The Official Soft Launch of Openofficespace.com

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

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

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

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

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

The evolution of the Open Office Space concept.

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

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

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

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

Boom! Open Office Space was conceived.

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

Using 3D Renderings To Promote Available Retail Space

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

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

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

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

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

Which school do you belong to?

Baseball Card Go 3D!

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

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

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

Source: NY Daily News website

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

The Future of 3D Animation?

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

Source: The Future of Marketing Real Estate website

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: TMCnet.com

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

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

3D Assets + Social Media = The New Mass Marketing

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

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

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

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

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

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