Research. Back to the grind.

So this blog is going to be a big list of research things that I've been looking at to help with my Augmented Reality stuff.  It's a good thing because it means I don't have to cart round a huge sketchbook any more but it's also a bad thing because at the moment I can only really update it twice a week, so I'll be saving up my research things and adding them when I can.

First for all of this is a rundown of a few websites I've been looking at.

We're encouraged to use websites, but not too much.  Books and journals are pushed.  Which is nice and I'm looking at a good few - but when I'm in uni and I'm on the computer doing whatever I'm doing, it's easier to get online and do a quick search for what I'm thinking of at the time.

All the websites were accessed today - the 16th of October, 2012.

As with all great research projects, I started with Google.  I searched for 'Making Augmented Reality business cards'.  At the moment I'm not interested in making AR business cards - although that'd be pretty nice - but I wanted to have something more specific to search for than 'Augmented Reality'.  ...  Which was last week's search  :D

First of all, I reached http://www.harmony.co.uk/use/augmented-reality-developer/?gclid=CIOylpyahbMCFYTMtAodq0UA7Q which is a nice looking site but very much a business site.  A lot of talk about how they'll do this and that for you; the customer who doesn't know what AR is yet.

Then I got to http://daqri.tumblr.com/post/6727434885/how-to-create-an-amazing-augmented-reality-business which was alright.  The video won't play because it's a private video.  Which is frustrating because it seems to be a public page.  The main page, however - http://daqri.tumblr.com/ is pretty amazing!  Not a lot about what I'm looking at, but there's a whole lot of stuff to look at.  Give it a go - there's a great video with a computer projecting contours on/in a sandbox and it updates to re-project the contours as the user digs and builds hills.  Pretty nice.  There's also the ZeroN - a ball that's manipulated by a big, computer-controlled electromagnet.  It's great.

From the first daqri page, I found this link to some of the top AR business card ideas - http://dzineblog.com/2010/10/20-incredible-augmented-reality-business-card-designs.html  and to be honest, I'm not that keen on a lot of them.  They all seem fairly samey and bland.  Burton Posey - about 1/3 of the way down the page - has an idea that I like more than the rest.  My idea is to have a little 3D me on a looped animation of my character running on the spot.  Nothing huge.

What I'm wanting to do right now is get an idea of how to go about making an AR card.  It'll be a huge step towards what I'm wanting to do in the long run and a great morale boost!  Even if it's just a static AR model of a prop that I throw together quickly - if there's something that I can see in 3D through an AR app, I'll be over the moon.

From one of the sites I saw this morning, I came across the company Aurasma.  The site - http://www.aurasma.com/ - is pretty nicely set out, but going to the 'pro' page - http://www.aurasma.com/partners/- it's a partner programme as opposed to a 'here are some steps for doing it' page that I was rather hoping for.

So my search continues.

Frustratingly, I have had several people download both the String app and the Aurasma app so I can get an image up on the computer and show them what happens.

Nothing happens.

There's only so much disappointment one can take.

My post may well be filled with typos and absent words.  Not that something can be filled with an absence...

I'm going to sulk and do Maya.

But before that - I'd really hate to post a wall of text.  I'll find an image to lighten the mood.

It's an image from my huge reference folder.
Nice and simple.

Peace.