaurants, & delivery services. Property managers and building developers use the sites to post news and updates for residents and to attract potential buyers and renters. The success of each site is fueled by the active participation of its membership.

Acording to the LifeAt website, the concept for the site was developed to help high profile developers service international/remote buyers by giving them a way to acclimate to their new surrounding more quickly. Understanding that potential buyers were hoping to find a community and not just an apartment in which to live, the founder racked his brain to come up with some way to foster that sense of community in a new building. That’s when inspiration hit: create a safe, online community where fellow residents can meet and help each other out as they explore their new surroundings. With that simple thought- LifeAt was born.

The LifeAt business model is growing rapidly with thousands of sites in production and international expansion in the works.

3Dwalkthroughs.com believes that the LifeAt business model could expand to include everything from remote viewing capabilities to remote climate controls. We also think the social networking component of the site can be integrated into a 3D model of each building to improve the real time interaction between tenants.

An online demo of this the LifeAt service can be found here>>

SpaceTime 2 - 3D Search Engine Has Just Launched it's Beta 2 Version

Spacetime, the 3D search engine, has just launched the upgraded beta version of their application. Their initial beta release garnered over a half of a million users. Based on feedback from this initial test group they have made the following improvements/upgrades to their application:
1) Improved Sleek Interface which makes searching even easier and more fun.
2) Space Time Zoom- A interactive magnifying glass help highlight whenever the specific search terms show up in the results. This makes it easier to find specific answers to queries.
3) Improved 3D Interaction with Multiple Open Pages.
4) Improved Bookmark and Favorites Functionality.
5) Navigator Widget which allows viewers to zoom, plan and zip through search results much easier.
6) Increased Number of Major Content Partners including Flickr, YouTube, Google, Ebay, Yahoo, and RSS.
7) Intuitive Timeline which lets users quickly browse through content.

If you have not already downloaded a trial version I would suggest giving it a try. It is a really easy, fun and effective way to search the internet. To get a better understanding of how this search engine works and view all of it's features please click here>>>

On a separate note, 3DWalkthroughs.com is proud to launch a new look to our blog. Please come back often as new articles are posted every day. Our blog's new tagline, Your Place For All Things 3D, describes our focus on bringing you the latest news in the 3D industry. We welcome any suggestions on how we can improve the blog along with other feedback on our 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Renderings, 3D Floor Plans and other Interactive 3D Products.

3D Renderings and 3D Floor Plans used to Showcase Capital Improvement Projects

3Dwalkthroughs.com has recently been commissioned to create a number of 3D renderings and 3D Floor plans for a nationwide real estate company looking to test their architects capital improvement concepts.

Using CAD files, 2D floor plans and interior design suggestions, we have created exact replicas of what the lobbies and other common areas will look like once they are improved. As the cost of many capital improvements can easily climb into hundreds of thousands of dollars, it is very valuable to be able for the real estate company to see what they are getting for before construction starts. The ability to preview a capital improvement helps to save money by minimizing the risk of having to redo any of the areas.

Another valuable by-product of creating 3D renderings and 3D Floor Plans to preview a capital improvement project is the marketing angle it offers existing and new tenants. Giving tenants an impressive preview of a future capital improvement is a great way of keeping existing tenants, and attracting new ones.

While creating a custom 3D Walkthrough might be overkill for a single lobby, it can effectively demonstrate a more complex capital improvement project shown from multiple angles. Similar to 3D Renderings and 3D Floor Plans, 3D Walkthroughs also make great tools for impressing new and existing tenants...not to mention saving an architect from an uncomfortable situation.

3D Walkthroughs in Canada

An article in today's NY Times discusses the condo boom in Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. As my wife spent most of her childhood in Vancouver, I have travelled to the city many times over the last few years.

Similar to New York City, the cityscape changes almost daily as new architectural projects are springing up as far as the eye can see. Downtown Vancouver is a very unique place as it has a city, ocean and mountain environment all coming together in one place.

