Quick hit

You ever have that moment where you realize you’ve been completely wrong about something? I grew up dreaming of the Holodeck, but I’ll admit—I didn’t care much about 3D images or VR cameras until Canon waved its magic wand. And BOOM, suddenly I can see a future of depth and dimension that has literally piqued my interest.

What dropped

So, what’s the scoop? Canon’s Dual Pixel sensors just became the superstar of the 3D content creation jam! They can convert regular 2D snaps into immersive 3D experiences. That’s right, folks. It’s almost like getting that “upgrade” for your life we always wanted. You can read more about it here.

Why it matters

This isn’t just tech for the sake of tech; it feels like we’re finally stepping into a world where 3D content isn’t a hustle. VR cameras feeling niche? Yeah, they WERE. But now? They’re becoming the *thing*. And guess what? It’s not just for the big studios anymore.

How to try it

What’s the first step to dive into this wondrous new world? If you have a Canon camera with those Dual Pixel sensors, good news! Start snapping those 2D pics and watch as they transform into a 3D digital playground. Seriously. GO TRY IT. You might just find yourself a holy grail of creativity you didn’t know existed!

Caveats / gotchas / bugs

But hey, before you dive headfirst into 3D nirvana, consider this: you might run into latency and compute issues when exporting those 3D files. Not to mention the extra gear or software you might need to get that next-level fidelity. So, keep one eye on your workflow and the other on your bank account!

My take

Honestly? I’m stoked that Canon is shaking things up. I can feel the gears in my creative brain turning. My next experiment? I’m going to dust off my Canon camera and see just how well I can spin my lifeless 2D captures into 3D fantasies. If the Holodeck is the dream, maybe I can create my own LITTLE version of it—one 3D frame at a time!

Sources

Digital Camera World

This ain’t one body’s Tell. It’s the Tell of us all, and you got to listen it and ‘member, ’cause what you hears today, you got to tell the newborn tomorrow. I’s looking behind us now, down the long halls of history back. I sees those of us that got the luck and started the quest for building interesting 3D environments.

What Dreams May Come

I loved that movie. I thought it would be nice to ‘be’ in a Serat or a Monet painting. I used stock parts from Unity, their Asset Store, and some online 3D repo long forgotten to assemble this Thomas Kinkade world. I used a screen-space post effect to make it look like an impressionistic painting. This was running off a mid-range laptop in 2014 into a DK1, and it worked pretty well if I do say so myself. I added smoke and waterfalls and ambient audio to help bring it to life

TCHO Chocolate Factory

For FX-Pal (Fuji / Xerox Palo Alto), I did a digital twin of the Tcho Chocolate factory at Pier 15 (what is now the Exploratorium). It included working animations of all the machines and assembly line, as well as access to the actual pan/tilt/zoom cameras, and even ability to turn a light on and off.

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair

This has been an ongoing passion. In 2013 it was about using a PDF of the floor plan to build the major walls and structures, and stock objects to populate the world. This was clearly going to very labor intensive, and I imagined crowd-sourcing it, making a multi-user collaborative platform, where folks sharing my vision would contribute models and images to populate it out. But I also knew that future tech would make this approach a waste of time.

Castle Falkenstein

Ten years earlier, I’d coded up an Unreal-To-VRML (X3D) program. This was the original old-school Unreal Editor stuff. I’d found this lovely castle someone had built. I converted it to X3D and had fun using various VRML players to show it off on the web. After collecting dust, and writing an X3D-to-Unity converter, I was able to import this to Unity and run it in the DK1. I do sometimes revisit this and have it in Quest 3 standalone, it was on Altspace, and maybe going to VRChat or some such some day.

Vivaty

In 2006 I joined Vivaty, nee Media Machines. One of my favorite parts of building this web-based platform was giving life to smart objects. Here we see 4 puppies, each with its own personality. I made a system where you could dial in the probability of various animations, like ‘bark’, ‘play’, ‘sleep’, ‘beg’ etc. Other objects seen here: picture gallery (populated from FB, Google, MySpace, etc.), and a mirror.

Quick hit

Imagine a dreamland where 3D Gaussian splats sprout from your 360° videos, like wildflowers in a virtual meadow. Welcome to my latest obsession: 360° Gaussian. This software is here to change the game for us graphics nerds!

