VR/AR

Hey, it’s AVRspot, and today we will tell you about the client journey in our company. How it is to be our client and how it’s like to develop an app with us. I’m glad you joined, let’s get straight into it.

Developing an Idea

First things first, if you are looking to grow your business fast, spending some time on defining an idea of what kind of app you want to develop is the very first step on the road to success.

The next step is to contact AVRspot.

After contacting AVRspot our manager will set up a call with you to discuss all nits and grits about the project. At this stage, we’ll find out what is your vision of the app and what you have ready for the application development (technical documentation, wireframes, designs, etc).

If you have no technical specifications (if you have we’ll skip this step) we’ll ask you about the requirements you have, get to know exactly what you want and if it’s possible to deliver those requirements. We’ll also create a functional document explaining how to implement a technology solution for you in a cost-effective way by determining the requirements of a project.

We’d also provide you with some recommendations on how to improve your app idea by analyzing the current market as well as how valuable and competitive your solution is.

Now that we have technical documentation, the next step is one more discussion.

Usually, at this stage we ask a bunch of questions, so don’t freak out — we need this in order to understand your preferences, the project’s purpose, its audience, the problems it can solve, and deliver inch-perfect results.

Based on technical documentation we create a quote, that you will later approve. If everything aligns well with your favor, we’ll sign up a contract.

Starting Development Process: MVP

Here at AVRspot, our software development process consists of 2 main stages – MVP development (MVP is the version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort), and agile development.

Why is it always a good idea to develop MVP?

Your MVP is the base of your product. It’s like the ice cream inside a waffle corner, as it comprises the attributes required to find a solution to the certain issue you’re targeting.

MVPs are the best way to understand the market you’re entering as well as see whether there’s a demand for what you offer before investing in a product no one will use. 90 % of all start-ups fail and half of these do just because there was no demand for their services.

Thus we make an interview to discuss what is the main service/features your app will provide.  And once we create MVP, then we’ll be able to quickly create a standout brand that gets noticed and gains popularity in a short period of time.

Agile Development

After discussing MVP development, our project manager divides a project into parts and creates a user story that incorporates a description of a software feature from an end-user perspective. It helps to create a simplified description of a requirement.

Our project manager will write a user story so that it’s clear for you as a customer and us what you want and why you want it. We’ll take care of how to develop the code that will satisfy the requirements of the user story. Our developers will collaborate closely with you as a business owner to clarify the details as the process develops.

Then we create a module instruction, which results in user cases. By using user cases system we’ll identify, clarify, and organize system requirements. During this stage, our project manager will organize functional requirements, model the goals of an app, record scenarios and describe basic courses of an action.

The next move is creating a backlog. During this session, the development team works with the business owner to prioritize tasks and list them into user stories for future use.

Then we divide a project into sprints and work according to scrum and agile program.

Each sprint begins with a planning meeting. During the meeting, the product owner and the development team agree upon exactly what work will be accomplished during the sprint. Then we’ll determine the duration of sprints. When the project is done, we put it into the test by QA, or you can use user testing. After successful testing, we deliver the final outcome.

That’s pretty much it, if you have any concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us — we’re glad you are here and ready to implement your project.

Related: 5 Simple Augmented Reality Business Ideas You Can Implement Today

Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated illusion of reality immersing people into a simulated environment and providing visual, audio and haptic senses. When we put on a VR headset it takes us into the fictitious world making us completely separated from the real surroundings.

By convincing the human brain that it is somewhere it is really not, VR literally makes it possible to experience anything, anywhere, anytime. The ultimate goal of virtual reality is to provide an experience that feels so real, that you forget it is a virtual-artificial environment and begin to interact with it as you would naturally do in the real world. This may be a completely synthetic world or it may mimic the properties of a real-world environment.

If You’re New to Virtual Reality, Where Should You Start?

Nowadays virtual reality technology is available for everybody and you can create a portal into the unreal world right in your living room. So, it’s pretty real.  All you need is appropriate hardware (VR headset) and software (VR application).

The virtual reality headset is the first must-have of a virtual reality kit, as it will allow you to interact with simulated environments and experience the first-person view. The headset itself is a thick pair of goggles that you wear over your eyes. The price, as well as the quality of the headsets, vary. Higher quality headsets are connected to a computer to run apps, while some cheaper ones use a cell phone clipped to the front of the headset. For a fully immersive experience, you would need controllers (input devices that would help you navigate) and headphones. For a virtual experience to work, you would also need a 360 video or a VR app representing the place you will be transported to. These are created by VR software tools and 3D modeling tools.

Related: VR hardware: Lenovo Explorer Windows Mixed Reality Headset Review

Related: HTC Vive Pro, Oculus Go, Magic Leap: What to Expect from the Newest Headsets

How Does Virtual Reality Work?

How does a virtual reality headset make you think that you’re visiting another country when you are, in fact, actually staying in your bedroom?

