Web3D – As Seen Through PeriVision

VRHackathon this weekend, Dec 2-4 2016. Mixer on Dec 1. Prizes!!

perivision — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 15:39:14 +0000

Here we go. Another VR hackathon happening in SF (Microsoft Reactor 680 Folsom St Ste. 145 San Francisco, CA 94107) I expect lots of Vives, Oculus and GearVR’s. I should not have to explain to you dear readers at this point what a VR hackathon is. BTW, the site says its sold out, but its not, use the RSVP link and/or show up either Thursday at the mixer at Razer’s SF office (201 3rd St #900, San Francisco, CA 94103) or Friday at the Reactor. Sign up VRHackathon here.

I will stop in at some point on Thursday, but I will be there on Friday and Sunday when I will judge the best GearVRf project. Oh, what is GearVRf? In short, its an open source project to allow the creation of VR worlds using Java. Prizes? Of course! (5) Gear 360 cameras will be given out.

Will there be devices we can use? I plan on bringing 10 GearVR Note 4 devices. Yea its an older device, but it works fine for hacks.

The GearVR Framework Project

The Gear VR Framework (GearVRf) Project is an open source collaboration based on the GearVRf open-source rendering library for application development on VR-supported Android devices.

GearVRf makes it easy to develop compelling VR applications:

Easy-to-use Java application development environment
Easy access to powerful VR technology
Does not require extensive knowledge of OpenGL and the Oculus renderer
Simple and effective rendering manager
Compatible with mainstream VR development tools

The GearVRf API provides VR application developers with simplified access to Oculus SDK functionality, via the Java Native Interface and the GearVRf native library.

Now some details for the SF VRhackathon.

Its in San Francisco be held at Microsoft’s Reactor space, an interactive and modern office located just minutes from the Moscone Center and Powell BART station.

Friday
18:00 VR Meetup (Demos and presentations)
19:30 Program kick off (Presentations)
20:00 Hackathon Kickoff/Lightning Rounds/Team Formations
22:00 Adjourn

Saturday
9:00 Registration / Breakfast
10:00 Hackathon begins & Morning announcements
13:00 Lunch
19:00 Dinner
22:00 Adjourn for the evening

Sunday
9:00 Breakfast
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Hacking Concludes / Team Presentations & Judging
16:00 Winner announcements
16:15 Hacker Expo
18:00 Doors Close

Samsung Gear VR Internet is out. And here are 10 things that would make it even better

perivision — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 07:30:10 +0000

So VR Internet, called ‘Samsung Internet’ for some reason, just came out today. It is a Beta so some things we are going to overlook, like youtube not always loading and playing and drift; instead lets focus on the things I think will make it a great 1.0. Before we start, PLEASE SUPPORT .GIFV. If you cant, then expose the URL bar so we can change .gifv to .gif. I’m guessing this is a Beta thing too. OK, lets start the list of things to make Gear VR Internet great!

1) Increase the fonts!

Until we get 4 k screens, we are going to have to deal with the screen door effect and our current 2K’s are not great for reading. Increasing the font will help, but remember to let us choose it. And while we are at it, let us change the font itself.

2) Now once we increase the fonts, we need a bigger CURVED screen.

I’m glad I can zoom in, but I will want to zoom in even more, but the more we zoom in, the worse a flat screen looks. Check out Oculus VR desktop. Learn from that.

3) Now lets talk UI. Let me edit the URL bar. PLEASE!

4) It does not make sense to go to ‘TABS’ to create a new window.

I understand we are creating a new ‘tab’ but its not intuitive. I should have that option at home as well.

5) And speaking of Home, where did the recommended list go?

Now its filled with stuff I was testing out. If I wanted to save it I would have created a bookmark. Please provide a way to get that back if we choose.

6) I really like the Void theater mode when viewing Videos.

I can haz?

7) Speaking of video, lets sideload into MilkVR

I like MilkVR, its my preferred video viewer. When selecting a video, provide an option to send that URL to MilkVR. Even better, remember where we came from and when done watching in MilkVR, send us back to VR interwebs.

8) Swipe keyboard input would be great here.

9) Something seems to be off trying to find the tag and zoom to it.

