Friday, January 7, 2011

Augmented Reality for SketchUp

The first time I saw Augmented Reality in action, I wondered if I'd accidentally fallen through a wormhole on the way to work; it's the kind of thing you'd expect to see on Boba Fett’s BlackBerry. AR is downright futuristic.

In the 3D modeling sense, AR involves combining a live video stream with a 3D model to create the illusion that the model is a physical object in the real world. All you need is a webcam (the ones that are built in to many laptops work just fine), a 3D model (SketchUp takes care of that), a printed-out paper "target" and a piece of AR software that can put everything together. This video shows AR in action:



And here’s an illustration that shows the setup:

A simple Augmented Reality setup for SketchUp, using an external monitor to show the video output. Note that a second monitor isn't necessary for using this plugin.

Thanks to an Italian outfit called Inglobe Technologies, SketchUp users have been able to ride the AR wave for a while now. They've just released version 2 of their AR-media Plugin for Google SketchUp. Three great things about this shiny, happy piece of tech:

  • It's available for both Windows and Mac OSX.
  • It's available in three flavors: Free (Personal Learning Edition), Professional Lite and Professional.
  • I was able to use it, which means that it can't be that hard to figure out.

Start out by grabbing the Quick Start Guide; you'll find the relevant links about halfway down the plugin's webpage. Follow Steps 2 and 3 to download and install the software; the free Personal Learning Edition will let you see how everything works without spending any money. After that, achieve instant gratification (my favorite kind) by skipping ahead to Step 6 in the Quick Start Guide: "Creating your first Augmented Reality Scene".

Here’s a video that shows off the new features in ARmedia Plugin 2.0:


Please use this post's Comments thread to discuss the ways you think AR might benefit you.

Posted by Aidan Chopra, SketchUp Evangelist

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8 comments:

  1. RustyJanuary 7, 2011 at 11:34 AM

    simply amazing discovery. I'm thinking, "Beam me up Scotty!".

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  2. timfclarkJanuary 7, 2011 at 12:26 PM

    It's so well done it takes you a few seconds to realize what's happened in the first video. Then you say whoa.

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  3. Don CarsonJanuary 7, 2011 at 1:09 PM

    Dreaming of iPhone App version.

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  4. JohnMcGJanuary 7, 2011 at 2:01 PM

    Ha ha! This is pretty cool. I downloaded and tried it out on a couple of models. Could work a little better but great idea! =D

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  5. G3FXJanuary 8, 2011 at 8:32 AM

    Loved it. I want to do more with it.

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  6. Dick StadaJanuary 8, 2011 at 12:36 PM

    Nice! I am using Sketchup for a UAR app. (urban augmented reality) http://bit.ly/f20XLI

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  7. Nick WebbJanuary 17, 2011 at 6:36 AM

    I would like to be able to use it to show clients how a piece of funriture might look in place. Trouble is, from my initial exploration of the free version, it looks like I need a target 80" square to do this.

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  8. James CannamFebruary 4, 2011 at 3:21 AM

    The perfect way for designers of any kind (from engineers to packaging designers) to share early stage concepts with clients and team members. Outstanding!

    ReplyDelete

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