The key point is to create a virtual environment that looks like it is a life-size, and follows whenever you look.  The video is sent via cable to the headset or through the phone fitted into the headset. VR headsets have two small LCD displays placed next to each other like glasses or two feeds sent to one display showing pictures of the same object that are a bit shifted towards one another. This creates an illusion of the 3D space.

For user interaction, there are several tracking options:

Head Tracking

Head tracking works by coming after your head motion. A system called 6DoF (six degrees of freedom) marks your head with reference to your X, Y and Z axis to take the measurements of, head movements forward and backward and shoulder to shoulder. It includes one of the three components usually used to track objects such as a gyroscope, accelerometer and a magnetometer.

Eye Tracking

One more piece of the VR puzzle is eye tracking. The infrared sensor tracks your eyes inside the headset so headset understands what you are looking at. By tracking the direction of your eyes inside a virtual environment, this technology makes the depth of field more realistic.

Motion Tracking

While being in constant improvement, motion tracking is steadily raising VR to a totally new level. If you want to achieve full immersion, motion tracking is the key to break all limits in VR enabling to look and move around. With the help of concepts of the 6DoF and 3D space, options to support motion tracking fall into 2 group, optical and non-optical tracking. Optical tracking is generally a camera on a headset that follows the movements, while non-optical incorporates the use of other sensors on a device or a body.

Areas of Use

There is an abundance of ways virtual reality can provide huge benefits to us. It is no longer an overnight sensation and is successfully used in education, science, medicine, design, architecture, engineering, gaming and entertainment.

Medicine is one of the biggest beneficiaries of virtual reality. It provides an effective way for students to develop various medical skills such as surgical training and observation. Simulated surgeries enable the surgeon to perform an operation on a ‘virtual patient’ or to see inside the human body.

Now you know what virtual reality is, where it is used and what you need to get started.  

If you want to get to know about other facets of the virtual reality, feel free to leave a comment down below mentioning what exactly you want to hear.

Ready to create virtual reality? Contact us right now and get a free consultation! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask — we are here to help.

You may also like: How much does VR application development cost in 2018?

Tony Robbins, American author, and entrepreneur said: “If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and copy what they do and you’ll achieve the same results. In other words, if you want to promote a retail brand you have to find another retail company that has succeed and follow their steps.

In this blog, you’ll get a precise instruction of how to copy L’Oréal, a world market leader in the cosmetics industry, and hopefully, achieve the same results.

Step #1 Understanding Consumers Pain Points

By being a personal care company that has developed activities in the field concentrating on mainly beauty products make-up, their main concern is what do people think when they buy our products?

Typically consumers think about a brand name, product quality, price, and service quality. Yet, it also has been discovered that buying products is a process that relies strongly on emotions. You, as an entrepreneur, must ensure that your services and products bring a positive feeling to the customers.

Another factor to think about is the importance of testing products physically.  If your store is located just in one city how would you spread your products over your country and over other corners of the world?

Here’s a point where you need augmented reality. Did you know that emotional engagement is closely associated with the user experience? Augmented reality boosts user engagement because it’s much more than simple online shopping. AR is also said to bring positive feelings as it meets consumers’ need for testing products online. See? Two problems and one solution.

By the way, if you don’t know what augmented reality is and want to know how it works, please check it out here.

Step #2 Creating an AR App: Genius Makeup App

Thus, the L’Oréal group have provided their consumers with services that simple websites cannot provide. They created an app called Genius Makeup letting shoppers try their preferred cosmetics without leaving the comfort of their homes and allowing them to save time.

The well-developed app which allows users to virtually apply makeup functions in real-time also allows interacting with the digital makeup and observing it in different lighting situations. Makeup lovers can try on mascara, eyeshadows, eyeliners, lipsticks, and blushes. Moreover, the app isn’t limited to home use. Consumers can scan an L’Oréal Paris product they find in a store and try it on virtually right there. It is also possible to save the look, share it with friends and purchase the products directly from the app.

Step #3 Reaping The Benefits

The results have been immediate. Right after launching the virtual makeup tester 500,000 Australians downloaded the app. Moreover, the company claims that the app has almost 20 million users globally.

Pioneering technology that allowed users to try L’Oreal’s product virtually, may help you to increase e-commerce as well as total sales just in one day after launching an app. It will help you enhance the service you provide and make the buying experience more personal.

Brainstorm How AR Can Help Your Business

Whenever the retail industry you are, brainstorm to find some fresh ideas how you can use augmented reality for your business.

You can also contact AVRspot, and we will come up with a few suggestions for you. If you are considering augmented reality as a business solution, we provide a unique possibility to create MVP (minimum viable product) without any risks*.

* Please contact us to learn more about our “No Risks Program”

Related: 5 Simple Augmented Reality Business Ideas You Can Implement Today

Related: 5 Virtual Reality Related Business Ideas For 2019

Augmented reality (AR) adds digital elements onto a smartphone camera, creating an illusion that holographic content is a part of the physical world around you. In contrast with Virtual Reality (VR), you are not immersed in the whole artificial environment. AR alters the surroundings a bit by adding 3D objects, sounds, videos, graphics to it.

