In my drummer days I could lay down a beat! I couldn’t wait until the next time I could sit in front of a drum set. In between times, I’d take to air drumming in my bedroom imagining banging out a perfect beat. Like most things, good drum skills take consistent practice. Sadly, for a…

While most augmented reality technology is used in things like interactive workspaces, VR/AR company Pixelcase is applying it in other fields. For example, has anyone ever thought of using AR to view real properties before they are set up? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjhwqZVk3ck This AR doorway lets real property buyers, owners, and developers get a sneak peek at what…

They say the best way to learn how to do something is to just do it, but in the case of power tools, this isn’t always the case. Being handed a chainsaw when you’re a complete novice can be a daunting (not to mention dangerous) task, so it helps to have someone with prior experience…

Let’s face it: the days when learning for kids meant going outside to play are dwindling fast. Instead of experiencing the outside world for themselves (or reading about it in a classic paper bound book), children of this generation are more content to sit in front of a screen for hours on end and absorb…

Although IKEA takes the cake for masterminding the ready-to-assemble (or flat-pack) furniture, the concept was initially captured in an 1878 US patent described as “(A) class of furniture which is so constructed that it may be packed and transported in parts, and put together for use by skilled or unskilled persons.” Either way, decades of…

It’s incredible how easy it is to trick the mind into thinking it isn’t doing work. Playing sports makes training your body fun, watching nature shows on TV makes learning biology possible, and playing video games makes puzzle solving compelling. But this particular 21st century device tries to mix both learning and physical activity into…

Microsoft came pretty dang close to projecting holograms in the real world with their HoloLens mixed reality headset. However, those holograms can only be seen through the eyes of the viewer so long as they’re wearing the head-mounted display. Tech startup Looking Glass, on the other hand, has developed an interactive lightfield kit that allows…

It’s been a long time coming, but after nearly three years, Magic Leap has finally unveiled their One augmented reality headset— dubbed the ‘Creator Edition.’ The head-mounted alternate reality platform consists of a pair of oversized Lightwear goggles, a portable CD player-looking external computer known as Lightpack, and a handheld controller. The headset is purported…

We talked in passing about how Google Blocks can be used in conjunction with other VR apps like Tilt Brush; now the company is taking things a little bit further in 3D-land. Poly, Google’s new dedicated VR/AR sharing platform, lets users download and upload designs for sharing within the community. It replaces Blocks’ previous online…

As fall beckons the inevitable release of Apple’s ARKit, more developers are releasing demos of what looks to be a big step forward into an invisible world parallel to our own. The latest foray into the ARKit by Japanese VR/AR/MR programmer Daiki Taniguchi shows just how close this augmented world is. Using a series of…

An AR platform so good even the military uses it? In this case, the platform in question is Gravity Jack’s PoindextAR- a system capable of detecting and augmenting any object without the need for markers and it can do so using any smart device with a camera. A bold claim would be an understatement, considering…

Little by little augmented/mixed reality (AR/MR) is slipping past the surly bonds of consumption with more and more imagining, nay DEMONSTRATING, what 3D design could be like using devices that are, at least, sure to give us chuckles at the possibilities and, at most, completely take over our every waking hour. Exanaview is a very,…

Depending on your stance (and age) towards technology (and whether you have kids or not), Pokémon GO is either a welcome new fixture in your home life or you’re doing everything you can to avoid it. Regardless, the augmented reality game has ushered in a new style of gameplay that adds a layer of interactivity…

Although it may not have the field of view that many were originally hoping for, Microsoft’s HoloLens is still no less of an amazing tool on the horizon for many involved in hardware development. Earlier this year, SolidSmack reported on ten reasons why the HoloLens could change product design and the way that consumers interact…

By now, we’re well aware of the promises that augmented reality holds for professionals – whether it is used for showing a client a scale model through an iPad or for working with CAD in the “real world” – yet we’ve seen very little in the realm of consumers outside of novelty apps. Within the…

When it comes to the near future of immersive 3D viewing platforms, the science behind the holographic and virtual reality experiences can oftentimes be replicated using only the basic of supplies. Among others, Google Cardboard has proven that anybody can experience VR for next to nothing (seriously, the cardboard viewers are given out for free…

It’s no secret that the HoloLens was among one of the most exciting tech announcements within the past year – if not years – when it was unveiled by Microsoft in January at their Windows 10 event. Yesterday, the device was presented again at the company’s annual Build Developer Conference in San Francisco and was…

Previously, we’ve already seen how car manufacturers are able to bring their customers into their manufacturing process by way of virtual reality. Considering that the future consists of various head-mounted displays and other VR-tech including the Microsoft Hololens, the Oculus Rift and Magic Leap – among others – we may as well start to fabricate…

