3DModels
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Google patent details augmented reality overlay for sat nav
Google's been granted a patent that puts quite a few of its favorite ideas together, namely Maps Navigation, Street View and augmented reality. The application describes a system combining garden variety GPS guidance with panoramic images, 3D models, full-motion video and even live feeds to enhance the route display -- all in the correct 3D driver's view perspective. The idea is to ease navigation by making your screen-view of the road more or less match your view in the windshield, but who knows? Maybe one day you may be able to drive without even looking outside.
Kinect Fusion-powered concept demos AR brain models for neurosurgeons (video)
Microsoft has talked up its Kinect Fusion tool since 2011, but it took some time at TechFest this week to show off how the software could be useful in operating rooms. For those who need a refresher, Redmond's solution can create 3D models of whatever an attached Kinect sensor lays eyes on, but in this instance it was leveraged to create an augmented reality experience. Using an off-the-shelf Kinect camera duct-taped to a tablet, Microsoft researchers layered a model of a brain onto a mannequin's head, making its would-be mind viewable on the slate from different angles. Ballmer and Co. reckon that neurosurgeons could use the technique to visualize what's in a patient's noggin and plan how they'll guide their scalpel. Word that Fusion would come to the Kinect for Windows SDK first surfaced last year, but Microsoft now says it'll hit the dev kit's next release, which should arrive shortly. Head past the break to catch a video of the medical concept app in action.
Autodesk launches 123D Catch for iPad, lets you turn pics into 3D models
Autodesk's had its 123D Catch iPad application in the works for quite some time now, but starting today, you'll finally be able to use that Cupertino slate to turn those beautiful snaps into three-dee creations. Similar to its desktop counterpart, the 123D Catch app won't cost a dime, and it's compatible with the second and third-gen iPads. To go along with the application, the company's also introducing its "MyCorner" cloud locker, which will let users store their pictures as well as share them between other Autodesk 3D apps. You can grab 123D Catch from the iTunes link below or via the app shop on your iPad. There's also a video after the break for your viewing pleasure.
Hands-on with Arqball Spin, the app that lets you create interactive 3D models
Sometimes, standard two dimensional photos, even those taken by a 41-megapixel sensor, simply aren't enough to accurately depict a three dimensional object. Enter Arqball Spin, a free app that lets anyone with an iOS device create high-quality 3D models of whatever they like. Using the iPhone's camera, the app takes a series of images and uses some software black magic to create the finished product. The model, or "spin", can be cropped and adjusted (brightness, saturation and contrast) like a regular photograph, plus users can create custom annotations to identify or comment on specific parts of the "spin" as well. Viewers can then rotate the model 360 degrees and zoom in on any part that piques their interest. While it's currently an Apple-centric affair, support for DSLRs and other hi-res cameras (by uploading videos to the company's website for processing) and other mobile platforms is in the pipeline. The app works best if the object is situated on Arqball's stage, which rotates at an optimal three RPM -- the stage isn't available yet, but the company's going the Kickstarter route to get the capital needed to start manufacturing. Those who pitch in now can grab a stage for $60, and it'll cost $20 more if you want to wait until it's on sale. Of course, the app still functions if you want to hold your iPhone or iPad and walk around your subject, but you won't get near the quality result that you can when using the stage. Because the "spins" are hosted on Arqball's servers, they can easily be embedded on any website via HTML. By making photo-realistic 3D modeling so easy and accessible, Arqball sees this technology as a perfect fit for online retailers, educators, and, ahem, even gadget reviewers. While the app holds obvious commercial appeal, the company's not counting out casual users, and hopes to see a future filled with user-created 3D content. We got to see the app in action, and walked away thoroughly impressed with both the speed of the app and the detailed models it produces -- but you don't have to take our word for it, see a sample spin and our hands-on video after the break.
Google Maps improves 3D models of major landmarks
Google Maps has long sported 3D models of major world landmarks. Some of them, however, left something to be desired. For example, the Piazza del Duomo in Florence was missing its signature domes. Now it's been drastically improved with a series of smooth shaded roofs. Plenty of other landmarks have also been revamped, including the Sydney Opera House, White House and the Petronas Towers. Sadly, there's word as to when or if the new models will land in the mobile version. To check them out yourself hit up the source link.
Mineways offers up 3D-printed models of your Minecraft creations
Sure, those gigantic tributes to Italian plumbers look great on your PC screen, but sometimes you want something a little more tangible. That's exactly what Mineways lets you do. Yep, it's another demonstration of why we all need a 3D printer in our life, although this Minecraft-friendly software can also export your models across to 3D printing site, Shapeways, which will do the whole printing slog for you. Sure, it'll cost you, but it's likely to be a mere fraction of your own 3D printer. The Mineways program is based on the open-source mapping tool Minutor and creates both a data and texture file ready to pinged across to the Shapeways site. You can also attempt to reclaim some money from those many hours sunk into Minecraft by selling your creations on the site. Check the source below for tutorials, more examples and the latest version of the model exporter. [Photo credit: postapocalyptic]
Robot skin captures super detailed 3D surface images
Remember those awesome pin art toys where you could press your hand (or face) into the pins to leaving a lasting impression? Researchers at MIT have taken the idea one (or two) steps further with "GelSight," a hunk of synthetic rubber that creates a detailed computer visualized image of whatever surface you press it against. It works as such: push the reflective side of the gummy against an object (they chose a chicken feather and a $20 bill) and the camera on the other end will capture a 3-D image of the microscopic surface structure. Originally designed as robot "skin," researchers realized the tool could be used in applications from criminal forensics (think bullets and fingerprints) to dermatology. The Coke can-sized machine is so sensitive, it can capture surface subtleties as small as one by two micrometer in surface -- finally solving the mystery of who stole the cookies from the cookie jar. (Hint: we know it was you Velvet Sledgehammer).
Pix4D turns your 2D aerial photographs into 3D maps on the fly (video)
Assuming you own a Sensefly Swinglet CAM or some other high-res camera-equipped UAV, you could be just minutes away from turning your plain old 2D aerial photos into comprehensive 3D maps. Pix4D, a new software program coming out of EPFL -- the same institute that brought us this race of altruistic robots -- takes images shot using an aerial drone to render 3D maps in the cloud in just 30 minutes. Users upload images taken with their flying machines, at which point Pix4D kicks into action, defining high contrast points in the phots and pasting them together based on those points. It then renders a 3D model, overlays the graphics, and spits out a Google Earth-style map. So what's with this 4D business? Well, its developers claim that users can easily see the progression of any model by deploying their Sensefly drone whenever they see fit, throwing the added layer of time into the mix. You can see the fruits of Pix4D's labor in the video after the break.