I’m talking about automatically training these splats from video or image sequences without the hassle! (IT’S LIKE MAGIC BUT WITHOUT THE HAT.)

What dropped

So what’s in the toolbox? This bad boy is free—yes, you heard right—while the paid Automasker feature boasts standalone capabilities and CLI controls. You can extract images from equirectangular videos using FFmpeg. Excited yet? Let’s go!

Why it matters

If you’re like me, the idea of spinning 360° footage into slick 3D splats sounds like the coolest thing since the invention of the HOLDECK. We’re talking next-level creations that can make my virtual hotel room feel *like* a movie set without spending hours tweaking settings.

How to try it

Jump in! Download 360° Gaussian from this link and get cracking. You’ll use FFmpeg to extract frames from your 360° videos and then let the splats fly. Oh, and there’s a helpful video tutorial to guide you through it. Seriously, no excuses—your folio needs these splats!

Caveats / gotchas / bugs

BUT WAIT—there’s a catch. The workflow isn’t frictionless, and some of you might hit a wall with compute performance. Latency can sneak up if your setup isn’t beefy enough. Also, Automasker is paid, so budget accordingly unless you’re a fan of watching your bank account dwindle.

My take

Overall? I’m stoked! I’m diving deep into these splats to see how they interact with other elements in my 3D scenes. I’ll be testing its compatibility with various engines and tweaking my workflow to get the most delicious visuals possible. So, expect my updates as I embark on this splat-tastic journey!

Sources

Check out the developer’s page for 360° Gaussian here, and don’t skip the tutorial video and the Discord channel for community vibes!

Quick hit

So, SuperCool just dropped a feature that lets you conjure 3D-printable models right in their interface. I mean, seriously? This is like giving my inner Holodeck a CONSTRUCTIVE workout! (Sorry in advance if I go full nerd on you.)

What dropped

Turns out, now you can transform wild ideas into actual physical objects—FAST. Hobbyists and pros alike can whip up designs without the usual fuss. I picture a wave of creative chaos, and it’s glorious.

Why it matters

This feature feels like the moment when my childhood dreams started shifting from pixelated fantasies to tactile realities. I mean, who hasn’t wanted to print out their doodles of transformer unicorns? The excitement is palpable!

How to try it

If you’re itching to dive in, check out the tutorial here. It’ll guide you through creating your first render. You might just find yourself knee-deep in 3D fun.

Caveats / gotchas / bugs

OH WAIT! Before you rush in, just know that the larger your model, the more compute power it requires. Think about latency and export formats—are you ready to scale this up and deal with those hiccups?

My take

What am I going to do about it? Time to gather my old sketches and put this feature to the test! Let’s see if I can bring some of my wild concepts into the physical realm, or at least end up with some very interesting hot messes.

Sources

Find more info about the feature in the original email newsletter.

Quick hit

Alright, hold onto your VR headsets because Marble is here! This new frontier multimodal world model just dropped from World Labs, and as a builder-nerd obsessed with Holodecks since my childhood, I’m practically vibrating with glee (cue the flashbacks of making my cardboard fort into a “simulation”!).

Marble isn’t just a pretty face. It’s a robust tool that can reshape how we interact with our 3D environments. So, yeah, this is a big deal!

What dropped

Marble launched recently, aiming to make the world of multimodal models accessible to all builders, dreamers, and rascals. Finally, a chance to create without feeling like you’re wrestling a bear in a sleep-deprived stupor.

Why it matters

For ages, I’ve yearned for tools that break down the barriers in immersive building. Marble promises to be that magical bridge—combining different data types seamlessly? YES… AND… it could actually cut down the guesswork in your builds.

How to try it

Want in on the action? You can jump right into Marble via their platform. Just head over to the World Labs blog for details. Think of it as your new playground where you get to run wild and experiment like a kid with a new toy. Seriously, what’s stopping you?

Caveats / gotchas / bugs

But hooooold your horses! There’s a caveat—you might run into latency issues when trying to process intense datasets. Nothing kills the vibe like lag, am I right? Gotta be mindful of that while you’re channeling your inner virtual architect.

My take

Honestly, I’m all-in on Marble. It’s like someone finally pulled out the missing pieces from my 3D puzzle. I’m ready to dive headfirst into exploring its capabilities. My next experiment? I’m aiming to integrate it into my current project and see if it truly lives up to the hype in terms of usability and functionality.

Sources

World Labs blog