InsideAR, the epicenter of the rapidly growing world of Augmented Reality, is coming to San Francisco for the first time May 20-21, 2015.
The event is hosted by Metaio, the worldwide leader in Augmented Reality software, research and technology. With over 10 years of experience in Augmented Reality and Computer Vision, Metaio serves over 130,000 developers with over 1,000 published apps. Metaio’s AR software reaches over 30 million consumers around the world.
Metaio products have been used to develop AR apps for everything from publishing, retailing, and marketing to industrial engineering,maintenance,and manufacturing.
Metaio defines Augmented Reality (AR) as a technology that blends digital content into our real world. AR seeks to integrate our increasingly digitalized lifestyle with our physical lives in a seamless, natural way.
InsideAR offers a comprehensive introduction to Augmented Reality by bringing together innovators and stakeholders to share technical insights and the latest and greatest AR applications.
Network with futurists, global leaders in AR, and other creatives who are paving the way for an Augmented Reality future Additional AR events will be held in Munich, Beijing, and Tokyo.
In San Francisco, InsideAR will be presented at The Village at 969 Market Street in the heart of San Francisco.
If you can’t attend the conference, the Metaio website features case studies and white papers about how augmented reality is being used in print, marketing, education, television, sales, and manufacturing.
DESIGNERS. The artful use of digital displays, interactive technology, and digital communications networks is creating compelling and information-rich spaces for inspiration, education, and networking in retail stores, airports, museums, malls, and entertainment venues.
Because designing these energy-infused spaces takes a unique set of skills and insight, the Society of Experiential Designers (SEGD) is presenting a day-long Customer Experience (CX) Workshop on Tuesday, March 10 as part of the Digital Signage Expo (DSE), March 10-13 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Geared for designers, marketing and branding professionals, and technology providers, the workshop runs from 9 am to 5 pm and covers the basics of customer experience design.
SEGD is a global, multidisciplinary community of professionals who plan, design, and build experiences that connect people to place. SEGD’s 1700 members from 20 countries include graphic and information designers, fabricators, architects, exhibition designers, technology integrators, interaction designers, brand strategists, and others who have a hand in shaping content-rich experiential places.
The workshop at DSE will present an overview of the basics of customer experience (CX) design and technologies that can be used to create dynamic interaction, customization, and unique, attention-getting experiences.
The experts at SEGD contend it’s important for creators of customer experiences to understand what technology can and cannot deliver.
“The Customer Experience is where new technologies and design meet. When you design the new customer experience using design thinking to focus on the user, not the technology, that is when the magic happens,” said Clive Roux, CEO of SEGD. “We’re partnering with DSE to bring design, marketing, and technology together at this event to experience what is possible when design and technology work together.”
The five program modules will discuss the state of CX, how to create a seamless customer experience across multiple platforms, how to use digital displays for more engaging shopping experiences, and best practices for integrating display technology. Speakers will also discuss what is possible with new models of immersive media for public spaces.
The presentations will include insights from top CX innovators, including :
DSE is the world’s largest and longest-running conference and trade show exclusively dedicated to showcasing innovative digital communications and interactive technology solutions for customer- and employer-facing organizations. Launched in 2004, DSE was the first event dedicated to the digital signage market and has contributed to the growth of this fast-paced field.
“SEGD’s program is the perfect fit with Digital Signage Expo because our attendees are increasingly interested in integrating digital displays into their venues as part of the built environment,” said Richard Lebovitz, educational director for DSE. “SEGD understands the importance of this trend to architects and designers who are charged with incorporating digital communications into the physical spaces they are designing. The association’s educational program at DES provides a unique opportunity for the design and technology communities to share ideas, insights, and information.”
The DSE 2015 Exhibit Hall will be open March 11-12 and feature more than 200 exhibitors of technology and services including hardware, software, networking, delivery, and content. The extensive educational program features sessions such as
Future trends in digital signage
Effective integration of social and mobile technologies with digital signage
Digital signage on campus
Data visualization: Using real-time information for create intelligent, dynamic content
The power of video walls in retail
Leveraging visual communications across multiple platforms
Can fine-art photographers find ways to incorporate 3D printing in their work? Yes, according to Sandra Canning, an award-winning South Florida-based fine art photographer. On September 5, she exhibited four 3-D printed photographic lithopanes alongside three of her traditional 2D prints. The event was part of an artist’s night gathering at the LMNT fine-art collaboration and event space in Miami.
