Blog For Google Warehouse (April 2008)

At the beginning of every month 3Dwalkthroughs.com selects our favorite 3D model 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 April 2008 we have chosen the Landmark Hotel & Kabul City Centre. This model was selected as we really liked the clean lines that were used as well as the reflective surface of the facade.

Description
This is one of the largest and tallest buildings in Kabul, housing a 4-star hotel complex and parts of the famous and popular Kabul City Centre. The centre itself is a giant shopping mall offering all sorts of goods and articles. Though prices are very high compared to average income, this mall is generally judged upon as an enrichment for the capital city. This building is open to the Afghan and international public.

ThinkWare's 3D Navigation System - Making It Impossible To Get Lost?

Based on the direction that navigation systems are heading, soon we might not need to look out of the windshield to see where we are going...well, not exactly, but close.

A new 3D navigation system has hit the market in Korea by a company called ThinkWare. The navigation system features highly detailed 3D maps that show every imaginable aspect of the travelled route.

Thinkware's iNAVI K2 boasts a 7-inch 800 x 600 resolution touchscreen, DMB TV tuner, 500MHz processor, picture-in-picture support, integrated media player and AV input. You'll also find a headphone jack, USB port, built-in antenna, SD expansion slot, stereo speakers and some form of karaoke game -- which is likely worth the price of admission alone.

Source: Engadget.com

Unfortunately it does not appear like Thinkware's device will be available any time soon in the United States. With that being said, 3Dwalkthroughs.com is pretty confident that it is just a matter of time before a similar 3D technology is developed and made available here in America.

3D Virtual Worlds Trade Show in NYC

Members of 3Dwalkthroughs.com have just returned home from our European excursion and we are fighting our jet lag as we prepare for the week to come.

This week will be an interesting week as New York City will play host to the Virtual Worlds 2008 convention taking place at the Jacob Javitz Center. The show will be open from April 3rd until April 4th and will feature presentations by current and upcoming players in the 3D Virtual World industry.

As we near the launch of 3D Virtual Venues it will be interesting to visit the show and meet some of our competitors and future collaborators. The show is scheduled to cover topics ranging from legal issues involving 3D Virtual Worlds to completely new applications of 3D Virtual World technology that we have not even seen yet.

About Virtual Worlds 2008
Virtual Worlds 2008 is where leading media, consumer entertainment, youth brands and agencies come to understand how to monetize their intellectual property using virtual worlds.

Entertainment brands and youth-oriented companies are increasingly integrating virtual worlds into their product mix. Forward thinking brand advertisers and agencies are aligning themselves with high-quality virtual worlds franchises in order to further engage consumers.

Source: Virtual Worlds 2008 Website

3Dwalkthroughs.com in Germany

3Dwalkthroughs.com arrived in Munich, Germany about 4pm and we headed straight to the main shopping area immediately after checking into our hotel. Munich was much more modern than the other cities we visited and actually reminded us of certain areas of London. The makeup of the stores as well as the diversity of the people walking around was what you might expect in Picadilly Circus in London.

After a good night’s sleep we took a bus tour around Munich and visited certain notable landmarks such as BMW’s world headquarters and museum (pictured above), as well as the Olympic Stadium which the movie Munich was based on.

The second part of the day included a very powerful visit to Dachaus. Dachaus was the first concentration camp built by the Nazi’s and served as a model for all of the other concentration camps. Needless to say it was overwhelming and very emotional.

This concludes the diversion from our normal 3D posts as we head back to New York tomorrow morning. We hoped our play by play of our trip through Vienna, Budapest, Prague and Munich was somewhat enjoyable and informative.

3Dwalkthroughs.com in Prague Day 2

3Dwalkthroughs.com’s second day in Prague involved a lot of walking and very strange weather. It went from sunny and 45 degrees, to heavy snow and a windy 30 degrees about 5 times during the day.

The majority of the day was spent walking around the downtown area which was completely filled with little shops, cafes and bigger chain stores. A couple of us commented that walking through the narrow cobblestone streets of Prague with the heavy snow falling felt very surreal, almost like out of a movie.

Most of the narrow side streets all connect with a main square which features a huge tower with a very interesting clock. According to a guide, the clock has many details which are all symbolic of ancient beliefs.

The image above shows a small waterway which runs behind many of the old shops and apartments. It looks similar to something you would expect in Italy, but without the Gondolas. If you look very closely you can see the snow as it began to fall for the third time of the day. About 15 minutes after the picture was taken it was bright sunshine again.

Our next post will be from Munich Germany which is our last stop before returning home…stay tuned.

3Dwalkthroughs.com Heads To Prague

After leaving Budapest, 3Dwalkthroughs.com headed off to our next stop in Europe which is Prague. I must say it is one of the most amazing places I have ever been. The castles, churches and other buildings dotting the landscape are beyond belief.

One of the most noteworthy castles which we actually were able to go in, was the Prague Castle. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Prague Castle is one of the largest continuous castle complexes in the world. It comprises an extensive group of palaces and church buildings in various architectural styles, from 10th Century Romanesque buildings to the newest modifications of the late 20th Century.

The picture above shows a view from one of the entrances, taken from the ground up. The interior of the castle was breathtaking although we were not allowed to take photos. Our next and last stop on our European tour is Germany.

3Dwalkthroughs.com in Budapest

3Dwalkthroughs.com finally arrived in Budapest after our brief stop in Bratislava. We spent 2 days in Budapest and took in a lot of the sites. In Budapest we did something we do not typically do, which is take a city tour.

It was a good move as our tour guide was extremely informative and passionate about his country and it s heritage. The architecture in Budapest was primarily old but very impressive There were many huge, intricately detailed castles and government building with very intriguing stories.

One of the more interesting but very sad stories from our tour guide took place in front of the Parliament building. The story described a massacre that took place in 1956 as a result of a peaceful but heated demonstration that was being held by the Hungarians. The heated demonstration took the lives of a couple hundred Hungarians by the Soviet Army.

The image above was taken from a high vantage point overlooking the Danube River which separates the Buda and the Pest sides. The Danube River has been following us throughout our journey but will leave us as we head to our next stop, which is Prague.