AR can be applied differently, so you can use it for making your face look like a cute kitten or find directions in shopping malls. Augmented reality allows you to virtually try on glasses or see how home appliances will look on your table. Such apps must differentiate between the physical and digital world to place virtual objects onto the right area. This is possible using computer vision algorithms that provide mobile apps with a high-level understanding of digital images or videos.

Globalization and the latest developments have made this AR accessible for the ordinary user.  Mobile devices are the most available and best fit for AR mobile apps. You may opt for special AR devices like head-up displays or smart glasses.

How Does Augmented Reality Work?

To show the relevant content to the user AR uses computer vision, simultaneous localization, mapping and depth tracking (sensor data calculating the distance to the objects). This allows cameras to collect, send and process data in order to show digital content relevant to what the user is looking at.

For instance, imagine that you are using AR navigation, like in the picture above. First, computer vision processes the location and objects captured by the camera and recognizes it. Then, the program puts labels onto the surface. The process happens every time the user holds a phone camera in front of the location that has been previously mapped. This type of AR is markerless.

Another example is a soccer game. The app recognizes a person’s foot, by setting virtual footprint on the actual foot and its motion, so the user could kick the virtual soccer ball down the alley on the screen and ‘remember’ the player’s foot to keep scores for each session.  Thanks to the function of object recognition, the user’s foot can be detected, allowing the program to identify each player and offer a new game for another user respectively.

You may also like: 5 Simple Augmented Reality Business Ideas You Can Implement Today

Why Does AR Need Computer Vision?

For an augmented reality to start working cameras must see things be capable enough to figure out what they are seeing and further categorize it.

The whole process of computer seeing real world includes the machine representing colors by numbers, identifying a similar group of colors and then segmenting the image, searching for lines that meet at object angles and covering a specific part of the image, finding textures, and matching the image with those present in the database.

Augmented reality requires discerning objects around the user in terms of both semantics and 3D geometry. Semantics recognizes the object, while geometry figures out where the object is placed.

You may also like: Using Computer Vision To Improve Healthcare

Retail, healthcare, education and real estate companies already benefit from augmented reality and today is your turn.

Ready to create augmented reality? Contact us right now and get a free consultation! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask — we are here to help.

Related: How much does augmented reality application development cost in 2018?

Measuring up to the wants of extremely conscious buyers, the consumer industry, known as the one that depends heavily on shopper behavior, is embracing augmented reality as the new trend. Catching on to why your customers buy is a secret formula for developing a successful sales strategy.

The way customers think and behave has always had a huge impact on their final decisions. Luckily, there’s a new buying trigger, called augmented reality, and you can use it for your business.

AR Can Actually Influence the Users’ Purchase Intention

As reported by a study in International Marketing, augmented reality influences a person’s pleasure receptors and their willingness to move towards a goal (in our situation, to buy a product). Holographic interaction increases the perception of a product and has an immediate positive effect on the client.

Brand’s purpose is about solving the customer’s needs — and in the buying process, there is largely an information deficit. Shoppers are looking for information to help them choose the right solution, and reassure that the decision is right. There’s no better technology than augmented reality to provide exhaustive information regarding a product. Why? Just because it’s not enough to see a picture on a website or app. Everyone want’s to somehow see how the product feels and how it can be used. A simple augmented reality experience of placing a virtual sofa in a living room will definitely convert viewers into buying customers.

A Gap Between an Intention and Purchase

There’s always a gap between an intention and an actual purchase. If you continually improve your marketing techniques, you may see that your visitors spend quite a bit amount of time before they put it into a basket. Why is it so long?  They have an intention but there’s still some hesitation. Can I wear this dress with my favorite pumps? Will this fridge fit nicely to my kitchen?

They are not sure if they should buy it. And here’s a gap.

Another study conducted by Copenhagen Business School showed that people who virtually tried on a product decided to buy it than those exposed to traditional marketing. If I can see the product description on the webpage it’s traditional. Augmented reality marketing virtually puts the product in the prospect’s hands, allowing them to explore it and form their own conclusions on its benefits and quality.

Why Does Augmented Reality Have an Impact on the Buying Decision?

AR creates a really strong emotional bond by adding digital images to the real world. It makes users feel like they already own a product which ultimately strengthens a desire to buy. Shoppers identify its advantages and picture how much better their life could be if they had it.

Augmented reality also makes users trust your brand. Today it’s not easy to quickly establish a good reputation and become a company people rely on. AR is the most convenient mechanism for customers to experiment with a product, get accustomed with size, color, and other features.

Winding Up

To put simply: small changes add up. By integrating augmented reality into your application you will strengthen the users’ purchase intention and possibly convert them into buying customers.

Moreover, this technology has never been only for brands, as buyers benefit from AR as well.

This is exactly why odds are that augmented reality is going to be one of the most used tools for marketing in retail and other businesses.

It is often a tough decision for an organization to invest in augmented reality solution creation.

AVRspot inc. provides a unique possibility to create MVP (minimum viable product) without any risks*.