Onlooker admires 3D printed photographs (lithophanes) at art exhibit at the LMNT creative space in Miami, Florida. Photo by Sandra Canning, www.sandracanning.com
Lithopanes look like a bas relief to the naked eye, but when the lithopane is backlit, the picture is revealed. Lithopanes were made from translucent porcelain when the art form was popular in the 1800s. Canning’s exhibit at LMNT demonstrated how 3D printing can be used to convert fine-art photos in the 21st-century lithopanes.
Original 2D photography of “Tree in Key Biscanyne” by photographer Sandra Canning, www.sandracanning.comClose-up of the backlit lithopane of “Tree in Key Biscayne” by photography Sandra Canning. Photo by Sandra Canning, www.sandracanning.com
Canning created the lithopanes in collaboration with Prototyping Solutions Inc., one of the largest resellers of Stratasys 3D Printers in North America. Serving businesses in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, the staff at Prototyping Solutions helps people choose the right printer, material part, and solution for any 3D printing need.
Close-up of unlit 3D lithopane of photo “Tree in Key Biscayne” by Sandra Canning.
The exhibit was entitled “Photography’s Past, Present, and Future as Expressed Through 3D Printing” and represented the inaugural get together of “The Art of 3D Printing” Meetup Group that Canning founded for Miami-area artists. Along with Canning’s 3D printed photography, the September 5th event featured a TED-style talk by engineer/3D-printing pioneer Werner Blumenthal, and “3D-printed selfies” produced by FORGE, a 3D-printing studio based in Jacksonville, Florida.
Canning started The Art of 3D Printing Meetup Group in her quest to learn more about 3D printing and encourage its use in the arts. She recognized that while 3D printing is revolutionizing every aspect of the creative arts, “Photographers have not had much involvement in this movement.” She came across 3D printed lithopanes in her quest to find applications for 3D printing for photographers.
“3D printing was one of those things that had been in my peripheral vision but I never felt any personal connection,” explains Canning. “In May or June of 2014, I was looking for something unique to do with my pictures.” When she started researching 3D printing, she was blown away by the impossible structures being printed in fashion, sculpture, jewelry, architecture, and even bioprinting: “I knew that I was looking at something that was going to change everyday life — not just the creative arts.”
She felt left out when she first tried to find applications of 3D printing for fine-art photographers. Then, she ran across some 3D-printed lithopanes of Yoda and cats, and says, “At that moment I got the bug to create fine-art quality lithopanes inspired by the ones from the 1800s.”
Canning didn’t believe the first 3D printed lithopanes she saw were gallery worthy, so she sought out different services, materials, and methods that would produce a fine-art result.
Prototyping Solutions, Inc in Birmingham, Alabama proved to be the perfect partner for this marriage of art and technology. The team of experts, including Vince Denino and Rixey Kelly, consulted with Canning to produce the parts well within the assigned budget and ahead of schedule.
The lithophanes of Canning’s photos were printed at 16 micron layer height in Vero White on a Stratasys Objet260 Connex 3D printer. Each part took around 30 to 45 minutes to build.
“This 3D printing project has been a great joy to be a part of because it was targeted to a different audience than we are used to,” said Rixey Kelly, Service Engineer at Prototyping Solutions. He said the widgets and gizmos they typically print are artistic enough in their design and function but don’t do much for the soul: “The lithophanes, much like widgets, are ideas that can be printed and then held in your hand. But these uniquely depict a place and moment in time.”
Canning collaborated with a local maker John McNulty (makerssquare.com) and his partner to create the backlit frames.
Art of 3D Printing Meetup Group
During the 3D Photo Art exhibit at LMNT, Canning said many visitors said they had never seen anything like it before. She says, “I think most people were surprised that you could 3D print a photo in this way.” They asked plenty of questions about the process, the smoothness of the surface, the cost, and the learning curve.
Canning founded the Meetup group as a way to learn and grow with other who are interested in The Art of 3D Printing. A second event she hosted demonstrated 3D scanning for creating 3D selfies and featured equipment supplied by 3D Systems.