Reddit is my test case. Zooms in way too much. I have to back out each time. BTW, title font on Reddit reads really well on the gear. Clue!

10) and finally … WebGL! And Web3D while we are at it.

11) Rename this to VR Interwebs. No reason.

BTW, Streetview would be nice.

Now, I think I’m going to make a version of Newssnacker.com just for the Gear! Keep your eyes open.

VR Hackathon in San Francisco this Memorial Day weekend! DO IT! And Friday is FREE

perivision — Tue, 12 May 2015 21:16:22 +0000

Yeah, I know, who would schedule something on Memorial Day weekend? Hardcore VR hackers, that’s who! So if you have family plans, then you are not fully dedicated to the cause. Ok, that was harsh, but still, you do not want to miss out on this year’s VR Hackathon. Last year was pretty fun…I should know…I was there (that is me in the far back with the peach(?) shirt). This is a 3 day event May 22-24. Starts Friday night. Friday is Free, so even if you’re on the fence, you should check it out.

Friday 6pm – 10pm
Mega Mixer (free and open to public)
& VR Hackathon Kickoff

Saturday 8am – 12am
Main event Day #1

Sunday 8am – 6pm
Main event Day #2

So this year will be just as good with even cooler prizes. Samsung is giving away a GearVR HMD WITH THE PHONE!! That’s right, win this category and you are set. Of course, your team will have to figure out who actually gets the device, but that’s your problem.

Unless you have been living under a rock (and given the property values in the Bay Area that just might not be a bad idea), VR is the new hotness and everyone is in the game: Google, Samsung, Facebook (yes, Facebook!) Sony, HTC, etc… The HMDs are more powerful, cheaper and better than before. Tools make it easy to create PC or mobile VR games and apps. Content from 3D video to full worlds is starting to be created. We are still in the beginning, so VC money is still flowing to start ups that can find their nitch, and this is the time to get a team and try a hack.

Plus, it’s just plain fun.

Go here to check out the details and get signed up. There are lots of categories so plenty of ways to win a hack. And VC’s love hack winners. Oh, and the VR Hackathon is offering free demo space on Friday nighty for anyone in the community who wants to show off their stuff!

Top 10 Apps for the Gear VR HMD

perivision — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 03:17:53 +0000

(Note, I’m posting this now, but its not done. But what I do want is feedback. Good list? Bad list? you have a better top 10? Tell me.) I finally got my Note 4 and start loading apps on the Samsung Gear VR and here is my top ten favorites. Normally I do not include games in my top 10 but with the Gear VR I will make an exception. Before I get to the list, a comment. There are a number of Apps that show 360 video and images. I’m going to list this as one item because basically, its the quality of the video that makes or breaks this experience. Some of the video I saw was poor and really did not take me into the virtual space where others, like the Cirque du Soleil and the Patrick Watson music demo really make me feel like I was there. As for the other VR applications I played with, non of them really felt like they were really taking advantage of what you can do in a VR helmet while at the same time, not making the user feel sick. This is a very difficult feat to achieve. Creating an experience where all the action is basically in front of you and your are motionless in the environment could also be achieved with a large screen and really good 3D glasses. However, if you create movement in the VR scene that is too far in conflict to the fact your ears and body are telling you that you are not moving will give your user VOR, better known as VR sickness quickly.

A final note about the Gear VR and the lenses fogging up. Every time I put this one the lens fog up on me. To fix this I went to a sky shoppe and bought defogging liquid for the lens. It works great for one use, but once it drys, then you are back to where you started. This is a first try at a VR HMD for Samsung and they made it clear this is a developers version, so I’ll give it a pass for now.

Oh and use earplugs. Worth it. Many of these demos lose something when playing sound through a speaker.

Unlike other sites, I will put the list down here first, then I will create a page per app because each one make the list for a different reason.

10. Playhead

I was really on the fence with Playhead because it did not appeal to me, but I appreciate the effort and the imagination that went into this effort. I’m sure this would be higher on other peoples lists.

9. DarkNet

8. Titans Of Space

7. Vanguard V : Nightitme Terror : Lunsee

6. Dreadhalls

5. Anshar Wars

4 Herobound: First Steps

3. Matterport VR : Gyeonju VR Museum

2. Esper

1. 360 Video’s . BTW the NBA videos look good but still wish the video was a bit more HD. In a few weeks we are suppose to be able to watch the All Stars game. Not sure if we get to see the whole game, or highlights or what.

