Firefox soon will help you lose yourself in the VR web
Mozilla plans to release a version of its Firefox browser Tuesday that embraces a version of virtual reality for the web.
Back in 2014, Mozilla developers including Vladimir Vukicevic put together a concept called WebVR. The idea was to let web browsers navigate virtual realms, and make it easier for people to create a VR world once that would work on all sorts of devices.
But Vukicevic headed off to game engine maker Unity, and Google's Chrome browser beat Mozilla with WebVR support. Microsoft's Edge also edged out Firefox, adding WebVR support in April. Microsoft and Google, which both sell devices to experience virtual reality and its augmented reality cousin, have a big incentive to make virtual reality real.
"WebVR is the major platform feature shipping in Firefox 55," the latest Firefox release calendar update says. "Firefox users with an HTC Vive or Oculus Rift headset will be able to experience VR content on the web and can explore some exciting demos."
There are caveats to using WebVR today. Chrome's support only is on Android-powered devices right now, and WebVR on Edge requires you to put the browser in a developer mode.
WebVR is also important for Mozilla. The nonprofit organization is fighting to reclaim its relevance and restore its reputation after Firefox slid into Chrome's shadow in recent years. The work to get Firefox back into fighting trim will culminate with Firefox 57, due to arrive Nov. 14.
"VR will beget AR pretty quickly as a mass-market opportunity," Beard said. "Browsers play a very meaningful role."
See the full story here: https://www.cnet.com/news/firefox-55-gets-webvr-support-for-more-immersive-web/
Virtual reality video showcases UCLA campus as 2028 Olympic Village
The goal was to convince the committee that Los Angeles was “games-ready” because the facilities at UCLA will serve as the Olympic Village.
The video takes the viewer around UCLA’s sports and living facilities in 360 degrees, seamlessly transitioning from spots like the basketball courts at the John Wooden Center to the dining room at Bruin Plate.
The video came out of a joint effort between LA 2028′s team and two other companies: advertising agency 72andSunny and virtual reality team Jaunt.
Jaunt had less than six weeks to shrink UCLA’s campus down to the size of a VR headset. The approaching summer break accelerated its timeline even more, since it was crucial that the campus be populated with students.
See the full story here: http://dailybruin.com/2017/08/07/virtual-reality-video-showcases-ucla-campus-as-2028-olympic-village/
Augmented reality: What are the legal realities?
Getting the contract correct
The relationship between the retailer, developer and platform providers can often be fairly complicated and therefore requires a number of different contracts.
In particular, any agreement between the retailer and the developer should include a service level and service credit mechanism to ensure that the end-product is produced on time and then appropriately maintained.
AR output: who owns the IP?
Does the AR product allow end-users to develop or publish content, such as an app that lets the user create and then publish a new design for a clothing retailer or amend existing product lines?
Data: the devil will be in the detail
Retailers will need to ensure that end-users have been adequately informed and the data they provide through use of the AR tool is lawfully processed and secure.
The end-user must consent to the specific use of their data and they must be able to withdraw this consent at any time. Burying the detail in a privacy policy or making use of the service conditional on accepting the privacy policy will not be good enough.
Who’s responsible if something goes wrong?
Who should be responsible if an end-user suffers loss, such as an injury, as a result of using the AR product on offer?
Under English law, liability for certain losses – such as death or injury caused by negligence and fraudulent acts – cannot be excluded. However, where the liability sits for all other matters and who takes the risk of liability is generally up for negotiation and should be considered before embarking on an AR project.
See the full story here: https://www.retail-week.com/topics/policy-and-legal/augmented-reality-what-are-the-legal-realities/7025061.article
This virtual try-on system for clothing might actually work
"Our approach is to scan a person wearing the garment, separate the clothing from the person, and then rendering it on top of a new person," says Dr. Gerard Pons-Moll, the project's principal investigator. "This process captures all the detail present in real clothing, including how it moves, which is hard to replicate with simulation."
The product, called ClothCap, uses 4D movies recorded using a scanner with 66 cameras and projectors to take full stock of the person being scanned. This allows the scanner to fully see how clothing drapes on a person's body and where it wrinkles. It also records how a body moves under the clothes and how the garment shifts accordingly. Once this data is analyzed, it's easy to separate the piece of clothing from the original body and use it in virtual try-ons. You can find the full paper on how the tech works in the journal ACM Transactions on Graphics.
See the full story here: https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/03/clothcap-virtual-try-on-system-for-clothing/
MOVIE REVIEW: Let this be a warning!
The Virtual Reality (VR) experience is a surreal one. Unlike conventional cinema where you watch what is happening, you have to keep looking around you, never being sure what your fate is. The surroundings are not familiar and it is a new world.
Jason Runo and Marrianne Nungo are two actors that shine in this short film.
See the full story here: http://www.nation.co.ke/lifestyle/buzz/MOVIE-REVIEW-Let-this-be-a-warning/441236-4046048-yfdtwr/index.html
Will Virtual Reality Remain a Zero Billion Dollar Business? Not According to Iñárritu
During the past four years in which this project has been growing in my mind, I had the privilege of meeting and interviewing many Mexican and Central American refugees. Their life stories haunted me, so I invited some of them to collaborate with me in the project. My intention was to experiment with VR technology to explore the human condition in an attempt to break the dictatorship of the frame, within which things are just observed, and claim the space to allow the visitor to go through a direct experience walking in the immigrants’ feet, under their skin, and into their hearts.Iñárritu had successfully taken me into a story and a world he created, making the massive technology nearly invisible and getting me totally absorbed.
During the last third of the installation I was able to review the faces of the people whose true stories were blended into what I had just witnessed (experienced). In the days since, my recurring question remains: what would Trump make of this VR experience?
CARNE y ARENA is a very successful glimpse into how VR can be melded into and transform a storyteller’s vision.
See the full story here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradauerbach/2017/08/05/will-virtual-reality-remain-a-zero-billion-dollar-business-not-according-to-inarritu/#3eb6be0f7fe8
The VOID is Bringing a New Star Wars VR Experience to Two Disney Locations This Holiday
The VOID, a company specializing in bespoke VR experiences that go beyond what you can achieve with in-home VR hardware, today announced the development of the Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire VR experience in collaboration with Disney, Lucasfilm, and ILM’s xLab. The experience will open at two Disney locations this holiday.
Due to debut at two new VOID venues in Downtown Disney at Disneyland Resort & Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort beginning this holiday season, the announcement is a big win for the company...
“At The VOID, we combine the magic of illusions, advanced technology and virtual reality to create fully immersive social experiences that take guests to new worlds,” said Curtis Hickman, co-founder and chief creative officer at The VOID. “A truly transformative experience is so much more than what you see with your eyes; it’s what you hear, feel, touch, and even smell. Through the power of The VOID, guests who step into Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire won’t just see this world, they’ll know that they are part of this amazing story.”
More specifically, The VOID allows multiple players to roam around large, physical, movie set-like environments which are overlaid with matching virtual reality scenes.
See the full story here: http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-starwars-disney-virtual-reality-20170803-story.html