So what’s next for this accomplished photographer who wants to explore the potential of 3D printing?
“Since my journey to learn 3D printing began, I have had a clear picture of the ultimate 3D printed photographic lithopane,” says Sandra. “I am still perfecting those for a future exhibit.” She also has some ideas for 3D printed scultpures and jewelry.
DESIGNERS. If you are looking for ways to make printed displays, packages, or posters more interactive, try adding a layer of augmented reality (AR). Metaio’s new plug-in for Adobe InDesign makes it easy to do.
Metaio Augmented Reality Creator plug-in for Adobe InDesign
With the new plug-in you can build and deploy augmented-reality experiences without leaving InDesign. You can construct tracking markers, then augment your InDesign layouts with AR content.
Metaio is a world leader in augmented reality research and technology. The company develops software products for creating visually interactive experiences that bridge the physical and virtual worlds. Users view the layer of AR content through the camera on their smartphone or tablet. Companies such as IKEA, Lego, Macy’s, and Toyota are a few of the brands that have used Metaio AR technology to make their marketing communications more engaging.
“By providing easy-to-learn AR functionality right inside Adobe InDesign, we are giving millions of creative professionals the ability to create original Augmented Reality experiences,” said Michael Kuhn of Metaio. “It is extremely important to Metaio that when users enter the world of Augmented Reality compelling content is waiting there for them.”
With the plug-in, you can not only create tracking marker,s but also evaluate them for tracking stability. A 3-star rating system lets you know whether your page design is suitable for AR. Once the page is optimized, you can insert images or embed videos and live hyperlinks. The images, videos, and web content that have been added to the augmented-reality layer then become visible when viewed through a tablet or smartphone.
You can also launch your project directly into Metaio Creator, a powerful, dedicated AR authoring tool.
You can deploy your work for free through the Junaio AR browser (iOS and Android) or even as a standalone app.
In October, Metaio gave live demonstrations of the plug-in at the Adobe Max conference in Los Angeles and InsideAR Munich: The Augmented Reality Conference.
For months there has been speculation that HP would make a grand re-entrance into the world of 3D printing. And indeed, they have.
At a launch event in New York on October 29, HP unveiled its vision for the future of computing and commercial viability of 3D printing.
According to HP, their advancements have the potential to revolutionize production and offer small businesses a new way to produce goods and parts for customers.
HP’s new Blended Reality ecosystem combines the new Sprout by HP computing platform and HP’s disruptive Multi Jet Fusion technology for 3D printing.
Sprout by HP
Sprout by HP is a first-of-its-kind “Immersive Computing” platform that redefines the user experience by combining a computer with a scanner, depth sensor, hi-res camera, and projector in a multi-screen device. With Sprout by HP, designers and makers can take physical items and seamlessly merge them into a digital workspace.
HP Multi Jet Fusion is a revolutionary technology engineered to resolve critical gaps in the combination of speed, quality and cost, and deliver on the potential of 3D printing.
“We are on the cusp of a transformative era in computing and printing,” said Dion Weisler, executive vice president, Printing & Personal Systems (PPS), HP. “Our ability to deliver Blended Reality technologies will reduce the barriers between the digital and physical worlds, enabling us to express ourselves at the speed of thought – without filters, without limitations. This ecosystem opens up new market categories that can define the future, empowering people to create, interact and inspire like never before.”
HP Multi Jet Fusion Advances 3D Printing
Leveraging HP’s decades of leadership in the print market and advanced materials science, HP Multi Jet Fusion is designed to resolve fundamental limitations in today’s 3D print systems while delivering higher productivity and quality at a lower cost.
Stephen Nigro, Senior Vice President of HP’s Inkjet and Graphics Solutions Businesses, unveils the new HP Multi Jet Fusion at the Sprout by HP and HP Multi Jet Fusion Launch event on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014 in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision for HP/AP Images)
“As we examined the existing 3D print market, we saw a great deal of potential but also saw major gaps in the combination of speed, quality and cost,” said Stephen Nigro, senior vice president, Inkjet and Graphic Solutions, HP. “HP Multi Jet Fusion is designed to transform manufacturing across industries by delivering on the full potential of 3D printing with better quality, increased productivity, and break-through economics.”