According the NY Times article, Downtown Vancouver is the most expensive housing market in Canada, according to a survey of 21 cities worldwide released last April by Century 21. The average sales price for a condo in Vancouver was around $419,750 in 2007, up 14.6 percent from last year, according to Royal Le Page Real Estate Services. The average sales price in Toronto, Canada’s largest city, was about $241,818, up 15.7 percent from last year, and in Montreal, $201,818, up 4.6 percent. The most expensive condo on the market in downtown Vancouver right now is a 7,000-square-foot waterfront penthouse listed for $18.2 million.

The fuel for the condo boom is said to be foreign investors, second-home buyers and housing for the upcoming Olympics. In an effort to market to these populations, 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Floor Plans and 3D Renderings are extremely valuable and effective tools. If a foreign investor can get a good idea of all a property has to offer from a remote location, they can reduce the number of properties they need to visit when they visit Vancouver.

The next time my wife and I make the trip to Vancouver it looks like we will be mixing business with pleasure...a bittersweet phenomenon for 3Dwalkthroughs.com.

The full NY TIMES artice can be found HERE>>>

A Storyboard Can Save The Day When Building a 3D Walkthrough

One of the best ways to ensure a successful 3D project is the utilization of a storyboard. A storyboard is a visual representation of a concept laid out frame by frame.

Used correctly a storyboard can prevent a disaster in the face of a strict deadline. When presentations are created without using one, the client is kept pretty much in the dark until the presentation is delivered. If there are any mistakes or concepts that were miscommunicated it would be too late.

Storyboards can be vague or very detailed depending on the complexity of the project. Regardless of a projects complexity, it is important that the storyboard clearly reflects the main concepts, transitions and details of the project.

A storyboard should require a sign-off by both the client and company before a project begins. This protects both parties and helps to minimize any grey areas when it comes to the expectations of the end product.

We recently witnessed a major development project with a strict deadline fall into a tough position because the presentation strayed from the storyboard. When the project was delivered, it was very disappointing to the client, and very stressful to the animation company as both had very different expectations.

3Dwalkthroughs.com is in the last stages of building our proprietary account management tracking system. This innovative tool will improve our already refined production process and ensure that our 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Renderings and 3D Floor Plans not only look great, but were created under pleasant circumstances.

Using Facebook to Market New and Existing Real Estate Properties

A new application available on Facebook, LivePad, allows users to take advantage of their contact lists and networks to buy or sell real estate properties.

Facebook users looking to buy a home can enter the specific information about what they are looking for, view the possible search results and then save these results to their Facebook profiles.

Conversely, home sellers and real estate professionals can use the LivePads application to list information about their properties for sale which can then be posted to their profiles and shared with their networks.

Similar to other real estate sites, buyers fill out a form that includes all of their desired criteria. The LivePad applicaton then taps into the Google Base database revealing search results which can then be added to a users profile.

The 47 million active Facebook users makes the LivePad application very powerful. Buyers and sellers can tap into their multiple Facebook profiles and take advantage of this huge audience.

3Dwalkthroughs.com believes the LivePad application is a valuable tool for marketing new property developments as well as existing real estate. 3D Renderings, 3D Floor Plans, and links to 3D Walkthroughs can be listed on Facebook profiles set up by developers or their marketing departments.

We have been hearing a lot about Facebook recently and we are amazed at the magnitude of new applications that are being launched on Facebook on a daily basis. While some of these applications are just fun widgets, applications such as LivePads offer a very effective way of marketing new and existing real estate.
The LivePads application, is available at http://apps.facebook.com/livepads

Get Out Your 3D Credit Cards - Virtual Shopping is Coming To a Computer Near You

Boston based, Kinset Inc. has announced the launch of Kinset 3D Stores. This new technology gives retailers the ability to build 3D virtual stores that have the same look and feel as their real life brick and mortar stores.

In the next 6 months Brookstone and Tweeter will launch online virtual stores created with the Kinset technology. Currently there are 2 stores available for testing out the technology, a bookstore and an electronics emporium. These stores have over 10,000 items on display with a purchasing mechanism integrated with Amazon.com.