For the past couple of years, the engineers at Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects Group (ATAP) have been heavily-focused on their 3D mapping technology in the form of Project Tango. The Android-based phone/tablet platform (which is still currently in prototype stage and available to some developers) is designed to create high-quality and accurate 3D maps…

Magic Leap. It’s … something. Variously described as a 3D TV, Augmented Reality device or a Virtual Reality device like Oculus Rift, it’s been confirmed via leaks and patents that it is something much crazier. The description by Snow Crash author and Magic Leap’s Chief Futurist Neal Stephenson is telling, “Magic Leap is mustering an arsenal of techniques —…

If the comments board on the recent Mechanical Conceptual SolidSmack post is any indication, SolidWorks has a lot of passionate users that want to stick with the brand…but feel uncertain about the pricey new 3D Experience structure. While SolidSmack will most certainly be the first to report back to you with any updates on the…

Philippe Starck once famously said that there should be no cars on the road—-only motorcycles. While some soccer moms may disagree, his theory is valid: less pollution, more space, and dare I say it—more badassery. With all the recent developments of augmented reality-based windshields seen in concept cars in the past few years, it was…

You all know it. Augmented Reality (AR) headsets are/will be all the rage. From the Oculus Rift to Google Glass, the size, shape and application of these devices is quite broad. Sketchfab, the site that brings you the ability to set up your own 3D portfolio, is holding their fourth Sketchfast competition, and this one…

MIT is in no shortage of true innovators these days, and the projects just keep on coming. The latest innovation by interaction researcher Jinha Lee involves “the enabling of humans to physically interact with machines to make computing more intuitive” through a transparent computer, allowing the user to reach inside of a ‘box’ and manipulate/adjust…

One of the more exciting announcements to come out of SolidWorks World 2013 this year was the addition of an augmented reality-based update to SolidWorks’ popular eDrawings iOS app. What has been a go-to solution for many designers looking to present their models easily to clients and other designers in an easy-to-carry solution has now…

Okay, you know the rule. You can only cut once. Not twice, not thrice. But once. And when you have powertools, your mistakes are magnified. Curse be to the Human Condition, your hands shake, you’re eyes are dim and maybe you barely have the strength to handle your powertools. It is a reality, but a…

You, and whatever you like to feed extruded bits of colored grain to, now have even more incentive to pour the tasty bits and a gallon of milk directly down your gullet. Nestle and Dassualt are teaming up to bring out a new augmented reality (AR) game based on the new computer-animated film from 20th…

I think you’d agree. There’s just not enough visual clutter surrounding us as we go about our daily lives. It would be so much better if we were surrounded by an orb of interface efficiency. Fortunately, there are people thinking the very same thing, but not only thinking it… creating it and putting together 3D…

It almost never fails. You find a nice secluded beach, a tree deep in the forest, or a pile of shredded newspaper to call your own, when suddenly, giant color blobs of 3D start appearing around you. It would be ok, except for one thing… the person creating the color blobs is YOU. You’re doing…

If you’re like me, you know there’s nothing like spinning around till you stumble and slam your head through a 3D display. The small joys of life. Much like being able to model 3D on a display while wearing some dope looking lenses and chewing on a stick of butter. At least it use to…

I know, you see it there… on the screen, but then you look on the table… and it’s not there, IT’S NOT THERE. Ya know why, huh? huh? Because it’s Augmented Reality (AR), and your neural pathways are about to be re-myelinated with 3D augmented goodness. ISMAR 2009 (International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality)…

Yes, it’s all fun and games until… someone jabs an elfin creature in the eye, gets a gnarly infection and start projectile vomiting all over the place. Fortunately, it’s a virtual elfin creatures we’re talking about. The people behind it… 3DVia. Last week at the Dassault Customer Conference, I found out some top secret (totally-not-top-secret)…

So, I’m minding my own business, trying to increase my high score on Scramble 2 when all of a sudden I feel a tremor in the 3D mobile app force. Nope, it wasn’t the tomatillo enchiladas. There had been, as a matter of fact, a new iPhone app approved. The 3DVia Mobile iPhone app. It’s…

Welcome. It’s knee-slappin’, face-movin’ time again here on SolidSmack and this week we introduce to you Mr. Doob, who thought it a pleasant idea, in his Flash experimentation, to show you what it’s like to have a 3D scene position itself based on the position of you melon. You can play with the mouse-driven version,…

Set the sticks and mud aside. Playing with objects in our physical world is nothing against the impending sensorific-digitized-virtual-realitastic onslaught of completely augmented playtime for you and the kiddos. You may be seeing Frantz Lasorne very cool concept for a ‘blaster bot’ style kids game floating around. It uses nothing but the pure goodness of…

You’re running down the isle, pouring consumer goods into your buggy and in the crazed rampage you wonder exactly what that boxed ham slicer is gonna look like sitting on your counter. It’s hard to imagine, but the first word you think is HIDEOUS. You move on to the LEGOs and there, shining in brilliant…