Multi Jet Fusion is built on HP Thermal Inkjet technology and features a unique synchronous architecture that significantly improves the commercial viability of 3D printing and has the potential to change the way we think about manufacturing.
10-Times Faster: The technology images entire surface areas instead of one point at a time. This makes it possible to achieve breakthrough functional build speeds that are at least 10 times faster than the fastest technology in market today.
New Levels of Quality, Strength and Durability: A proprietary multi-agent printing process utilizes HP Thermal Inkjet arrays to simultaneously apply multiple liquid agents and produce greater accuracy,resiliency and uniform part strength in all three axis directions.
Accuracy and Detail: The HP technology can deliver fully functional parts with more accuracy, finer details, and smoother surfaces than other 3D print processes. The HP Mult Jet Fusion method can be used to manipulate part and material properties, including form, texture, friction, strength, elasticity, electrical, thermal properties and more.
Breakthrough Economics: The HP technology unifies and integrates various steps of the 3D print process to reduce running time, cost, energy consumption and waste. This significantly improves the economics of 3D printing.
Materials and Color Science
HP is committed to developing a platform that will become an industry standard. The company is focused on growing the highest potential commercial markets. While the HP 3D Print technology is available today, HP is working directly with customers under the HP Open Customer Engagement Program. Through this program, HP will continue to extend the capabilities of the HP 3D Print platform throughout development and will provide a certification process for partners to drive materials innovation. Wider distribution of the HP 3D Print system will begin in 2016.
By inviting open collaboration, HP and contributors will be able to achieve greater flexibility and versatility in 3D Print materials beyond the current use of thermoplastics, which will enable new solutions in segments such as additive manufacturing and will expand applications for engineering, architecture and consumer goods. HP will also bring its color science expertise and the full-color capabilities of traditional HP printing to the 3D world in future-generation 3D Print systems.
Sprout by HP Reimagines Computing
The first product available in HP’s Blended Reality ecosystem, Sprout by HP combines the power of an advanced desktop computer with an immersive, natural user interface to create a new computing experience.
Guests interact with innovative technology introduced at the Sprout by HP and HP Multi Jet Fusion Launch event. (Photo by Ivan Agostini/Invision for HP/AP Images)
“We live in a 3D world, but today we create in a 2D world on existing devices,” said Ron Coughlin, senior vice president, Consumer PC & Solutions, HP. “Sprout by HP is a big step forward in reimagining the boundaries of how we create and engage with technology to allow users to move seamlessly from thought to expression.”
Because a scanner, depth sensor, hi-resolution camera and projector are built into a single device, Spout by HP enables users to bring objects from the physical world into the digital workspace, where users in multiple locations can collaborate on and manipulate a single piece of digital content in real-time.
“People have always created with their hands,” added Coughlin. “Concurrently, technology has progressed from the first transistors, through calculators to today’s most sophisticated computing platforms. Until now, the physical and digital worlds have largely been separated and digital creation has remained in 2D. With Sprout by HP, we introduce the first immersive computing platform, seamlessly merging these two worlds together, enabling people to intuitively bring their creations, work, and projects to life in 3D.” Below are some of the features of Sprout by HP.
Dual-screen Experience: Designed for creative expression and human interaction, the workspace couples a vertical HD touchscreen with a 20-point capacitive touch mat.
The Sprout Illuminator: This projection system scans and captures real-world objects in 3D, allowing the user to immediately interact and create.
HP Workspace: The software platform built expressly for Sprout takes full advantage of the dual-screen experience to make working and creating seamless, intuitive and engaging.
True Remote Collaboration: The interface advances how users work, collaborate and share. Simultaneous visual and workspace connectivity, allowing concurrent creativity and content manipulation.
Advanced Platform: The next-generation computing platform features a powerful 4th generation Intel i7 Processor, 1TB of storage in an easy-to-use dual-screen interface, and a Windows 8.1 multi-touch experience.
Sprout Marketplace
The potential of Sprout by HP’s unique configuration is fully realized through the Sprout Marketplace, an application marketplace that contains a growing suite of applications that are optimized to take advantage of Immersive Computing platform to enhance how users work, play and engage with entertainment.