“Powerful personal computers and fast broadband Web connectivity allowed us to build the first software technology that can present realistic online stores in 3D” said John Butler, CEO of Kinset.

Shopping in one of the Kinset virtual stores involves downloading a free piece of software. (the download was very quick and takes up very little space). One of nice features of downloading the software is the frequent updates that occur whenever a user logs into their account.

The 3Dwalkthroughs.com staff has downloaded the public store and found the shopping experience very easy and fun to use. We imagine that the Kinset technology will eventually move away from a strictly Amazon based purchasing mechanism.

Earlier attempts at building 3D online stores couldn’t handle the thousands of items on display in real stores but this has been overcome as a result of improved computer processing speeds. As we have mentioned in previous posts, now that Intel is getting involved in building a 3D internet, we expect computer processing speeds to improve dramatically over the next year.

Very similar to a commercial property developer using our 3D walkthroughs, 3D floor plans and 3D renderings to test and market their concepts before their properties are built, Kinset software provides retailers the ability to test actual store designs, layouts and merchandising in a live testing environment. For example a retailer can create mulitple store designs with various product placements within the store, and then track the results using Kinset's detailed analytical output.

We will certainly be following the progress of this company and look forward to seeing the other national retailers adopting this new technology.

Fitness Website For Cancer Patients

3Dwalkthroughs.com is proud to announce that our interactive services division has been selected to build a website focused on fitness and nutrition training for Cancer Patients, sponsored by Julie Goodale.

Julie is certified personal trainer as well as a cancer survivor. The website will serve as a valuable resource for cancer patients that are looking for exercise and nutrional advice as well as live online personal training, plus a full recap of Julies amazing survival story.

While there are hundreds of websites with information on this topic, Julie has many cutting edge ideas that are sure to make her site a success. She will be putting together a board of advisors that include some of the most prominent names in the medical, nutrition and fitness industries.

Our interactive division is excited for the opportunity to integrate some of the virtual world technology we have been working with into Julie's website. We believe it will create a truly unique and cutting edge experience for site visitors.

If you have experience on this subject or would like to share your story please post a comment and we will get back to you.

Microsoft's New Partnership with Dassault Systemes adds 3D Modeler to Virtual Earth

In an effort to compete with Google Earth and Google Sketchup, Microsoft has joined forces with French Company, Dassault Systemes, to launch a 3D modelling application for its Virtual Earth mapping platform.

"Virtual Earth 3DVIA users will be able to build a world that mixes their future projects and ideas with real-life places, buildings and structures," said Lynne Wilson, senior vice president and general manager of 3DVIA at Dassault Systemes.

"We have created a new level of realism within Virtual Earth that provides an unrestricted freedom for creativity and innovation."

Similar to Google Sketchup a user will be able to design a 3D model of a property and then upload it to a specific address in Virtual Earth. 3D modelers will also be able to collect and share their models with friends through networked communities.

3Dwalkthroughs.com views this new partnership as extremely important in the evolution towards a 3D internet. As basic 3D modeling tools become easier to use and integrate into applications such as Virtual Earth and Google Earth, we expect to see an exponential growth in the amount of properties being modeled. It is just a matter of time before these applications allow for fully integrated 3D Walkthroughs as well.

3D Renderings - How they differ from an actual finished project

As the NYC condo market remains hot, utilizing photo-realistic 3D renderings as part of sales and marketing campaigns are becoming almost mandatory. Created from various computer software and modeling programs, some 3D renderings are so realistic it is impossible to tell the difference between actual high resolution photographs.

An interesting article in this months The Real Deal poses the following question about 3D Renderings:In what ways does the reality of a finished building differ from what is presented in the artistic rendering?

According to the article the answer to this question is there are many ways that renderings can differ from the final product. Renderings will always seek to represent a property at it best and therefore elements such as the weather, lighting, furniture, views and even people, will be shown in their best light. In addition, todays 3D renderings pay a lot of attention to modifying certain minute details based on the target audience and image the developer is trying to project about the building.