* Please contact us to learn more about our “No Risks Program”

Related: 5 Simple Augmented Reality Business Ideas You Can Implement Today

Related: 5 Virtual Reality Related Business Ideas For 2019

Delivering enjoyable experience and building a brand that customer will trust is crucial for a restaurant business. Augmented reality can engage the audience with your brand and this is what makes AR particularly powerful.

Read on to find out three ways augmented reality can benefit your brand.

How Does AR For Meal Ordering Work?

Instead of simply browsing through the list of dishes on the app customers are able to view the cuisine options from any angle via AR mode on their phones. Those who order food online can have a clear preview of a realistic dish size as well as ingredients. Augmented reality helps consumers to get rid of unwanted fear when ordering a meal online and even break down the cultural barriers.

#1 Cultivate Customer Loyalty with AR

To cultivate customer loyalty you should make your customers return to you again and again. Encouraging repeat usage will form a habit, which can engender customer loyalty. Augmented reality and 3D modeling allow bringing high-quality menus to restaurants and online food services. A mobile app, where a couple screen taps and swipes will get your customer a delicious dish right on their table, along with convenient mobile ordering functionality can do wonders.

#2 Access New Customers

Where can you find new customers? You’re right, on social media. Sharing pics is a huge trend there, and you can use AR to season simple photos. Opt for AR if you want to buzz around a new product launch and reach out to new audiences. With AR your app won’t be another generic tool to order the meal. All in all, customers prefer choosing brands that develop and always have something new and trendy.

#3 Understand Buyer Concerns

One of the main concerns of those who order a meal online or at the restaurant is that the portion will be too small or too large. Augmented reality solves this problem. Your consumers can view any dish in AR just through the app or by putting phone camera over a paper menu.

Related: How Augmented Reality Integration Can Help You Grow Your Business

How AVRspot Have Worked On AR Project For Food Story

For Food Story project we were to implement 37 3D dish models for AR menu that will allow users to see tasties from all angles. As soon as users examine the plate with a dessert or a salad they can be sure – food they are going to order will look as beautiful as they see it on the menu. All models dimensions are identical to the food they represent, displaying an accurate representation of both appearance and portion.

You can find out more about our Food Story solution.

Recap

Eventually, AR is a hugely effective way to attract new audiences to your restaurant business. Augmented reality will boost repeat purchase and make your app stand out.

If you are interested in how AR can work for other businesses follow the link for more augmented reality examples, or get in touch to find out how AR can work for you.

To help companies adopt this technology, we provide a limited-time offer for the first 3 companies who will contact us (our team will develop a free case-study for your augmented reality project).

So, don’t hesitate to reach out to AVRspot, and we’ll help you make your business innovative!

It is often a tough decision for an organization to invest in augmented reality solution creation.

AVRspot inc. provides a unique possibility to create MVP (minimum viable product) without any risks*.

* Please contact us to learn more about our “No Risks Program”

Related: 3 Ways Augmented Reality Can Improve Your Marketing Campaign

Augmented reality is a sensational and likable medium. It can transform a tangible product into a digital mode of expression and complement it with unlockable, immersive message. Moreover, augmented reality is within a common smartphone user reach. It doesn’t require any gear except your phone and it is what makes this kind of sophisticated technology totally unsophisticated.

In this article, we will share with you 5 simple augmented reality business ideas you can implement today.

What is augmented reality (AR)?

When someone refers to AR, they are talking about technology that superimposes data and virtual bodies on real-world surfaces in real-time. It uses the actual surroundings and adds information to it to generate a new simulated environment.

Augmented Reality Packaging

Augmented Reality growth unfolds a huge business potential for marketing domain, and if applied creatively, it can bring more loyalty and engagement for the brands and their products.

Augmented Reality is very simple. Everyone can use it, as it is available on a smartphone and it doesn’t require specific knowledge or gear. One of the easiest ways to make customers love and remember your brand is to make distinctive packaging. Here’s when AR comes in handy.

How does it work? When your customers point their mobile device at the product packaging and instantly see either a story of a brand or different personalities representing the product. Actually, it can be anything – flowers, butterflies, fairies, beautiful music… Let AR tell the story.

We can deliver this kind of application within 4 – 6 weeks.

Augmented Reality Bigboards

Count how many mass-consumer ads you see every day and think of how many made an impression. People don’t like feeling like you want to sell them something. The vast majority of ads are sized up as visual pollution in an already jam-packed panorama.

Enhance your store window by allowing potential buyers to see, for instance, a model on a catwalk wearing an outfit with pieces you sell – or some other interactivity appearing on a big board. I don’t mean big boards are outdated, no. I mean there’s fresh and no sweat way to enhance your ad campaign.

If you offer a branded, AR-enabled app, users will be able to simply turn on their mobile camera and point it to the big board or store window and see an overlay with whatever you want them to see.

We can deliver this kind of application within 4 – 6 weeks.

Augmented Reality Magazines and Flyers

The time of periodicals is not over unless you keep it outdated. If you have a publication you can keep it up to date with AR. How?

