Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Three Comments on Wikitude's Augmented World Trade Center

So, Mobilizy just released a new update for Wikitude, one that allows you to point your phone at ground zero and see a 3d virtual version of the Twin Towers on the phone's screen.

Wikitude Augmented Reality: WTC - Its not there but its there from Wikitude on Vimeo.

  • First we should congratulate Mobilizy for intergrating 3d objects into Wikitude. That's only two weeks after Layar made a similar move. If I understand correctly, Wikitude doesn't let folks upload their own 3d models yet, but that's surely not that difficult.
  • We should also congratulate Mobilizy for a smart marketing move. Yes, it's very respectful, and I actually think that there should be such a virtual memorial. However, one cannot deny that such videos as the above create buzz, something that Wikitude's competitors usually excel at. I can only imagine the impact of such application if they had released it last month, for 9/11.
  • I'm fascianted by how the AR illusion is completly destroyed at around 00:18, when the buildings look very small just because there's a tree in the background. That's not Wikitude's fault, but it just shows us how much there's still to be done to make AR look good.
More details at TechCrunch.

No comments:

Post a Comment