by Dirk Gombos
The hottest new technology has emerged in the virtual and augmented reality worlds. We at 3DE would like to explain a bit about what it is, what could mean for your brand and bring you a bit of historical information. Over the next few weeks we will illustrate 3DE’s all-encompassing approach to drive your content straight to the marketplace.
AR (Augmented Reality) is in the marketplace, currently in the GPS and compass based way with additional Info applications. The main point of AR is to take a clear set of glasses between you and the environment and through mediated reality, superimpose graphics (VR)/Objects (live camera 360 or rendered).
VR (Virtual Reality) is still driving innovation and will be a piece of the AR tech, especially in the filming of 3D and 360 formats for education, movies and advertising. This is evident that as AR gets better, still a safe 1 or 2+ years away, the video game companies will use rendered current VR applications and place the person inside the game through AR device. However, a real world experience (In camera) would feel that much more immersive for people, thereby creating a need for having live camera capture in 3D and 360 as part of the overall solution... that is, till we have implanted chips in our head that does everything. ;)
Conclusion: VR 360 is still a viable money maker and still exploding for the next 1-3 years, while AR applications, technology and content gear up for consumers closer to 2020 and beyond.
Perhaps hitting the low laying fruit of VR 360 and using that to immerse and desensitize the overwhelming feeling of being in a new environment for the current clients, will do a few things:
· Help AR technology get better through VR 360 innovation and its foray into marketplace.
· Educate the users on VR today so when they move into wearable AR clear glasses in the future, they will be used to the wow factor, having only adapt to a more immersive AR interaction.
The final AR form will seem to want to incorporate tactile technology of some sort (Hand and body mapping and tracking in space). The first bleeding edger’s are starting to offer Green screen replacement/MOCAP based solutions currently, not exactly for AR scape but getting ready for it.
So the overall AR experience is a bit away, the VR 360 Bridge is still here, there are theme rides at Six Flags already with Samsung Gear VR in conjunction with a ride.
Pushing the in camera capture to integrate into Advertising, Movies, Education is a great opportunity for both production and post production today while integrating AR as R&D till we have viable niche to pursue and keep sustainable.
Next week, we give a very brief history of AR and some companies leading the way in AR…