W Magazine, one of the most notable fashion periodicals, is heading in a similar direction with an AR-powered issue. To the casual eye, it looks like a conventional publication, but that becomes different when some pages of it resurrect if viewed via the lens of a phone. Augmented reality can make ordinary magazine special and transform it into a modish medium completely.

Another periodical that follows AR trend is The New Yorker. Take a look.

AR experience is unsophisticated but alluring. They simply added a dimension to the illustration.

Let’s get back to 2016. ELLE magazine embraced AR in one of their editions already at that time.  With augmented reality, they brought Hollywood’s superstars to life on the cover — and all you need is your iPhone.

We can deliver this kind of application within 6 – 8 weeks.

Related: 3 Ways Augmented Reality Can Improve Your Marketing Campaign

Augmented Reality Shoes & Clothing

There are many brands that use augmented reality for shoes and clothing to try on. Adidas, Burberry, Converse, Gap, Nike, Zara — the list is by no means exhaustive. Shopping led by AR is constantly improving, so there are no excuses for you if you haven’t implemented this technology into your business yet.

You can use AR for showing shoe or clothing material. Imagine, the user puts a phone over the sneaker and sees the material uppers, foxing, toe box, insole, and other shoe parts are made of. The same principle works with clothes. The app is pretty simple to develop and use.

We can deliver this kind of application within 4 – 6 weeks.

Augmented Reality & Beauty Industry

The beauty world loves augmented reality. From Sephora to L’Oreal, brands are trying to find different ways to integrate the technology into their retail experience.

If you own a makeup brand you can create an app allowing users to try virtual makeup samples through augmented reality. Use AR marketing to engage consumers through mobile tech, promote new products and increase sales of items that typically require physical try-on and sampling.

Check out how NYX incorporated AR into an app.

Hope that it inspires you to refresh your app and encourage consumers to return to your brand.

We can deliver this kind of application within 8 – 12 weeks.

Related: 5 Virtual Reality Related Business Ideas For 2019

Final Lines

If you’re thinking of implementing a simple business idea, rest assured you won’t fare badly if you decide to add augmented reality features to your solution. Get in touch to find out how you can harness augmented reality, and also if you are looking for a simple and affordable solution to develop.

To get to know how much it costs to develop AR app – check out the article: How much does augmented reality application development cost in 2018?

To help companies adopt this technology, we provide a limited-time offer for the first 3 companies who will contact us (our team will develop a free case-study for your augmented reality project).

So, don’t hesitate to reach out to AVRspot, and we’ll help you make your business innovative!

It is often a tough decision for an organization to invest in virtual reality solution creation. AVRspot inc. provides a unique possibility to create MVP (minimum viable product) without any risks*.

* Please contact us to learn more about our “No Risks Program”

If you have a VR/AR project in mind or just want to have 3D models created, you might be intimidated by the idea of choosing between 3D photogrammetry and 3D laser scanning. Actually, the concepts and their applications aren’t that hard to understand, so grab a cup of tea and read on the blog!

What is 3D Photogrammetry?

Let’s start from a definition. Photogrammetry is the process of getting shape measurements, as well as extracting other 3D information from photographs. Digital photogrammetry operates on images of objects captured from different locations and angles using a standard digital camera, and having the computer detect overlapping patterns to build up a 3D reconstruction of the photographed model.

To put it simply, the operation includes taking a set of pictures of an object from different angles — approximately 95 photos of 1 object in average, then uploading them to the software (like Autodesk ReCap, Agisoft Photoscan, RealityCapture) that converts photos into a 3D model. By comparing pixel colors and defining anchor points, photogrammetry software evaluates and creates 3D models of a vast variety of objects.

3D Laser Scanning

Now, 3D scanners. These are devices that use infra-red light projection to construct metric data from objects they are scanning. Laser scanners gather plane data using a laser beam pointed at the surface and then convert that data into a point cloud.

3D photogrammetry: Positives and Negatives & Applications

First, photogrammetry is affordable. To digitally replicate object forms using photogrammetry, you need a camera and a room which has enough light to film in. If the object is human or animal, multi-camera systems are precisely placed in a studio.

Photogrammetry facilitates instant data capture, which is extremely valuable and allows highlighting the tiniest details of the body. Even if the subject moves a bit, the final outcome and the look won’t be affected, unless the object moves intensely.

On the other hand, a custom-built system has to be created in a studio setting, which is difficult to arrange. Shooting must be done correctly, otherwise, you fail. In addition, photogrammetry solutions aren’t able to capture transparent, glossy, flat and one color objects, because they have no visual patterns to detect.

Thus, it’s better not to use photogrammetry for the bodies with smooth, shiny, and featureless surfaces. In fact, this is the only one real limitation of photogrammetry, which can be easily fixed. All you have to do is to mess up the surface so that it is dirty and not shiny. In case, you are not allowed to distort the surface of the subject than using a 3D scanner would be a better alternative.

In general, photogrammetry is applicable when creating 3D models of simple objects we encounter in our everyday life, humans, as well as for topographic mapping, and geology.

