Happy New Years from 3Dwalkthroughs.com

3Dwalkthroughs.com would like to wish all of our family, friends and clients a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. We know that 2009 is sure to bring a lot of challenges, especially as we all try to navigate through the tough economic waters.

As a company we will continue to offer our high quality and innovative 3D Walkthroughs, 3D Floor Plans and 3D Rendering solutions. We also will be launching a few new products in the first and second quarters of 2009 that have not yet been seen in the United States...stay tuned.

New Stadiums Using 3D Seating Charts

As many of the new sports stadiums across the country are being introduced this year, I thought this story would be of interest. This particular story comes out of Kansas City, and pertains to the new 3D seating chart that will allow fans to explore the new features of the Kaufman Stadium scheduled for completion in 2009.

The new 3D seating chart allows fans to access a 3D view from any seating section within the stadium. The 3D seating chart provides panoramic views that allow visitors to control sightlines and zoom in to areas of interest.

Fans can access the new 3D seating chart of the stadium by visiting royals.com.

Source: The Fort Scott Tribune

3Dwalkthroughs.com is hopeful that this same technology will be implemented at the new Citi-Field, Yankee Stadium and Giants/Jets Stadiums. We have used this technology before and it really does help to get a good perspective of the view before making a purchase.

Innovative 3D Webcam

3Dwalkthroughs.com came across a story about a British company, Minoru that has recently introduced an innovative webcam which offers a unique 3D experience. Unlike most webcams that capture regular photos, this new gadget captures still photos and live videos in 3D – which later could be sent over the internet to family and friends.

The new Minoru camera supports several video chat services (including MSN Messenger, AOL IM, and Skype) as well as standalone 3D video capturing and the finished videos can be uploaded onto YouTube. The three-dimensional effect is achieved thanks to the recipient’s “special” 3D glasses.

According to the company it will be on the market around December and will be priced under $100.Perhaps the Minoru webcam could be used to capture a humans movement and help promote a true 3D exergaming environment.

Source: The Future of Things

3D Monitor For Gamers Available in Select Retail Stores

3Dwalkthroughs.com is excited to try out iz3D inc's 22 inch 3D gaming monitor which has just been made available in select retail stores. iZ3D's gaming display products are now being offered nationwide in Fry's Electronics Incorporated® and Micro Center® stores.

"The move to retail is another milestone in our pursuit of bringing 3D to the home market," stated Thomas Striegler, CEO of iZ3D Inc. "Seeing games displayed with our 3D monitor startles the imagination and shatters memories of bad 3D from 1950s theatrical effects and headache prone shutter glasses," he adds.

"You have to see it to understand it the first time, and selling our 3D monitor though retail represents an inflection point for the emerging 3D industry," said Striegler. Previously the 3D monitor was only available in online stores making it impossible to try before buying.

Source: msnbc.com

The monitor appears to be selling at a suggested retail price of $399.00. We will let you know if it is as impressive as it sounds after we have a chance to try it...now we just have to find one of those specialty retail stores and hope that it is not as crazy as all the other stores are at the moment.

New York in 3D - Google Earth Style

3Dwalkthroughs.com has not visited NYC in google earth for a while, but after being alerted by an article on Information Week, we decided to stop by for a visit.

I must say, the 3D version of NYC in Google Earth has come a loooooong way in the last year. Basically, Google has completed nearly every building in Manhattan Island for Google Earth. Just fly to "New York City" and turn on the 3D Buildings layer in Google Earth.

Source: Google Earth Blog

As the 3D landscape of many US cites continue to get populated with very high quality 3D representations, we believe the usage of Google Earth is set to explode.

Apparently Google has filled in the gaps left by the modelers who created the rest of the 3D buildings in NYC. To view NYC in Google Earth, fly to "New York City" and turn on the 3D Buildings layer.