The article does point out that certain architectural aspects of the building are often extremely accurate to the final property due to the software used to create the renderings. This differs from the old days when renderings were made from watercolors or sketches.

People are cautioned, typically through legal disclaimers, that renderings are not always showing the exact condo unit that is for sale, and the details shown in the renderings are subject to change. For example, the condo represented in a 3D Rendering might be the penthouse unit or a unit with a spectacular view that is not even available or might show an upgraded furnishing package.

According to our experience, 3Dwalkthroughs.com believes the same issues are present with our animated 3D Walkthroughs. We always have to be careful to integrate legal disclaimers into our presentations to let people know that the intention of these presentations are to show examples of a finished property as opposed to making promises to potential buyers.

The full article from The Real Deal can be found HERE>>>

3D Virtual Trade Show on October 19th in Second Life

Depo Consulting Ltd will host a virtual content developers trade show from their virtual business park inside Second Life Metaverse on October 19, 2007. Attendees may visit the expo HERE>>> Admission is free for both attendees and exhibitors.

The "2007 Virtual Business & Products Expo" will showcase projects from a variety of developers and offer a full day of presentations from various Second Life visionaries. According to Depo consulting, the theme of the expo is "Beyond Storefronts- Harnessing the Business Potential of Virtual Worlds."

The goal of the expo is to create a collaborative environment where small to medium 3D virtual world development companies, freelancers and entrepeneurs can discuss the potential of the future 3D internet.

3Dwalkthroughs.com plans on attending the Trade Show in hopes of meeting with potential strategic partners and hearing about new plans already in the works. As we have mentioned in future posts we are excited for the day when the level of realism that can be achieved in the various 3D Virtual Worlds is on par with the level of realism we can achieve with our 3D walkthroughs and 3D renderings.

3D Virtual World Used To Train Emergency First Responders

The A. James Clark School of Engineering in College Park Maryland has developed an online virtual training environment for Emergency First Responders. The 3D virtual training environment replicates various diasaster and accident situations and encourages emergency personnel to interact online and hone their management and leaderhship skills.

The virtual environment can re-create an unlimited number of emergency situations including: Car accidents, Chemical spills and mass casualty scenarios. The goal of the technology is to expose trainees to real-life situations and to focus on their interactions with each other, said Capt. Henry de Vries of the New York State Police. It will be a part of an extensive program to help save the lives of people involved in highway accidents and the emergency responders on the scene."This project provides incident responders from all disciplines theopportunity to train together in real time for the purpose of learning the latest best practices in incident scene safety, coordination and quick clearance of highway events," de Vries said.

Participants can interact in real time and undergo role playing sessions which can be recorded and critiqued. "Every scenario has a moderator watching who can pause and resume the game to give feedback," said Michael Pack, laboratory director of the Clark School's Center for Advanced Transportation Technology Laboratory (CATT Lab) at the University of Maryland. "He or she can also throw in 'hiccups'
to test the reactions of the players."

3Dwalkthroughs.com has entered into conversations with an organization to try and co-develop a product for Emergency First Responders to use during an actual event. While we cannot go into details the product would involve utilizing our realistic 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Floor Plans and 3D Renderings in combination with an existing technology. We are excited about the possibility of being able to develop such a tool and will keep you posted on our progress.

The Clark School's Project Website Can Be Found HERE>>>

Watch a 3D Walkthrough Posted On YouTube In Google Earth

Google Earth has upgraded their application with a new layer that enables users to zoom in on a location and view related YouTube videos.

The integration of YouTube functionality into Google Earth gives users world wide the ability to experience destinations in rich detail without ever leaving their desk chairs.

In order to experience this new layer of Google Earth, users need to download the newest release. If a property contains a YouTube video, an icon of YouTube logo will appear on the globe. Once the logo is clicked a pop up screen appears which plays the video.