Temple VR did not make it because they violate a basic rule in VR, do not move a users point of view too fast. When you dodge from one side to another you will get VR sickness pretty fast.

REAL 2015 – Where the Sensor meets the Maker

Damon — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 00:31:57 +0000

This past week was the REAL conference, an event organized mainly by Autodesk to explore the convergence of the professional 3D sensing, making & visualization industries.

From the website:
“REAL is both an exclusive executive summit, REAL TALK, & a world’s fair of cutting-edge 3D demos, REAL LIVE.

REAL is new and different: an immersive, hands-on, high-level gathering in a historic venue with a unique program.

REAL is real people, doing real-world work with reality tech.

REAL is Reality Computing.

WHO
REAL is 500+ leaders and innovators — professionals from across industry, investing, research, and media.

REAL brings together real work spanning disciplines from:
Architecture to Art,
Engineering to Entertainment,
Manufacturing to Media,
Heritage to Health, and
Sports to Science…
REAL is executives & engineers, developers & designers, inventors & investors, architects & artists, makers & meteorologists, surveyors & scientists, entrepreneurs & educators.

WHY
From drones to autonomous cars, industrial robots to major engineering works, and game consoles to tomorrow’s mobile phones, 3D sensors are suddenly everywhere. And several decades after first grabbing headlines, VR and 3D printing are hot again, attracting billions in investment, and moving beyond early adopters to professionals. But it is the sum total, where sensing meets making, where big change is brewing.

While the ‘Internet of Things’ grabs headlines, a 3D revolution is quietly building.”

Although I only was there for one day, this was quite the event and I rank it among the best I have ever attended. Yes it had cool exhibitors and great speakers, but my high marks come from it bringing together communities that normally don’t mix, even though they are complementary and or share technologies. Most parts of the ‘3D life cycle’ were present.

Autodesk pretty much owns the 3D modeling tools space, so 3D creation from that standpoint was in the house if not directly represented on the expo floor. Most, if not all, of the 3D creation was from scanning and capture technologies and companies like Leica, Matterport, Occipital, and Floored.

Companies like Arup and Autodesk showed off interactive 3D and VR applications while immersive technology companies including IrisVR and Metaio dazzled folks with virtual and augmented reality demos.

A little light on the ‘Make’ side, the event did showcase some digital fabrication art installations with Fathom and a few other companies demonstrating how 3D and scanned data can be used for digital fabrication (mainly 3D printing).

Topping things off on the last day, Matt Sonic and the San Francisco Virtual Reality Meetup group had their eighth meeting at the close of the REAL event that included thought provoking presentations and VR devs showing off some VR demos (unfortunately none related to the theme of the conference).

This event was a great #1 and I can’t wait to participate in the whole event next year to see what 3D technologies they invite next. This is definitely an event that as it grows, the world of 3D is going to get very REAL.

VR: Dont call it a comeback …

perivision — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 02:59:03 +0000

… I’ve been here for years.. Song? Anybody? That’s right! LL Cool J, ah a trip in the way back machine. However, we are not going to talk about ’91 rap, instead we are going to talk about what VR was in ’91 when ‘Mama said knock you out,’ was released, then again in ’98 when we thought VR was going to take off… and now 2014. What changed? And what is still the same? (ed: wrote this back in Oct, rewrote in Nov, then forgot to post… sigh… I know its 2015 now.)

First off I’m going to focus on VR and not include AR because although many people like to mix these two systems, immersive AR is VERY hard while simple HUD level AR is already available in your car. So lets see what we need for a good VR system, which is basically the same thing that Ivan Sutherland created in 1968 (that’s 46 years ago kittens). His head-mounted three dimensional display contained most of the basic elements we consider needed for VR. A head mounted stereo display, motion tracking, orientation tracking, high speed image rendering, HCI input. Missing was 3 things from the ’68 system. Easy content creation, user comfort and finally the Internet. But to be fair, the Internet did not exist back then, but I bet if it did Ivan would have pulled the content over the wire just to be cool. Oh and one more thing that was missing. Not everyone could afford to build one of these things. As such, not much happened with VR in a non military theater for awhile although research continued on. Then two things happened. The mid 80’s and mid 90’s.

