BlackfriarsWireframe

BlackfriarsWireframe, originally uploaded by Ina Centaur.

NaviLibrary 2.0 - Fully-functional, 3D web-browser on a Prim

a preview of a fully-functional, 3D web-browser... A demo for NaviLibrary v2.0 and Awesomium. This demo uses Ogre for Rendering like RealXtend and Sirikata

Using Blender as an Interactive Editor for OpenSim

Early proof of concept by Toni Alatalo, Playsign
http://playsign.fi/engine/BlenderOMV

Avatar hits conventional 3D and IMAX 3D theaters on December 18, 2009.

Here is the latest clipped from http://www.comingsoon.net/news/avatarnews.ph
p?id=56535:

"James Camerom screened 24 minutes of his highly-anticipated Avatar at the Cinema Expo in Amsterdam on Tuesday and scooper 'The Insider' witnessed the footage and sent us this exclusive report! The footage utilized the RealD XL Cinema System. The 3D presentation was on a 55-foot screen with nearly 10-foot Lamberts of light, delivering the largest and brightest 3D presentation at Cinema Expo.

I've just returned from a preview screening of James Cameron's hugely anticipated movie "Avatar" at the Cinema Expo in Amsterdam and I'm still feeling the after effects of this jaw-dropping experience"

Ray Kurzweil on Virtual Worlds - btw -The Eyeware is here Now.

Clipped from WWN:

Ray Kurzweil to Keynote This Year's SLCC

Here is extraordinary and transformational news: I just got word that Ray Kurzweil, the legendary inventor and futurist, will keynote this year's Second Life Community Convention in San Francisco, speaking on the benefits of virtual environments and virtual reality. "I think Ray Kurzweil’s speech will change the tone of this year's convention compared to previous ones," SLCC director Nexeus Fatale tells me, which is an epic understatement. Among the world's greatest technologists, Kurzweil has often spoke about Second Life in relation to the future of human society, in ways that stretch far beyond how we currently experience it.

And from Rochester , NY

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Blow clipped from Gizmodo

Vuzix Announces World’s First Fashionable Sunglass-Style Video Eyewear with Revolutionary “See-Thru” Quantum Optics

Provides a 60-inch private video display complete with Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality capabilities and built-in noise-isolating earphones all in less than 3 ounces

Rochester, NY – January 5th, 2009 – Vuzix Corporation is thrilled to announce a ground-breaking addition to the video eyewear market: the Wrap 920AV. As the demand for mobile access to digital entertainment and information skyrockets, Vuzix has once again pushed the envelope. This portable big screen solution with Vuzix’ proprietary Quantum optics technology allows for a “see-thru” video experience in the form of a functional pair of sunglasses and is upgradeable with optional accessories.

The stylish Wrap 920AV functions with any media playing device with a video output and projects a virtual 60-inch screen, as viewed from 9-feet. The state-of-the-art lens technology also allows users for the first time to view 3D video content while seeing and interacting with the real world. This incredible blend of reality and computer generated content will transform the world of portable video while opening up the consumer to previously impossible “location aware” applications. An optional 6-Degree of Freedom tracking sensor and/or Stereo Camera Pair will enable users to upgrade their Wrap 920AV to experience virtual, augmented and mixed reality environments.

“The Wrap 920AV will not just change the portable video industry, but how consumers view and interact with information,” said Vuzix CEO Paul Travers. “From watching a Civil War video reproduction battle reenactment on the actual battleground to walking through the streets of New York City with an animated virtual tour guide, the possibilities are endless,” added Travers.

“As listed in 2008 at the Gartner Emerging Trends and Technologies Roadshow, Augmented Reality promises a paradigm shift in how consumers interact with news, entertainment and information,” said Vuzix Consumer Division Product Manager Ron Haidenger. “The Wrap 920AV is the first product at a consumer price point to deliver this game changing technology to the masses,” added Haidenger.

Additionally, Vuzix will be offering low cost optional prescription lens inserts to provide the perfect solution for consumers wearing prescription eyeglasses. A patent pending electronic Inter-Pupillary Distance system enables eye separation adjustment, ensuring that all users will have an optimal viewing experience. Amazingly, the entire system weighs less than 3 ounces.

The above is coming soon according to Vuzix but they just released is this:

The iWear AV230 XL+ delivers a virtual display equivalent to a 44-inch screen at a very affordable price.

With unmatched quality and performance, the iWear

Plug and play!