3Dwalkthroughs.com has an ever increasing database of 3D Walkthroughs posted on YouTube. Over the next few days we will be integrating these into Google Earth as a value added for our clients.

We will be recommending that our clients include specific links to their Google Earth location as part of their marketing strategy. Providing their audience with the ability to navigate to a 3D Walkthrough using Google Earth will give them a much better sense of the surrounding areas and proximity to landmarks, schools, bodies of water, etc.

Once we have integrated the 3D Walkthroughs into Google Earth we will post the specific links on the blog.

Use Your Hand to Open Doors and Windows In a 3D Walkthrough

A new Israeli start-up, XTR 3D, has developed a technology that can best be described as the technology used in the movie Minority Report.

The new 3D Motion Capturing technology allows users to control their computer screen just by using a regular webcam and XTR 3D's motion capture software interface. While this technology has been available in the past, it has required expensive hardware and 3D cameras. Now that this technology is affordable for the average home or business user we expect to see the appearance of a large number of applications which integrate XTR 3D's technology.

How The Technology Works?
According to XTR 3D's CTO Dor Givon, the software - known as the 3D Human-Machine Interface - "extrapolates depth and human body motion capture based on revolutionary computer vision algorithms." And, as an interface, Givon says, the system is software based and platform independent - meaning that it can essentially be used in any program on any embedded platform.

In the not to distance future, 3Dwalkthroughs.com envisions integrating this technology into our Custom 3D Walkthroughs. Imagine being able to completely navigate through an Interactive 3D Walkthrough, opening doors and windows, using nothing but the motion of your hand? We will certainly be keeping our eyes on this technology as it hits the mass market.

For a demo of this technology click here>>>

3D Walkthroughs and Event Planning

3Dwalkthroughs.com has officially entered a new market albeit by mistake. To make a long story short, we have been working with one of our client's party planners to create 3D Renderings of facility concepts she has designed.

In New York City it is not uncommon to rent a loft or warehouse space to throw a Wedding, Sweet 16, Bar-Mitzvah, Corporate Event etc. Often times these facilities are wide open spaces that require the imagination of a party planner to furnish and decorate.

Similar to utilizing a 3D Walkthrough or 3D Floor Plan to give a potential buyer of a real estate property a good sense of the property before it is built, these same tools can be used by party planners to more accurately depict their concepts.

By previewing the facility layout, table settings, interior finishings along with all other details, the party planner can minimize the risk of an unhappy client on the day of their event.

While we have not yet created an actual 3D Walkthrough for a party planner, we have had requests to create 3D Walkthroughs for a trade show producer that was planning a product launch for a pharmaceutical company.

The party that we designed the 3D Renderings for is taking place tonight and we will be in attendance. It will be interesting to see which design they chose to go with and how accurate our 3D Renderings were to the final decision.

Improved Outlook for The Future of a 3D Internet

IBM and Second Life creator Linden Lab have announced they are teaming up to build an open standard for virtual 3D worlds. This news comes in conjuntion with Google's announcement that they are partnering with the Multiverse Network to create a new online 3D environment for the masses.

Both of these new partnerships will exponentially increase the speed at which the internet evolves to a truly 3D environment.

IBM's project will focus on securing transactions, increasing the stability of 3D platforms and introduce interoperability by creating universal avatars. Most 3D platforms currently lack interoperability. For example a Second Life player cannot stroll around in a Google Maps projection.

Google's project will allow people to design custom virtual worlds using the large database of 3D models created by SketchUp. It wil also allow people to import pieces of terrain by entering specific longitude and latitude data from Google Earth.

3Dwalkthroughs.com is currently working with one virtual 3D technology provider to bring an improved level of realism to their current product. While we are not at liberty to mention this companies name just yet, we think you will be impressed with the final product. 3D applications are believed to offer a better user experience than traditional 2D environments and are proven to increase the "stickiness of websites".

3D Walkthroughs - Perfect For International Marketing

3Dwalkthroughs.com has been noticing an increase call volume from international clients interested in using our products to market their properties to remote clients.