In the early 80′ Graphic workstations were cheap enough and powerful enough that professionals could buy them. This allowed the general public to have its first taste of 3D generated images that were at the time limited to Hollywood movies like Looker and the landmark Tron. These workstation were still pretty expensive but as each year passed, they got more powerful such that you could render over 15 frames a second and create the illusion of motion.

As we drifted from the 80’s to the 90’s workstations were getting more and more powerful and cheaper because of Moore’s law. This allowed more and more people to play around with high pipeline graphic computing, so much so, you could actually render a textured scene over 15 frames a second! 3D became not something only done on very powerful and expensive powerhouse workstations, but on a workstation you could by in the 10’s of thousands of dollars. Now 3D graphics and effects were all over television instead of just high end movies. It was only a matter of time before young hackers starting putting the output of these workstations onto two small screens on a headset. Using various approaches to head tracking, and suddenly VR seemed very real with store fronts allowing users to enter a pod, don a 3D headset and play 3D games. Siggraph got more and more interesting every year and each year seem to surpass the previous.

By now VR really took off in the public imagination. Films like Tron and later Lawnmower Man that introduced 3D and VR to a game called Dactyl Nightmare by company called Virtuality that when hit the Press made everyone go nuts. Seemed like VR was really here! Now everyone was writing about it and people wringing their hands that this would be the end of our humanity. But this was just the beginning, Moore’s law and more accessible 3D creation tools like VRToolKit and 3D editing tools kept the hype expanding… and I was there.

Back in 1994 I was doing research on VR through a service called Gopher then later using something very new and cool called the worldwideweb which you accessed through a browser called Mosaic (we are going way back kiddies) I started researching 2D cad, 3D cad, and finally VR while studying Architecture at UC California, Berkeley … Even in my own lab in Berkeley, I had a VFX1 HMD running on a PC. A PC! The leaps and bounds of computer power seemed limitless. And with each new CPU came faster and faster framerates. Memory was going down too, so putting textures on objects was not only a real possibility and broke real time ceiling that was limiting 3D with only phone shading. Further the gaming industry had its first big break through. Quake! (we can argue duke nukem another time) In fact, I found Quake was faster then any of the 3d rendering engines from any school at the time. I did my masters thesis using modified maps with Quake and the VFX1 HMD.

And then… All went quite. Was it over hype? Tech bobble burst? Wasted dollars on projects that never made sense in the first place? Yes.

Fast forward to 2014.

So here we are. The Oculus rift which was a geeky kickstarter project exploded and then got bought by Facebook. It finally seemed that perhaps VR for the masses could be possible. Then shoe No.2 dropped. At Google I/O a cool little project was presented called Google cardboard, which basically gave you a simple VR headset made out of cardboard using your phone as the display and computer. Didn’t take long for a number of higher material devices to be created on the same concept including Samsung’s Gear VR using the Note4. Suddenly we had the basic building blocks of Cheap VR for the masses. We also have more content. 3D video is part of the VR offering making VR not just the real of playing video games. Speaking of games, Unity now comes with an Oculus publishing option. We also have broadband.. well most of us do. So is this? Will it really happen this time???

Ummm.. Not sure.. There still are some problems.

First, there is not THAT much content. I see a number of videos coming out but they are all proof of concepts and many of them are not that good of quality. Games? Yes there are a few games made especially for the VR experience but most are demos. There is still more money focusing on the PC or console gamer. VR sickness? Its getting better with faster frame-rates and better tracking, but many VR designers still do not understand just how close to the edge the user is before they get sick of orientation disruption is is taken too far. That being said…

I think there is a good chance we have hit the tipping point where VR can become a nitch consumer industry. Right now I’m waiting with baited breath for the NBA All Stars 360 Video to come out for the Gear VR. I’m really hoping they are taking the extra time to make it look nice and feel immersive. Speaking of the Gear, I love the fact that I can put the headset in the car or backpack and with my note 4, access VR anywhere, anytime. THIS IS NEW and this is big. With a bluetooth controller, I pretty much have all I need for a sit down VR experience. This is something we have not had from the beginning. In time I expect the HMD to shrink to glasses size again using the phone for computing power. Its this freedom and flexibility that is what will keep VR from busting again.