3D Laser Scanning: Pros and Cons & Applications

3D scanning, on the contrary, can be applied to objects with any colors and textures, it is not affected by light setup and body movement. Laser scanning works in the dark and can be applied for cave scanning or any other area when there’s no daylight. Think of trying to scan the engineering objects or pipes connections for instance. Taking the specific quantity of pictures of all parts from all angles will be nearly impossible. Probably hundreds of cameras would be required in a photogrammetry room to achieve the result you can obtain with one 3D scanner.

Another advantage of 3D scanning is that it gives higher resolution and accuracy than photogrammetry. Therefore, facial characteristics and even clothing features captured with a 3D scanner are likely to be more precise and lifelike. But despite that, most of the consumer 3D scanners can only scan details around 1 to 2 mm, so if your subject has attributes smaller than that — opt for photogrammetry.

Now let’s proceed to disadvantages. Sometimes the results from consumer 3D scanners can be low quality, so it is better to do a few scans. To achieve a flawless result you have to specify the level of density of the mesh and align the requirements with the software to be used. Laser scanning is perfect for middle-sized objects, but not for tiny or immensely large.

One more drawback is that 3D scanners are ridiculously expensive. Thus, if you are able to scan the object applying photogrammetry — use it.

As a rule, laser scanning is used in the construction industry and civil engineering, during the design process (when working with complex parts and shapes), in real estate, and for cultural heritage purposes.

Summing Up

3D photogrammetry and laser scanning are both efficient technologies, but with applications in different cases. Overall, when choosing between photogrammetry and 3D scanning, you really have to consider your needs and applications.

So, what technology you’re going to is up to you. If you have any questions, please, don’t hesitate to ask it down below.

If you want to have a set of models created for your project just drop us a line and our team of 3D designers will do it for you.

Another article you may like: How We’ve Generated 3D Characters for Virtual Reality Community

Another article you may like: How We Used Bezier Curve to Create VR Bike Experience

Finding the right business idea, something that you would love doing, brainstorming various solutions and at least starting doing anything are major challenges facing you if you want to start a business.

Although there are plenty of clichéd suggestions — like, selling goods or providing marketing services — you have a chance to enter the market in 2019 with a mind-blowing virtual reality solution.

The amazing thing about virtual reality is that this fancy technology can be applied to any sphere you either might have been thinking to have business in or already have an experience of working with.

Here are 5 virtual reality business ideas for 2019.

Virtual Property Sales And Leasing

Virtual reality is already transforming the real estates’ industry. Virtual property showcases,  interactive visits, and virtual staging give publicity to a broad range of construction businesses, as most of the VR experiences make a deep impression on the customers. As a person who wants to start a real estate business, you can opt for architectural visualization, virtual instructions or virtual commerce, in general, to enable clients to view your properties in an enhanced format.

The virtual property showcases is a good source of income especially for property owners and hosts as they wouldn’t have to go round and view a bunch of apartments before the client decides on the perfect fit.

VR-based Education

Education is the base for a thriving society, and people are constantly looking for ways to make knowledge transfer easy, quick, and effective. While most of the education plans are based on the same old format — fact retention and a lot of people have difficulties comprehending information, virtual reality can change the situation for the better.

Occupy a unique niche by providing an extraordinary virtual reality training course, where students won’t be limited to word descriptions or book illustrations. They will be able to explore the topic in depth and see how things are actually put together.

Learning happens when we do something, however, if you inspect modern education, you’ll see how little learning actually happens by practicing. With VR, learners are inspired to discover for themselves and get hands-on experience rather than read a book.

As an alternative, you can launch a virtual reality medical courses. Moreover, VR is getting more and more popularity among surgery and healthcare.

Virtual Concerts

Because we irreversibly opt for doing everything online, there’s now an app that allows you to attend a concert from the comfort of your own couch. Musicians and concertgoers find the potential for VR very exciting. By creating a VR concert solution you offer a new way to connect musicians with their fans and listeners.

Did you know that Paul McCartney’s, Coldplay and Katy Perry are already using VR technology to become closer to their fans?

Despite the fact that there are several famous platforms and apps allowing viewers to experience concerts in VR you can come up with your own, by just adding different features.

Virtual Retail Shopping

Shoppers already are going to the web for most of their purchases. Why not add the retail ambience to the buyer’s experience? Sometimes just browsing the web page is not enough to feel those shopping vibes. Those who still enjoy walking through a store when making a purchase would love to explore this sort of opportunity. By the way, VR is the third most popular shopping solution with the highest evolution after desktop and mobile computers!

Think about creating a virtual retail shopping experience for a store — either yours or an offer to other brands.

Related: Augmented Reality is Said to Transform High End & Luxury Fashion Retail

VR Events

If you don’t think that virtual reality events will soon become as common as traveling to them, you haven’t been paying attention. Online conferences are so in trend for the moment as they allow reducing travel costs as well as instantly connect with potential clients.

Create a platform for virtual reality live events, and you won’t miss out on a huge income stream.

What Are The Next Steps To Take?

Now you may feel like starting working on one of the business ideas I listed above or looking for some more alternatives.