Unlike many other media formats, 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Renderings and 3D Floor Plans can showcase a very realistic view of a new development property and its surrounding area BEFORE the property is built.

Other advantages using 3D technology as opposed to just building a model unit, is that it can really go into detail about all that a property has to offer including and the local culture and landmarks. This is valuable for international clients looking for vacation or investment properties with little knowledge of the area.

One of our clients recently mentioned how excited they were excited to "finally be able to tell the unique story behind their development concept". According to the client, "Within 2 weeks of distributing the 3D Walkthrough presentation on a CD, they experienced a huge spike in inquiries."

3Dwalkthtroughs.com has been focused on improving the production process as it relates to international clients. Most of our clients have been amazed at how smooth the project went even though it was created halfway across the world. It is quite fulfilling to hear from one of our international clients how accurate one of our presentations was to their final development.

Check out The 3D Walkthrough Of This New NYC Development

200 Eleventh Avenue, a new luxury building going up on the West Side of NYC is raising the bar for the term "luxury". With amenities such as a fully equipped gym, treatment room, Hudson River views, open terraces, 24/7 doorman and key lock elevator entry, 200 Eleventh Avenue is sure to be one of the most desired buildings in the city.

One of the most unique features of this new condominium is an En-Suite car garage for each of the 14 available apartments. The car garage is the ultimate paparazzi deterrent as residents can drive right into an elevator which takes them up to their own private 300 Sq. Ft. parking garage.

For a 3D Walkthrough of 200 Eleventh Avenue, which demonstrates the En-Suite car garage as well as many other amenities the building has to offer please visit their website.

3Dwalkthroughs.com is always on the lookout for innovative new architecture and is excited to see this building once it is completed. I think it is safe to say with only 14 units available, they will fetch a pretty penny. Perhaps we can stow away in the trunk of a residents car to get a better look inside.

3D Walkthroughs on Steroids

One of the largest simulation facilities in the world has been unveiled in Tokyo Japan. The cyberdome is an 8.5-meter-high hemisphere-shaped screen designed to simulate houses and cities in a mind-blowing 3D immersive environment.

The Cyberdome has a huge trackball and is powered by by 19 computers and 18 projectors. The projectors are suspended above the viewing platform which is a couple of meters off the ground and allows a viewer to look straight at the center of the screen.

One of the goals of creating the Cyberdome was to give city planners and architects very large and very real 3D Walkthroughs of newly proposed building exteriors and interiors.

Similar to the products of 3Dwalkthroughs.com the architects and city planners can then make modifications to their plans before they start construction on a property.

In order to get a true immersive experience, the Cyberdome requires that the viewer wear 3D glasses. Reporters that tested the simulation facility stated that the Cyberdome was one of the most engaging simulation facilities they have ever seen.

I guess we will not be able to test this type of technology any time soon unless it comes to the United States or my wife gets her wish and we go to Japan.

Inserting an Interactive 3D Object Into A Live Video

French company, Total Immersion, has developed a software called D-Fusion which allows for the integration of interactive 3D objects into a live video.

Total Immersion's technology creates "Augmented Reality" applications. Augmented reality applications are defined as the use of live video imagery digitally processed and "augmented" by the addition of interactive 3D graphic objects.

They have a number of really wild sample videos on their website which demonstrates their technology in action. Total Immersion's target markets include: Automotive and Aerospace, Television and Movies, Theme Park & Entertainment, Military, Special Event and Design, Maintenance, Architecture and Telecom Operators,

3Dwalkthroughs.com believes this technology offers significant potential for the sales and marketing of all types of real estate properties.

Interesting Idea: Utilize Total Immersion technology to immerse 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Floor Plans and 3D Renderings into existing property videos to demonstrate capital improvements before an investment is made.

While the price of this software is not clear it does offer an interesting potential application for many industries. Total Immersion is reportedly setting their sites on the creation of an interactive product for mobile devices. It will be interesting to follow this progressive company.

