Metaverse One

Here is one for manga artists and character animators, a posable mannequin input device for intuitive 3D manipulation called Qumarion .  The model uses 32 sensors across 16 body joints to translate the statue's pose to the computer screen simply by bending limbs, and a 120 frames per second sample rate over USB means that poses are mirrored instantly.  Each Qumarion comes with a variety of interchangeable hands, a stand, suite of software for capturing mannequin data (with mention of a plug-in for Autodesk 3D Studio Max and Maya modeling tools in the future), and more. All this can be yours for only $850 USD.

Cool combination of the Kinect and an avatar from Bitmanagement Software GmbH ! IVN from Bitmanagement Software GmbH on Vimeo .

So it's 2010! The '00s are over and one doesn't need to be a historian from the future to see the Web has changed humanity and the world in the past decade in a way we are still trying to understand. There is a whole generation now that only knows life with the Internet, web2.0 is evolving, social networks are the new digital countries, cyber life to a growing number is as important as the real, and ignorance has become an option as people are able to connect, share, and access information about anything at the click of a button. For ten years I have experienced technology ever increasing in our daily routines and watched 3D on the Web become more common place with multi-user environments, games, digital globes, and more. Google Earth, Second Life, World of Warcraft, and the like have made this an exciting past decade of web3D and other mixed reality technologies for sure. To keep this post short, let's look at some of the highlights from the previous year. Augmented Re...

The Maya are probably the best-known of the classical civilizations of Mesoamerica . Originating in the Yucatán around 2600 B.C., they rose to prominence around A.D. 250 in present-day southern Mexico, Guatemala, northern Belize and western Honduras. Building on the inherited inventions and ideas of earlier civilizations, the Maya developed astronomy, calendrical systems and hieroglyphic writing. The Maya were noted as well for elaborate and highly decorated ceremonial architecture, including temple-pyramids, palaces and observatories, all built without metal tools. This ancient civilization has captured the imagination of millions and one web3D builder named Ladin who decided to recreate elements of this culture to share with the 3D web. Ladin has built an incredible website The World of Ancient Maya in Virtual Reality . This site is a great mixture of 2D and 3D information and the way more websites should be. One can navigate the 2D site like any other with the option to explore...