Here, at AVRspot, we have a large and efficient team of VR app developers who have successfully delivered diverse VR projects and continue to cater to the needs of upcoming clients. Please, don’t hesitate to contact us, and we’ll help you to make your dream come true.

It is often a tough decision for an organization to invest in virtual reality solution creation. AVRspot inc. provides a unique possibility to create MVP (minimal viable product) without any risks*.

* Please contact us to learn more about our “No Risks Program”

Nowadays, it is hard to imagine any large-scale real estate project without digital visualization. The main challenge is to visualize and show the project that doesn’t exist yet.

And if you are struggling to find clients, here are several ways you need to follow to attract customers and investors to large-scale real estate projects such as city districts, communities, and cottage villages.

Visual Renders

There is no better sales tool for a real estate than providing potential investors with a ‘realistic feel’ even before physical construction has commenced.

Well, what are visual renders? Visual Rendering is the process of transforming ideas into two- or three-dimensional ‘works of art’. It is a great solution for constantly delivering additional data to help designers, architects, and real estate developers to visualize their ideas. Potential buyers are introduced to properties through imagery and with such a competitive market, it’s a must to make that first impression unforgettable.

3D Visualization

The biggest change that 3D architectural visualization will make to real estate is the home showcasing process. Between driving from house to house, and coordinating with your realtor, traditional home showcasing is wildly inefficient for realtors and homebuyers alike.

Humans are spatial beings. We interact with and understand a large portion of our realities in three dimensions. 3D architectural visualization provides a possibility to move and fly all over the scene, see buildings, parks, roads in different angles. It provides much more freedom and can be combined with Virtual or Augmented Reality. 3D Visualization is an effective way to convince potential clients to invest in a property.

Related: How to succeed in Construction Business with Augmented Reality

VR Bike Tours

3D visualization is a very effective way to attract customers and investors. But what if you could virtually experience and feel how it’s like to live in that property? See kids playing in the park, neighbors saying “Hi” to you while jogging through avenues, cars are passing by, the wind is moving through the trees… Imagined? Let’s add more interactivity.

Now you are riding a bike while listening to a virtual guide next to you talking about the district or community.

According to our client’s feedback, thanks to virtual experience a buying ratio increased more than twice compared to usual architecture visualization materials presenting. Why?

• First of all, it has a “WOW” effect. Your guests see a bike and a VR headset in a welcome center and it is close to a 100% “YES” answer to a question: “Do you want to try?”
• There is a scripted guide riding next to your guest that presents the project in the best way.
• The scene consists of high-quality 3D models and animation and it’s not only a visualization but a whole experience. Just imagine — your architectural project is coming to life!

Related: How We Used Bezier Curve to Create VR Bike Experience

How We Are Doing This

The process includes the next steps:

• Receiving references and materials from the client, such as CAD files, blueprints, renders, photos/pictures. Here we discuss all important aspects of the project such as project goal, main characters, interactions, bike path etc.
• Defining the project architecture and dependencies.
• Creating a road system (precise models of roads, sidewalks, bike paths etc.).
• Architecture visualization. Creating hyper-realistic models of buildings regarding the plan.
• Creating static objects (benches, bridges, parks, kids gardens, fountains, rocks, logs etc.).
• Plants, grass, and trees. Creating vegetation that exists in a particular area.
• Static scene optimization iteration: LOD creation, occlusion cooling, light baking.
• Dynamic objects creation: moving cars, flying birds, wind effects etc.
• Animation system architecture.
• Character creation and animation. You can read more about it here.
• Player controller setup: interactions with the world, movement restriction, connection with hardware. You can read more about it here.
• Sound system implementation.
• Visual fidelity: post-processing effects.
• Building for appropriate VR platforms.
• Hardware setup (bike, VR headset, large screen, controllers).

The average project length is around 3-7 months depending on complexity and requires 3-6 engineers and 3D artists.

To help companies adopt this technology, we provide a limited-time offer for the first 3 companies who will contact us (our team will develop a free case-study for your real estate project).

So, don’t hesitate to reach out to AVRspot, and we’ll help you make your real estate business innovative!

It is often a tough decision for an organization to invest in virtual reality solution creation. AVRspot inc. provides a unique possibility to create MVP (minimal viable product) without any risks*.

* Please contact us to learn more about our “No Risks Program”

Like so many activities, marketing is being shaped by augmented reality. Brands can increase their awareness, find competitive advantages for their business, get higher win rates, without needing to spend a lot of money on old-fashioned marketing campaigns. And as technology became a must-have component to satisfy the customer, consumers expect novelties from your brand. So, how are you planning to capture consumers’ attention?

Read on to know how you can achieve customer interest and satisfaction by using augmented reality.

Discount Hunts

Fascinate your clients with engaging and absorbing discount hunts. Buyers and visitors can look for coupons clues (these can be emblems, logos any labels that represent your brand) around a department store by scanning the space with their phones via AR. Once they’ve finished, they can unlock a discount code or win something. This is an excellent way to enhance brand awareness, encourage purchases with enticing offers, and create a memorable brand experience.