Playstation Home and 3D Social Gaming Communities

3Dwalkthroughs.com has not had the opportunity to officially test drive Home for the Playstation 3 but we do have high hopes for its potential. Home was just released this week in an open beta stage and has been getting mixed reviews.

The feedback thus far suggests that there is a lack of engaging content which was not as big of a deal when they were in a closed beta. With that said, based on the initial screen shots, the graphics look much better than any of the 3D virtual world platforms I have seen.

Once the quality of the content (I am sure it will improve) catches up with the level of 3D graphics, I believe this community will grow quickly.

We are interested in the Home platform as we believe that it will become a potential vehicle for promoting group exergaming communities. We predict in the near future, leagues, tournaments and other competitions will be held on platforms such as Home.

As motion sensor technology improves and games such as those promoted by Nintendo's Wii continue to evolve, the real exercise benefits that are derived from these games will improve as well.

It is time that we stop banging our heads against the wall and promote solutions to health and fitness that our youth can relate to...and this might mean video games.

The Playstation home platform is exciting because it can offer a support group of like minded individuals with similar interests and skill sets. This contrasts to the real world where youngsters are often turned off to exercise if they are not the most coordinated or talented athlete on the field.

I strongly believe that exergaming should only be utilized as a supplement to regular forms of exercise. For some, however, exergaming can help to build the confidence required to get started with a real world program.

Sony's 3D Social Networking Service To Debut Tomorrow

3Dwalkthroughs.com is anxious to test drive the "PlayStation Home" 3D social gaming community service for the PlayStation 3 which is set to debut worldwide tomorrow.

The free download of the basic service will enable gamers to create avatars and explore a virtual community where they can communicate via text or voice chat, play mini-games, watch videos and participate in special events.

PlayStation Home users will also be able purchase "entitlements" to run their own virtual community clubhouses.

"PlayStation Home is a social gaming service unlike anything else on the market and we are excited to be partnering with gaming and non-gaming partners to develop content that connects and entertains today's PS3 users like never before," said Susan Panico, senior director of PlayStation Network for Sony Computer Entertainment America.

Source: digital media wire

Personally I am curious to see the quality of interactive 3D graphics that have been integrated into Playstation Home. If the social aspects of this world match the 3D graphics we are expecting , social networking is going to be taken to a whole new level.

Not To Be Outdone, The NBA All-Star Game Will Air in 3D

As a follow up to a 3Dwalkthroughs.com post about the NFL airing one of their games in 3D, we just heard that the NBA will be following suit.

The National Basketball Association is teaming up with Turner Sports and a digital hardware and software provider to broadcast the U.S. sports league's all-star game in 3D in February.

The game, which will be shown live on Feb. 14 in 80 movie theaters in 35 states equipped with gear provided by Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp, is the first time an NBA game will be shown in 3D to a paying public across the country, the companies said on Tuesday.

Source: Reuters.com

The move to broadcast sports events in 3D will potentially help to combat a slump in ticket sales that could be spurred by the recession. The tickets to these 3D events would certainly be a lot less expensive than a regular ticket to attend the event live. In addition, movie theaters offering these 3D events will be able to better monetize their theaters during off-peak hours.

Of course the ultimate goal is to broadcast 3D to the home, but it appears we still have to wait for that technology a little longer.

Property Owners Are Offering Rent To Buy Options To Motivate Cash Flow

3Dwalkthroughs.com came across a story in the NY Times about a strategy being employed by certain property owners to stimulate cash flow in the face of this deepening economic crisis.

The new strategy allows prospective owners to lease with the option to buy, using part of the rent toward the purchase.

Rent-to-own options, which come in many variations, have become increasingly common for developers in areas where home foreclosures are high, like Nevada, California and Florida. In most cases, the accumulated rent is used to lower the purchase price or to reduce closing costs. (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines generally preclude using rent money toward the down payment, mortgage experts say, because buyers need to prove that they can save on their own and thus qualify for a loan.)