Post: Its March already and I’m doing a quick edit and posting this before I forget again. In the time between first wriring this and today we have seen a number of new HMD’s come out as well as Microsoft’s amazing HoloLens. Its the HoloLens I’m most excited about. The usecase for AR displays in the home and work is mind bending. I have not seen it in person, but believe me, the moment I do, I will be posting!!!

So my bet on VR/AR? I do not think we have seen the full potential yes, or anything close, but I do not expect to see a bust like we did at the beginning of 2000. With low cost hardware, better software and access to high speed internet, the VR industry will only grow from here…. Slowly.

Google Cardboard now in Plastic if the Samsung rumors are true

perivision — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 06:02:50 +0000

From Sammobile.com

Last week at Google I/O, they sprang a cardboard phone holder that basically turn your smartphone into a VR HMD display device. Its extremely cleaver, and was quite the hit. So much so, there is a strong demand for these guys even a week later. Now we are hearing rumors that a plastic version of this is coming out called the Samsung Gear VR. I’m not sure how true this is, but it would not be all that hard to make something like the Google Cardboard HMD in plastic and then make a few improvememts. Might even work better since it would be lighter and made to better tolerances. However, part of the rumor is that it will be more then just a phone housing as with the cardboard version. According to Sammobile.com this thing will come with extra feature like:

On the right side of the Gear VR, there is a see-through button, which uses the smartphone’s rear-facing camera sensor to supply the user with a video feed of the real outside world – this way the user won’t need to remove and wear the headset again and again, which will make the overall experience of wearing the headset easier than alternatives from Oculus or Sony. There is also a touchpad located directly under the see-through button, which will allow users to navigate through the user interface on the Galaxy smartphone.

I wrote before how disappointed I was when the Galaxy Gear first come out, trying to put too into the device and then pricing it too high. Not to mention locking it to their own devices. I also discussed how I was looking forward to the Google watch for the same reason, spoiler alert, I’m going to try to get on this week and hack on it. So I do not have my hopes up that the VR Gear will be something I want to buy. In fact, I would not be surprised to see it locked to the Galaxy line with a special driver that is matched to the optics making it unless with any other phone.

But what I DO expect, is someone out there is going to design a simple plastic version and sell it for $15 or even better, a 3D printer version that can be put together with 3 or 4 parts. I will be all over that.

Virtual Reality Hackathon coming to SF. Why its different this time so get your Helmets ready

perivision — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 23:56:43 +0000

Did anyone watch the Google IO conference broadcast, or better yet, was there? Hope you are enjoying your watches. But more importantly, are you enjoying your cardboard HMD? I have to admit, that caught me by surprise, but very cool! But the point of the VR glasses is to demonstrate Google’s VR Build Kit. I have not tried it myself yet, but I will check it out when I have time. The point here is that VR is suddenly coming back into vogue. A LOOONG time ago, VR was hot, I’m talking back in the 90’s. Now we simply called it 3D, but when VRML and other 3D world applications first hit the market, people went nuts referring to VR and world changing. Remember Second Life? Perfect example. Everyone and every company was suppose to have a virtual storefront… which did not happen. I spent most of my Collage education around spatial perception in virtual environments so I was drinking the cool-aid (at least in the beginning) as well. However, as I started doing more research, I realized this was all a false promise and hinted to as much in my PhD thesis. And then just like that, it was over.

Well seems the pendulum has swung back to the VR/AR hotness again. Beginning with the kickstarter project, Oculus, later purchased by Facebook (still not sure why), then a number of copy cat VR headsets, Motorcycle helmets with HUD displays (my favorite) and now Google has a VR dev platform with aforementioned sweet ass cardboard VR glasses mounts. So what is different this time?