For example, Airwalk launched the look and find pop-up shop, promoting their new shoe collection release on the market. To buy the product, shoppers needed to download Airwalk’s app and visit a virtual pop-up store location. Thanks to the AR experience Airwalk generated $5 million of earned media!

Related: How Augmented Reality Integration Can Help You Grow Your Business  

Build Your Own 3D Character

Surprise consumers by letting them build their own AR experience. Consumers simply have to color in their paper character, and then scan to bring it to life in augmented reality. This is an enjoyable and extraordinary experience to enhance your product pack or collection of media you use to support the sales of a product or service (like catalogs and handouts). This also allows to take this experience with them and share it with others.

Creating a virtual guide for your event or a store is also a powerful way to drive brand engagement. It can be a cute 3D animal or a funny buddy who would continue to engage customers as they walk inside the store or event-hall. Avatars can be also used to provide more information about a product and increase campaign effectiveness. An improved version of this feature will allow a voice dialogue between the end user and a bot powered avatar.

For example, HotStepper, AR wayfinding app, is a character who guides you to your destination as he walks the streets with you. Using a combination of GPS coordinates, mapping data, an accelerometer, and AR Virtual wayfinding buddy is cool to walk with.

Another startup, called colAR created the coloring book of the future. Just print out the page from colAR’s web site and color it in with markers or crayons. Once you’re done, open the app, and hit the “play” button to bring up a camera view. By holding your drawing up to the camera, your work will turn into an animated 3D model.

Related: Why Do You Need To Invest In AR

Snapchat-like Selfies

Follow the trend, create your own selfie filters! There’s almost no one who hasn’t tried this shareable experiences on Snapchat. You can create a campaign that involves gorgeous filters somehow representing your brand through colors or featured labels. This is an awesome source for brand engagement and it will quickly spread the word about your company. Let consumers take selfies that would instantly evoke memories about your brand and they’ll definitely visit you again.

Related: How Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram are using Augmented Reality for their Business

The truth of the matter is, Snapchat has one of the best selfie cameras of any app — from the most attractive filters to stickers and animations, Snapchat won everyone’s heart. Thankfully, the right app can do small wonders for your business, allowing clients to play with selfies and remind them about your brand.

Ultimately, it’s important you consider how AR would enhance your customer’s shopping experience, and find out how AR can work for you. If you want to try any of the ideas above or if you have different experiences in mind for your marketing campaign, we can provide an end-to-end service to make it happen. Don’t hesitate to contact us or book a call with our team, and we’ll definitely help you.

It is often a tough decision for an organization to invest in augmented reality app creation. AVRspot inc. provides a unique possibility to create a proof of concept or even MVP (minimal viable product) without any risks*.

* Please contact us to learn more about our “No Risks Program”

Today, more and more real estate companies understand that to get their businesses off the ground, they need transformation, implementing tech-forward solutions. The success of a real estate business largely depends on the advertising the company creates, and, of course, how they present their business to clients. That is why having VR experience is totally essential.

We at AVRspot started working on a VR experience for the suburb community to offer our client a handy tool to showcase a neighborhood that hasn’t been built yet. Our aim was to quickly design and generate high-quality 3D characters that would be optimized and compatible with the VR project.

In this article, you’ll find a story of how we created a set of 3D characters for the VR community in a relatively short period of time, aggregating best techniques in a simple and transparent way.

How we started

It may be common practice to use manual sculpting, unwrapping, texturing, skinning, rigging, and animation as the key techniques. Obviously, such an approach doesn’t allow generate a vast range of characters within a short space of time. In agreement with our client’s requirements, we were to generate a series of characters having a certain appearance, like skin color, eye shape, clothes, and style. So, to provide a more extensive range of 3D models and finish the project on time, we decided to build an approach that wouldn’t take long.

So, how to quickly generate high-quality 3D humans?

We’ve been using iClone, an easy to use real-time 3D animation tool that allows you to put together a 3D animation scene in minutes. One of the most distinct advantages of this tool is its broad animation spectrum of as well as convenience.

Using iClone we generated required 3D humans, yet we lacked clothing sets. That’s why we decided to take advantage of DAZ Studio and export clothes from there. Eventually, we’ve got characters and clothes as separate objects.

And only after having created those objects, we proceeded in combining already made elements, preskinning and integrating clothes into animation skeleton of the iClone characters.

Having used 3ds Max and Skin Wrap Modifiers we transferred skin weights to make clothes look more realistic and cover the body. To prepare characters for game engines, we improved merged models and imported them to Character Creator. We also added standard animation like running, smiling, waving etc. with iClone.

Already animated characters were imported and configured in Unity using humanoid avatars. In Unity, we used Final IK to create a realistic procedural system of animation that would organically interact with iClone animation.

Wrapping  Up

As we go further with the Virtual Reality Community implementation, we will definitely write about project development on the blog. In case you are interested in the VR or have any comments or thoughts to share, please feel free to contact us. We greatly appreciate any feedback!

Related: How We Used Bezier Curve to Create VR Bike Experience