The Sprout Marketplace currently contains a suite of Windows-based applications designed uniquely for the dual-screen environment including the Martha Stewart CraftStudio, DreamWorks Animation Story Producer, Crayola’s Draw & Sing, GestureWorks Gameplay and first party experiences from HP including Create, Collaborate and Capture, enabling users to easily capture physical objects, manipulate them in a digital environment, and collaborate and share their creations in new ways.
New applications, including a range of creative applications for professionals, families, gamers and beyond, will continue to be added to the marketplace regularly. The Sprout Software Development Kit is available at www.sprout.hp.com/developer.
Sprout by HP is available for pre-order at hp.com today and will be available for purchase in select retail locations and at hp.com on November 9.
DESIGNERS. In the process of researching a magazine feature story on 3D printing, I gathered dozens of examples of how 3D printing will change how and where products are manufactured. Many of these changes will open plenty of opportunities for designers worldwide. For example, imagine creating shoe designs that can be downloaded and printed in a store or in the customer’s home. The highlights from the press release (below) show how two companies are joining forces to help make that concept come to life.
3D Systems is collaborating with fashion brand United Nude to deliver a new line of 3D-printed wearable shoes. The “Float” shoes are uniquely designed for immediate home printing on the new Cube® 3 desktop 3D printer and will push the boundaries of what’s possible using 3D System’s most affordable home printer. The Float shoes will also be available at United Nude’s flagship retail store in Soho, Manhattan. United Nude plans to offer live, in-store manufacturing and feature continuous shoe printing in the store window. This is the first fashion-focused 3D printing retail experience in the United States, expanding on United Nudes’ successful Regent Street, London installation.
Files for United Nudes’ Float Shoes can be downloaded from the United Nudes website and printed at home or in-store on the new Cube 3D printer.
“After pioneering wearable, 3D-printed shoes using a state-of-the-art Selective Laser Sintering 3D printer, we are thrilled to deliver fully functional, 3D-printed shoes designed for an affordable home desktop printer,” said Rem D Koolhaas, founder of United Nude. “This design is about creating something beautiful and interesting; it’s about experimenting, moving forward and learning along the way.”
Priced at $999, Cube 3 is the only dual material, plug-and-play, kid-safe certified 3D printer that is easy to own and affordable to operate. From fashion to decor to everyday items, with the Cube 3 you can print what you desire and what you need. Cube 3 comes with two starter cartridges and 25 exclusive designs to get printing quickly and love what you make.
The Float Shoe is available at the United Nude website (www.unitednude.com) and in the NYC store at 25 Bond Street. Cube 3 is available for purchase on Cubify.com.
By radically simplifying the 3D printing process for designers, Adobe is striving to make Photoshop CC the go-to tool for anyone who wants to print a 3D model. 3D printing is becoming an increasingly popular method of making prototypes and finished designs in creative fields such as filmmaking, animation, architecture, and jewelry.
The latest version of Adobe Photoshop CC includes features to make it easier to build, refine, preview, prepare, and print designs for creating 3D models or products. Using familiar Photoshop tools, you can design in 3D from scratch or refine an existing 3D model and produce beautiful, print-ready models. Automated mesh repair and support structure generation ensure models will be produced reliably. Accurate previews allow you to confidently submit print jobs to a connected in-studio device or an online 3D printing service.
The updated software includes built-in access to the Shapeways and Sculpteo online 3D print services and supports the most popular desktop 3D printers, such as the MakerBot Replicator.
Sculpteo Is Onboard
One 3D printing service that is making their printer profiles available through Photoshop CC is Sculpteo, an online 3D printing firm based in San Francisco in Paris. Founded in 2009 by Eric Carreel and Clément Moreau, Sculpteo offers on-demand 3D printing of individual products as well as short-run manufacturing. They have 45 materials, colors, and finishes and their factories use only professional-grade printers. You can preview how your design will print by downloading the profiles of Sculpteo printers and dragging and dropping them in a folder.
Photoshop CC supports the full range of high-quality materials available on Sculpteo, including ceramics, metals, and other additive materials.
Maria Yap, senior director of product management, Photoshop at Adobe, called Sculpteo a great fit for the 3D printing capabilities of Photoshop CC: “We’re excited to add Sculpteo as our first European-based 3D print service provider. Their high-quality results and quick turnaround times appeal to creatives.”