The AV230 XL+ is a wearable display that transforms your small portable video player screen into a personal home theater with a virtual 44-inch screen as viewed from nine feet. Dual displays provide crisp images and vivid colors through optics aligned to military specifications. Worn like regular glasses, the AV230 XL+ includes separate focus adjustments for each eye and removable high-quality stereo earphones. A single removable AA battery affords up to 7 hours of viewing enjoyment. Now with 3D video support! Compatible with all popular formats of 3D stereoscopic video including side-by-side and anaglyph.

Price: $199.95 (USD)

Torque 3D Web Demo

Live Asset Updating - Torque 3D from GarageGames on Vimeo.In this video, GarageGames showcases the new Live Asset Updating functionality for Torque 3D.
Below clipped from: Ralph Koster's Website:

"Torque 3D looks to be challenging Unity for the 3d game in a plugin market; check out this feature on their home page:

Deploy any Torque 3D project from the World Editor to a web browser in seconds with our web publishing options. Torque 3D supports all major browsers and operating systems, including IE7, FF3, OS X and Chrome. Games perform at 100% native speed, with no performance cost, completely in your browser.

Both solutions, of course, require that the plugins that host the native client be widely deployed, which is the biggest challenge. The gap between something like Flash or Javascript, and something like this, is measured in the hundreds of millions of installs. Of course, what you get for the native renderers in the plugins is desktop quality graphics.

The push on the other side, of course, is to upgrade the graphics in a form basically native to the browser, so you don’t need a plugin at all, or if you do it’s one you already have (because you visited YouTube once)."

and fom the last comment by Brett Seyler of GarageGames

" I agree. No magic bullet exists yet, and I doubt one will appear in the next 12-18 months. I think this is an awkward, but promising transitional period for games one the web / games in the browser. The streaming problem is a big one to tackle technologically, but there are good solutions for that."

Update:

Onverse opends its doors: http://www.onverse.com/#/Home/

GridHop a Region Database for OpenSim Hypergrid.

GridHop is mainly aimed for use with the clients built-in web browser. The simplest way to access the GridHop interface is to login to your favorite grid or standalone and type the URL http://gridhop.net/ into the chat window. Then just click it from the chat window. That opens the built-in web browser. Here you can browse and search the GridHop database and spot the place you like to visit.

You use the hypergrid link when the destination is on another grid, the teleport link, when the destination is on the same grid.

above via: Gridhop.net

Other sources:

Public Hypergrid Nodes

The above link is to a list of hypergrid-ready nodes on the OpenSim Wiki that can be used for testing your installation and for linking your world.

Noted Warning:

For the time being, and until the security concerns are addressed, we advise you to be careful about who you link to.

Creating Avatars for Multiple Platforms

One of the challanges of bringing newbie clients into a virtual world outside Second Life is developing a simple new account & first avatar experiance. OpenSim's Ruth, RealXtend'S default Male. and 3dXplorer's generic 20 something male are all rather disappointing.


Click on the image to enlarge


alternate hair

IBM releases Virtual Wold platform behind the firewall -Sametime3D

On June 24th, 2009, IBM announced its first virtual meeting capability for remote, mobile and global teams- Virtual Collaboration for Lotus Sametime. This offering is the result of our research into integrated collaboration tools, a project known as Sametime 3D, which sought to demonstrate the value of integrating virtual world meeting capabilities with existing enterprise applications. Virtual Collaboration for Lotus Sametime (VCS) is an IBM Software Service for Lotus that allows clients to set up and utilize virtual meeting spaces in a secure, behind the firewall configuration. Learn more at: http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/services/vc4sametime.html

VR leaves the Cave - Again

For 40 years Virtual Reality (VR) has not gone mainstream. In 1966: Ivan Sutherland invented the head-mounted display suggesting it was a window into a virtual world. VR has been a nich market used by those with R&D budgets, Intel, IBM, the Defense Industry and the NSF. It just never caught on and entered the mass market through at least 3 Gartner hype cycles and even product introductions. Yesturday 1989 - the Mattel Power Glove. Today - the Wii controller, Tomarrow - Microsoft Natal?.

Virtual Worlds or MMOG have been around as long, since the 80s.

Now the hype is Augmented Reality but remember it was 16 years ago, 1992: when Tom Caudell coined the phrase Augmented Reality while at Boeing helping workers assemble cables into aircraft. The idea has been there, even the technology and yes the Best programmers and scientists have been onboard, but........ That Killer App still illudes.

Below snipped from: Wired, By Priya Ganapati, June 18, 2009

3D Conferencing System Allows for Virtual Light Saber Duels

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Intel have created a system that can support collaborative physical activities from different geographical locations.