The last time lease-purchase options were seen with any frequency in the New York area was in the late ’80s and early ’90s — a time when market conditions may have been even more dire than they are now, according to veteran real estate professionals, and certainly a time when interest rates were a lot higher.

Source: NY Times

To market this new strategy, property owners are using flyers and billboards encouraging people to test drive buildings and neighborhoods.

Somehow when I think of renting with an option to buy I cannot help but think of the scene in the movie Fletch when Chevy Chase's character is asked "if he owns rubber gloves?". Fletch says, "I rent with an option to buy".

Club Cooee - 3D Instant Messaging

3Dwalkthroughs.com came across a pretty cool application developed by Alexander Jorias and Ingo Frick, veterans of the German computer game industry.

The application called Club Cooee is a 3D internet communication platform for teenagers who want to meet in a virtual reality to have fun and be creative together.

Club Cooee is an innovative and worldwide unique 3D messenger capable of depicting a realtime and live environment on the user’s Windows desktop – without a surrounding program window.

The Club Cooee 3D messenger client turns the depiction of avatars, rooms and items into a user-friendly interface in Windows Vista Widget style. Apparently it works just as well for Windows XP.

Users can network online and interact with each other in situations they build themselves. They can chat, watch movies and pictures, listen to music and more. Avatars, furniture items and other object are constantly being updated allowing users create their world according to their own tastes.

Sign Up Free Here to give it a test drive.

Image and Content Source: Club Cooee Website

Blitz Game Studios - 3D Video Games For Xbox and Playstation

3Dwalkthroughs.com came across a story that will be very exciting to all of you gamers out there. Blitz Game Studios unveiled its world first proprietary technology showing true stereoscopic 3D games running on Xbox ® 360 and PlayStation ® 3 game consoles at the 3D Entertainment Summit in Los Angeles.

Blitz Game Studio's CTO Andrew Oliver revealed the first of the series of games demonstrating how an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 can create games that replicate the full HD 3D experience.

In his speech Oliver said, "Many TV manufacturers are already selling sets capable of displaying 3D imagery and we envisage that these sets will rapidly gain popularity as content in the form of movies and games becomes available. Our technology allows for games to run in both 2D and 3D in one version - by simply flicking a 'switch' between them. It really has to be seen to be believed."

While I am not a gamer myself, I am still very interested to check out this 3D technology as I believe it will eventually be applied to other industries as well.

Source: Blitz Studios Website

Roam Interactive - An Australian Company With A Very Innovative Interactive 3D Interface (say that three times fast)

While reviewing some of our competition from across the globe, 3Dwalkthroughs.com came across an innovative company offering some very unique interactive 3D solutions.

Roam Interactive, based in Queensland, Australia has developed a proprietary real time technology called the Go AnywhereTM 3d engine and design tool which is specially developed for completely interactive project visualizations.

Roam Interactive's new technology not only raises the bar in terms of interactive 3D possibilities, it also offers cross media functionality such as brochure quality and even billboard size images that are ready instantly and in full quality.

But wait there's more...Roam Interactive also offers an interactive 3D interface called Multi-Touch. Here is a description of the Multi-Touch technology taken directly from their website: The natural and intuitive touch screen interface provides a natural way to explore the 3d environments. By simply touching a part of the development on the screen, the viewer can explore in detail. With the power of touch gestures, options are selected by swiping across the screen or simply flicking through a list. Three dimensional control is enabled with two fingers being used at once to perform 3d rotation and zooming within the environment.

Presentation systems can be setup from simple stand alone touch screen units to large theatre like presentation spaces. Incorporating this system into a project display centre means capabilities and customer impact far in excess of traditional tools such as looping videos and static physical models. Now the presentation of a development is available in a tailored and highly relevant manner. The system also includes instantly generated custom brochures and other personalisation features.

Image and Content Source: Roam Interactive Website

As we have mentioned in many previous posts, property development companies that are stuck with inventories they need to move are going to have to seek out innovative 3D solutions to stand out from the crowd.