Plenty. When I was first playing in the VR/AR world, we had AOL dial up, Pentium I PC’s running windows 95 or 98. Limited content and Headsets that cost in the thousands. The most common way to experience a 3D world was through games or VRML. Now a high-speed internet connection is pretty common. Most desktop computers have more then enough power to display a reasonably detailed 3D world out of the box, and high power graphic cards are almost a 1/10th of the price from the 90’s. There is more content out there and its more connected. Google 3D maps just itself has more 3D content then anyone would have time to completely consume. And of course, 3D games are constantly pushing the limits of an immersive environment with 60fps soon to become the new high standard for realistic gaming.

Finally, we have a plethora of new display devices. Not just cheaper and better HMD’s for full immersive VR, but mobile phones, google glass (kinda) that provide AR (Augmented Reality) experiences, and yes, or new friend the Google Cardboard 3D viewer. That does not mean suddenly everything is going to be VR/AR, we already learned that lesson, but as wearables become more common, I think we will see a smart phone that can fit into a simple glasses container that gives us pretty good VR/AR. That is saying something. So with so many people who can now experience a VR/AR environment at little to no extra cost, what kind of apps will take advantage of this opportunity and bust out?

Well, lets find out. Coming soon is a VR hackathon where like minded people can explore that question. Of course games will always be at the forefront, but what else? Perhaps someone can come up with a cool little app that runs on the cardboard headset google made. And Perhaps someone will model this head mount in 3D and print a whole bunch of them. Perhaps someone will grab a Leap motion detected, Like I did in a hackathon awhile back and allow a full VR experience with complex navigation.

Who knows, but what I do know is we have the confluence of check hardware, cheap/free software and wide pipes. Its time to see what VR/AR can really do.

AEC Hackathon – Where Techies and Builders Change the World

Damon — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 04:12:09 +0000

I feel it right to be upfront and say we are about to go on a journey. The matter at hand is something that has become very close to me and it directly affects anyone that lives and works in a house or building. In a few weeks there is going to be a first of its kind event called the AEC Hackathon. This event will break new ground in how we think about design, construction and communication about our built environment. But before we talk about this, lets step back and see how I got here.

It all begins seven years back to when I was working in downtown San Francisco with one of the legends in my field. On a day like any other, I see our boss come into the office chatting with another guy that introduces himself as a home builder. This builder goes on to share how he is using game-like technology and robotic manufacturing to improve the home building process. Wait, did he say video games and robots to build houses?

Before SF, I spent 15 years in Dallas, Texas. Here is where I got bombarded with construction sites due to the ongoing suburban sprawl, constant road construction, and land redevelopment. I am among the ranks of many that have become familiar with how construction is done solely through observation.

It didn’t take long to see the theme in what I know can’t be only the Lone Star State. Sure what I am about to say could be construed by some as an extreme generalization. I saw job sites of low wage day labor, crews of various races though the majority I swear only speak Spanish, shovels that help prop people up, the occasional ‘2/3 watching while 1/3 working’ rule, and a number of other ‘?’s that are a part of how things get built. So here’s this builder in our office saying things can get built this way. Only in SF I am thinking, but yeah how can I help.

That decision started me into the new world of where web3D meets digital fabrication for building in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction Industry. Over the years I’ve worked on the development of various applications that provide services to our team, partners, and future home owners. I have been around the world and seen the latest in AEC technology from R&D labs, practitioners in the field, startups, and colleagues at work.

I have also been educated to and exposed to inefficiencies and problems that confront the industry in residential and commercial. The industry is super wasteful (materials and data), projects usually are over time and budget, it’s hyper litigious, and the list goes on. I will never forget the moment I learned that the norm is to low bid a project and make up costs and margin in the inevitable change orders due to the ambiguity of the design. Yes there are plenty of honest professionals out there and projects that come in on time and even under budget, but take your own poll with home and building owners. Needless to say, there is plenty of room for improvement.

Luckily, this multi-trillion dollar industry is approaching an interesting point in its evolution heavily influenced by technology, economics, the need to be more sustainable, and a cultural shift as it welcomes in the next wave of AEC professionals. Technology is changing the way structures are designed, fabricated, built, marketed, and run. A quick visit to AEC-Apps will provide numerous examples of how software is being integrated throughout a building’s life cycle while groups like the Digital Fabrication Alliance are using tech to improve manufacturing and building processes. Buildings and even cities are becoming ‘smart’ as more networked systems connect with them and the Internet of Things. There are even events like McGraw Hill Construction ENR’s Future Tech conference that focus on the intersection of technology and AEC.