“We can capture motions of the human body in real time and bring them together on a big screen,” says Ahsan Arefin, a doctoral student currently involved with the project.

The project called ‘Tele-immersive Environment for Everybody’ or TEEVE hooks up two off-the-shelf 3D cameras to a PC with a Firewire port. A gateway server at each site sends and receives the different video streams using standard compression techniques. A renderer is used to project the virtual interactions on a big screen monitor, creating a real-time virtual 3D effect. It’s like web conferencing, but with a virtual reality twist.

The idea has applications beyond gaming. It can be used in business, sports and medicine, says Arefin. An experiment by the University had two dancers from different locations dancing together on a large screen.

Arefin says TEEVE can work on PCs with high-end Intel processors.

“Our goal is to make the system portable and easily deployable because of its use of off-the-shelf components,” he says.

SnowGlobe & HTTP texture

Clipped from the SL wiki

Objective of the http-texture Project

The initial idea of the project is to allow the viewer to point to any image file of any format anywhere on the internet, pull it using the http protocol and use it as a regular texture anywhere textures are used.

This involves a bunch of moving (and new) parts:

• Using any file format as textures (instead of just j2c)
• Pulling image files using HTTP (instead of UDP)
• Getting resources from any host (instead of just the LL asset server)

This is a rather ambitious and wide ranging change. As of today (March 24th, 2009), the main plumbing has been implemented with the following caveats:

• Only jpeg images are supported as another file format
• Such images must be loaded at once (no progressive rendering yet)
• Except for jpegs specified with an "http://" URLs, all other images are still using the old fashion protocol
• There are still quite a bit of crashes here and there... Don't use such a build for your regular SL activities (search for bugs logged against http-texture branch in PJIRA for more info)

Quick Thoughts:

Imagine the implications:

• Freeing up the LL servers from storing, retrieving, cashing, & sending textures/ OH and those nasty adult textures, we dont do them.

and

• those pesky IP rights issues. take down notices.

and

• Working in China. Iran, and Australia is easier if The Powers That Be can block your offensive textures and not our game, our product offering.
  

~woot~ I can hear the boardroom presentation of this now.

OH better yet

More $$ for "The Lab" as well.

• New SaaS products..

• Sell asset services, like land. Imagine all content creators becoming responsible for their own Rez times/level of service.

How about?

• You can pay extra (a new Premium Content Creator account) to have LL serve/store assets for you
  

or

• Don't pay up and content creators (IP owners) can always just get and pay for their own asset server(s).
  

Ballgame changed..... Pay for it to come out, not 10L to go in...

Maybe... We will see.

Into the Deep end of the Pool

We have been exploring and talking to many people "outside the box" lately. Being that I am located in a US city that was once the Silicon Valley of the 60s, residents here have a hard understanding just how important it is to think outside the box.

Kodak just retired Kodachrome(tm) and If there ever was a poster child for those that can't think out of the box and see how technology can change a whole landscape this would be it.

We have been posting clips and snip on ~woot~ the past few days, most would not interest readers here who have a different focus, but there is one thing I will share...

Intel: The people with the worst graphics chips, giving a place to ATI and Nvidia is no sleeping giant, nor have they failed to date to capitalize on their research like another "High Tech" company from this city did after they invented Ethernet, the mouse & yes the desktop metaphor.



Intel acquired and now owns Havok, and acquired another group "Offset" and it's team, I believe in 2008, Since then, they have been making great progress on a game (still codenamed “Project Offset”).

Just "a game" maybe modest as I look at it:



It supports Collada, as do many games now, but it has simultaneous real time games editing and play (think Second Life) and yes they have just a few resources to make 3D work. Here is a link to their features page:

http://www.projectoffset.com

With all the technology - Why is the A&E Industry still Laggin?

via: www.aecbytes.com/

Even with CADD, Project Management Software, the Internet, BIM, the A&E segment just can't improve construction productivity. Read the industry rags and you will see they just don't get it.

Some Architects Do get it...

Apple Snow Leopard to Support Collada

Via: The Khronos org:

Apples Snow Leopard promises System Wide support for COLLADA

On the Apple OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Enhancements and Refinements page, under System Wide Digital Asset Exchange support there is a easily overlooked mention of COLLADA. Users of COLLADA and the file format .dae will be please to see that Preview, OS X's lightway graphic viewer application, will display .dae files with OpenGL-powered 3D graphics. You will be able to zoom and rotate around a 3D scene and play viewpoint animations. There is a good discussion about this over at idevgames.com