Great Property Marketing Idea, But Is It The Most Cost Effective?

In today's NY Times there is a story about property developers that are building out full-scale apartments as an exact replica of what a buyer is going to get after the property is built.

“To ask buyers to make the biggest investment of their life off just blueprints is too much,” said Dean Geibel of Metro Homes in Hoboken N.J.

While sales seem to benefitting from this approach, I cannot help but wonder why a detailed 3D Walkthrough, Interactive Floor Plan or 3D Floor Rendering would not preclude this expensive option. A sales office featuring a full-size unit can cost six times one with just select details. It can also be costly to build a space to house it, says Jason Schlesinger of the developer Ceebraid-Signal.

3Dwalkthroughs.com believes the use of 3D assets to promote new property developments will continue to explode as the number of 3D Walkthrough companies increases. We also believe there will be a steady decrease in the price of 3D assets and this will make it more affordable even for smaller property developers. Some of these factors include: A rise in the number of 3D animation studios and an increase in "Do It Yourself" 3D modelling tools.

It would be interesting to have a discussion with the property developers that are builing out full replica's of their apartments to understand their reasons for selecting this expensive marketing strategy.

Massive Slowdown in New Home Building in Long Island

Long Island's new-home-construction industry is approaching it's lowest level in the last 50 years as evidenced by the significant decrease in the amount of building permit applications.

In the face of the new construction slowdown many builders are changing their focus to renovation jobs, moving to more active states or strategizing different markets to go after.

Officials on Long Island point to several reasons for the slump in New Home Building Permit Applications. They include: Cost of housing, less available land, planning delays, changing consumer tastes, home-sales backlog and a changing population.

One former government official, Robert Gaffney, believes the slowdown in new home sales could be a good thing as Long Island developers might change the type of properties they are building to reflect the changing population. He said "the traditional suburbs have little to attract and keep the bright 20- and 30-year-olds who are key to creating new high-tech industries and new high-paying jobs".

3Dwalkthroughs.com is experiencing an increasing number of local architects utilizing our 3D Walkthroughs and 3D Renderings as a means of demonstrating renovation plans. This is a stark contrast to a few years ago where they were used primarily for the sales and marketing of new home developments.

In spite of the mortgage crisis, the slowdown in new home building does not seem as evident in other parts of the country.

Please read today's Newsday for a Full Story on This Issue>>>

3D Virtual Worlds Are Here To Stay - Raise Over 1 Billion Dollars in the Last Year

A recent study released by Virtual Worlds Management reveals 33 companies have raised over 1 billion dollars towards virtual world platforms from October 2006-2007 . The announcement comes just prior to the Virtual Worlds Conference and Expo taking place October 10-11, 2007, at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, California.

This number is expected to grow exponentially as virtual world technology improves, computer processing speed increase and virtual world platforms offer more specific applications for both business and recreational purposes.

The billion dollars worth of investments were made by the following groups: Technology Platform Companies, Virtual Worlds Developers, Service Providers and Tools Providers.

3Dwalkthroughs.com continues to explore various virtual world platforms to determine the best fit for our current technology. The goal of most of the virtual world companies we've had discussions with is to evolve towards as realistic of an environment as possible. The obstacle still seems to be limited computer processing speeds but with Intel focused on this issue it should be overcome shortly.

We are currently working with a Virtual Trade Show company to integrate our realistic 3D Renderings and 3D Walkthroughs. A demo will be posted shortly.

3D Walkthroughs Used As A Leasing Tool For Commercial Properties

Imagine you are a potential tennant in need of office space. You meet with a leasing agent or broker and they take you on a world tour of 10 properties. After the tour you are given the agents business card and perhaps some 2D Floor Plans. When you sit down to review the floor plans you forget the building the 2D Floor Plan corresponds to, or you are not familiar with reading a floor plan and cannot visualize how it would work for your organization.

3Dwalkthroughs.com has the answer. We are starting to see a large number of commercial landlords providing tenants with 3D Renderings and 3D Floor Plans as a way of closing the deal. They are also using 3D Renderings as a way of previewing capital improvement plans before construction starts.