Yet technology integration has its own challenges. For both small and large firms it is a serious investment of time and resources. Steep software learning curves, problems with data exchange, solutions that don’t perform to expectation, and a growing number of new problems make going back to the old ways not a hard thing to consider. At least there one knows what to expect to go wrong and how to fix it quickly. It also doesn’t help that the industry is constantly approached by technologist and startups selling services and products with no knowledge of industry problems or sensitivity to industry data standards. Plus where are the futuristic building apps that I see in movies or those that use innovative tech like augmented reality or interactive 3D?

It is these reasons and more that prompted me to act upon the idea of a hackathon for the AEC Industry. I can’t think of a better environment where AEC professionals and technologists can come together to build community and create solutions for the industry by those in the industry. And not just as a one time event or to build another iPhone app, but take it up a notch.

Let’s provide hackers with access to the Oculus Rift, Google Glass, LEAP Motion, Kinect, and other innovative hardware. Offer them workshops to learn the latest in API’s, SDK’s (e.g. Intel), web, and interactive 3D standards. We’re raising the bar to ‘AEC goes Iron Man/Tony Stark’ type applications and all tailored to solve real problems.

Thus began my quest to round up a posse and it didn’t take long to get great people on board. Initially stepping up to the challenge were Greg Howes (builder & fabricator), Christopher Peri (architect turned techie), Justin Quimby (game developer rockstar now in AEC), Paul Doherty (architect & smart cities guru) and Michael Shaw (The Digit Group). We have grown into a bigger team of all stars and what an event it is going to be.

For attending tech devs and UX/UI designers, it will be an opportunity to connect and create solutions for those building our real world. For AEC professionals it is a chance to have their voice heard and paint the bullseye for what tech solutions are needed. For those that don’t want to participate in the hack but want to learn something new, we have workshops for them also. Workshops for AEC will cover geo-design, digital fabrication, big data, ‘smart‘ buildings, and other design-build processes and technologies that are changing the industry.

We also have the team at VRcade that has proposed coming down from Seattle to demonstrate some relevant applications in immersive virtual reality for all to experience first hand!

But what would an AEC hackathon be without actually building something? So with that said, there is planned a digital fabrication project that will be happening during the hackathon. The DF Project, as it is currently named, is a showcase project that combines different forms of digital fabrication (including 3D printing and robotic manufacturing) with the latest in web and mobile technology.

This project will be located at Laney College in Oakland and serve as an educational resource that showcases a digitally fabricated structure in addition to digitally fabricated objects housed inside the structure. This project will be a demonstration of how these technologies and others complimentary to the design/build process work together for event attendees and serve as a learning resource for students and AEC professionals both at the college and online. The digital assets of this structure and objects will be available data sets to tech designers and developers at the event to hack with.

Additional proceeds from the event will go to the Wounded Warriors Project and Vets in Tech as we believe in supporting our veterans however we can. Extra proceeds from the Digital Fabrication Project will go to Laney College to support their new digital fabrication course coming next year. What good is having an event like this if you can’t help others along the way?

While it is still a work in progress, the AEC Hackathon is shaping up nicely. We have some great sponsors already (Khronos & Web3D Consortium) and more coming on board that will be announced soon. I truly am honored to be working with such a great team and sponsors to be a part of an industry first that is long overdue. If you would like to support what we are doing, there are ways to get involved. We still need assistance getting the word out to the tech and AEC communities, and additional sponsors means we can have a better event, provide the community with the digital fabrication learning resource project, and have more to contribute to very worthwhile causes we are supporting.

So if you’re a tech developer, UX/UI designer, game programmer, building owner, land developer, city/government official, AEC professional in the office or in the field, and interested in improving the built environment come join us. We need your passion and talent on this journey for creating better tools for those building us a better world. Where will you be Nov 8-10 when the world watches AEC get hacked?

ESRI User Conference 2013 – When the World’s Digital Information met Digital Fabrication

Damon — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 01:17:57 +0000

So I just got back from the ESRI User Conference 2013 in San Diego and wow, what a trip.

