the last weeks hype around the photosynth technology and 3D worlds continues…
from Techncrunch: http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/06/14/the-3d-realvirtual-world-hybrid-how-far-away/
And the right question is:
The 3D Real/Virtual World Hybrid: How Far Away?
How long will it be until we can stroll through the streets in a virtual world that is identical to our own? Given the state of a number of technologies, not very long. Over the last couple of years we’ve seen Microsoft Street Side and Virtual Earth as well as similar efforts from Google. But different technologies are now being deployed that are even more interesting that the results achieved from large companies taking and processing massive numbers of photos into now-standard 3D views.Two standouts are Microsoft’s Photosynth Project and newcomer Everyscape
, which Brady Forest wrote about today on O’Reilly Radar.
Photosynth
First, Photosynth. The idea is to take many pictures of a given thing or area and combine them into a 3D image. Fly around it, zoom in whatever. The results are jaw-droppingly beautiful – see the demo video above by Blaise Aguera y Arcas from earlier this year. The BBC also just announced a partnership with Microsoft; they’ve launched a new site using Photosynth technology that will show 3D photographic representations of historic sites around the UK (Ely Cathedral, Burghley House, the Royal Crescent, Bath, the Scottish Parliament buildings and Blackpool Tower Ballroom). For now, though, Photosynth only works on Windows machines.Everyscape
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