Today's client demands Web 2.0 technology from their leasing agent. This includes the ability to view available space from a mobile device. We believe this trend will only continue to grow as 3D technology becomes more embraced by the mass market and compuer processing speed increases.

3D Virtual Stores Used For Consumer Behavior Testing

A new tool developed by Kimberly-Clark Corp., is being used to track consumer behavior in virtual 3D representations of big box retailers.

Using this new technology a consumer can walk through a very realistic version of a retail environment, simulate their progress down the aisle and reach forward to put a virtual item in their shopping cart. The new tool also incorporates retina tracking to follow the glance of a consumer as they make their way down the virtual aisle.

Procter & Gamble has also been said to be working on a virtual modeling product that will help bring innovations to market quicker and more cost effectively.

Kimberly-Clark says its studio allows researchers and designers to test new product designs and displays without having to stage real-life tests or tipping off competitors.

Without going into too much detail, 3Dwalkthroughs.com is currently working on a product that integrates our 3D Walkthroughs and 3D Renderings with a technology that allows a consumer to select and purchase specific products in real time from any computer. This new product should be released in the next 4-6 weeks and we are very enthusiastic about it's potential.

The Full Article From The Wall Street Journal Online Can Be Found Here>>>

Blog For Google 3D Warehouse Part 4 (October Pick)

As many of you know, 3Dwalkthroughs.com selects our favorite 3D model each month from Greg Rose's blog which highlights new 3D building models as they are added to Google's 3D Warehouse.

Our monthly selection is based on impressive: architecture, level of detail, level of realism etc.

For the month of October we have chosen New Nou Camp. I chose this particular model as I was intrigued by the use of colors and curves.

Description
After 50 years of wonderful memories, the Camp Nou is looking to the future with optimism. The world-famous firm of architects, Foster + Partners, is to undertake the remodelling of the stadium based on the initial concepts of Francesc Mitjans. Home of FC Barcelona this new stadium will feature a glittering facade studded with colored polycarbonate and glass panels, creating a scaly skin of sorts, serving to shade, shelter, provide natural ventilation, and make a strong visual statement. The redesign will increase the Camp Nou's capacity from 98,000 to 106,000. The construction work will begin in 2009 and is due to be completed by the start of the 2011-2012 season. Total cost of the project is 250 million euro. Model made by Stefan Larsson, larstefan@gmail.com

NY Mets - At Least We Have a New Stadium To Look Forward To

I am sure that I speak for all NY Met Fans when I say...nothing, just stare at the TV in disbelief. What will go down in history as one of the biggest chokes in sports history has happened right in our backyard. Approximately 17 days ago the NY Mets had a 7 game lead in their division and were all but assured a playoff berth. Yesterday's loss assured them of the contrary as they were officially knocked out of the playoff's.

However, today is Monday and we must look on the bright side. In another year or so we will be moving into the new Citi Field Stadium. With the hard work of more than 400 skilled professionals, construction of Citi Field continues to progress at an accelerated pace this summer. I am blown as I witness the daily progress on my way to the 3Dwalkthroughs.com office every day. To see 3D Walkthroughs and 3D Renderings of the new Citi Field stadium go Here>>>

Progress Update Taken From NY Mets Website.

Approximately 70% of Citi Field's structural steel frame has been installed.
More than 60% of the stadium concrete plank - the tiered concrete structures that will support the stadium seats - has been installed. This now includes the seating areas for the main concourse as well as portions of the Suite Level.

Out in center field, the main scoreboard steel supports have been set in place and the bridge at the Diamond Plaza that will one day overlook the bullpens has been constructed.

The brick façade, or architectural precast, is well on its way to totally enclosing the administration building, including the future retail/storefront space that fronts 126th Street. Fans traveling down Roosevelt Avenue can also see the rich brick exterior enveloping the south side of Citi Field continuing its march toward the Jackie Robinson Rotunda.