Founded by Jack Dangermond, ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute) is an industry leader and international supplier of Geographic Information System (GIS) software and geodatabase management applications. The company has an installed base of more than one million users in more than 350,000 organizations, including most US federal agencies and national mapping agencies, all 50 US state health departments, transportation agencies, forestry companies, utilities, state and local government, schools and universities, NGOs, and commercial business.

The user conference brought 15,000+ ESRI users from over 130 countries. Keynote presentations included Advisor to the Prime Minister of India on Public Information, Infrastructure, and Innovations Sam Pitroda and an inspiring discussion with pop culture icon Will.i.am. For the record I am a B.E.P. fan but this interview was something else.

This was my first time to attend the ESRI User Conference and I was amazed at the number of sessions, expo size (entire convention center floor), attendance, and diversity of the show. As an attendee pointed out, “GIS is everything” and it seems everything was represented at the event. Among what I saw on the trade show floor were a variety of mapping applications, LIDAR services (remote sensing technology that measures distance by illuminating a target with a laser and analyzing the reflected light) and drone data collection devices.

I am not a geo-specialist but I did recognize a few things I am familiar with. Among those was:

City Engine – a procedural modeling tool for rapidly creating large urban environments

Geoloqi – a platform for building location aware applications with geotriggers and realtime location capabilities.

Metaio – an Augmented Reality platform provider

One ESRI invited exhibitor was building company IDEAbuilder. IDEAbuilder uses geospatial data for a variety of uses in the building process and were showcasing a new application the company tech team has built that combines interactive 3D and digital fabrication with some ESRI tools and services. This was a great demonstration of how 2D/3D building data can connect with geospatial data to create highly intelligent interactive scenes.

The application that was shown was the virtual reality version of their Performance Shell Configurator or PSC. The PSC application is a green building tool for their builder partners that provides the builder the ability to go into an interactive 3D scene and snap together the shell of a structure from a library of digital fabrication ready components that can be robotically manufactured. These metadata rich components provide their partners with information useful to the building process. I posted several months back the web3D and Kinect version of this app that got covered on Wired.com (thanks Bruce Sterling!)

Some features of our Oculus Rift virtual reality version include Razer Hydra hand controller support, the ability to import a blueprint image to use as a guide to build on top of, a live top down map so you can see where you are on the blueprint, a total structure cost calculator, elevated cherry picker view, a virtual ‘AR’ view where staring at a panel piece displayed part information including cost, and free navigation of a City Engine city that acts as the 3D backdrop to the PSC building space. There will be an official post with more information about the PSC app on the IDEAbuilder site so stay tuned over there.

The application was a huge hit and really helped visitors experience new ways of interacting with data. While most people were unaware of the Oculus Rift or have never had a virtual reality experience before, there were those that were more than ready to get started like John Bormann. In addition to the PSC app, they also shared an Xbox 360 controller controlled architectural visualization Oculus Rift scene created by real life architect, web3D supporter, and IDEAbuilder friend Jon Brouchoud.

In closing, I would like to thank the IDEAbuilder team for this cool virtual reality experience, everyone I met at the event that helped me understand more about GIS, and the people at ESRI for the opportunity and everything they did to make it a super ‘geospecial’ time. See you next year!

Web3D – As Seen Through PeriVision

VRHackathon this weekend, Dec 2-4 2016. Mixer on Dec 1. Prizes!!

The GearVR Framework Project

Share and Enjoy !

Samsung Gear VR Internet is out. And here are 10 things that would make it even better

Share and Enjoy !

VR Hackathon in San Francisco this Memorial Day weekend! DO IT! And Friday is FREE

Share and Enjoy !

Top 10 Apps for the Gear VR HMD

Share and Enjoy !

REAL 2015 – Where the Sensor meets the Maker

Share and Enjoy !

VR: Dont call it a comeback …

Share and Enjoy !

Google Cardboard now in Plastic if the Samsung rumors are true

Share and Enjoy !

Virtual Reality Hackathon coming to SF. Why its different this time so get your Helmets ready

Share and Enjoy !

AEC Hackathon – Where Techies and Builders Change the World

Share and Enjoy !

ESRI User Conference 2013 – When the World’s Digital Information met Digital Fabrication

Share and Enjoy !