Google Daydream Labs Update- 6/28/2016

Daydream Labs have been experimenting with ways to reduce technical complexity and even add a greater sense of play when animating in VR. In one experiment they built, people could bring characters to life by picking up toys, moving them through space and time, and then replay the scene. Check out the latest updates from Daydream Labs

An app experiment from Daydream Labs. Instead of animating with graph editors or icons representing location, people could simply reach out, grab a virtual toy, and carry it through the scene.

To create more intricate animations, they also built another experiment that let people independently animate the joints of a single character. It let you record your character’s movement as you separately animated the feet, hands, and head — just like you would with a puppet.

An app experiment from Daydream Labs. Independently animate the joints of a single character.

Check out more from Daydream Labs.

https://developers.googleblog.com/2016/06/daydream-labs-animating-3d-objects-in-vr.html

Cats And VR

GDC spinoff conference VRDC gets standalone event: VRDC 16

The Virtual Reality Developers Conference (VRDC), the premier event for creators of immersive VR (and AR) experiences, today announced dates and location for its second edition – its first standalone event.  Bringing an expanded focus and new Advisory Board, the two-day event will bring together designers, programmers, business professionals, producers, artists, and audio practitioners to share best practices, demo new technology, create new business partnerships, and exchange ideas with innovators shaping the industry.

VRDC will take place November 2-3, 2016 in the Park Central Hotel in San Francisco, CA. To register or submit your speaking abstract by July 8, visit: vrdconf.com.

VRDC's Second Edition: November 2016

To meet the growing demand for high-quality content in the space, VRDC's second edition will expand to cover virtual and augmented reality in games, entertainment, brand experience, and a wide range of innovative use cases. Sessions from NASA and Chernobyl VR Project have been confirmed, reflecting the event's broad scope and top tier content.

"Now that VR platforms have hit the market, virtual experiences that entertain, inform, and provide entirely new ways to engage are increasingly in demand," explained Meggan Scavio, General Manager, VRDC and GDC. "We're thrilled to provide the highest quality content for VR developers, while exploring innovative applications for the technology across entertainment, healthcare, journalism, travel, manufacturing, retail, live events, real estate, training, and so much more."

Call for Submissions Now Open: VRDC is seeking the latest research and innovations in VR for November's lineup. Potential speakers may submit detailed technical and business-centric talks today through July 8, 2016. For more information, visit: www.vrdconf.com/conference/c4p/

New Advisory Board: An unprecedented advisory board of top names in VR will lead content for the show, including representatives from major platform holders such as Google (Noah Falstein), Oculus (Robert Stevenson), and Valve (Chet Faliszek), as well as creators behind experiences like Job Simulator (Alex Schwartz, Owlchemy Labs), Fantastic Contraption (Colin Northway) & VR experience experts like Pete Isensee (HBO Labs), Jazmin Cano (High Fidelity), Timoni West (Unity Labs), Tracey John (Havas Health) & Christina Heller (VR Playhouse).

Show Floor + Exhibitor Opps: VRDC will include a significant vendor area showcasing the latest innovations and advances in Virtual Reality. Those interested in exhibiting at this year's show should visit www.ubmgamenetwork.com/vrdc for more information.

VRDC's first edition was held alongside the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March 2016 with two sold out tracks covering VR/AR for Games and Entertainment.

As part of the VRDC portfolio, organizers intend to continue running VRDC Game and Entertainment sessions alongside the Game Developers Conference in February 2017. More information on these sessions will be available in the near future.

Cats And VR

Adobe Premiere Pro Update makes working with 360° Video/VR much easier

Adobe Premiere just got a tremendous release that will make editing 360° video easier than ever. Right now the stitching and metadata workflow does not make edited 360° content the easiest thing to do. 

You can now work with different VR Video formats, up to a full sphere of 360 horizontal by 180 degrees vertical of captured view, along with Stereoscopic View - Left, Right and Anaglyph. You can choose a view from the left or right eye in stereoscopic video, or in a red/cyan anaglyph format. Premiere Pro also allows you to work with VR footage that was captured in less than a full 360 degree sphere of view. You can configure the field of view displayed in the monitor, which allows you to emulate different viewing experiences. For example, an Oculus Rift might display a 90 x 60 degree field of view, while YouTube displays a 160 x 90 degree field of view. The Program and Source monitors have their own individual VR Video settings, which are saved with the project.

VR Video Settings

After configuring the settings, choose “Enable” from the settings menu to turn on the VR Video display. When enabled, the Monitor displays an interactive field of view within the spherical projection. Horizontal and vertical sliders along the bottom and right edge of the video frame allow you to pan and tilt the field of view. Numerical values presented next to these sliders display the current degrees of pan and tilt. You can click and drag on these values to pan or tilt the view, or you can click on them to enter a numeric value directly.

360-degree panning

Use the dial at the bottom for 360-degree continuous panning, which indicates the direction of view. Double-clicking within the video frame will re-center the view.  Use either of these methods to change the view interactively during playback and while the video is paused. To return to the normal monitor display, open the monitor settings menu and uncheck the “Enable” option for VR Video. 

You may also toggle between enabling and disabling your VR Video display using a button which can be docked with the monitor’s playback buttons. Click on the “+” icon in the lower right corner of the monitor to open the Button Editor. Drag the “Toggle VR Video Display” button out of the editor and into the monitor panel to its desired location. This button toggles between normal monitor display and VR Video display.

Check Out the Adobe Premiere working with VR video link above. 

Publishing your VR Video

To publish your VR Video on popular websites like YouTube and Facebook, you must use H.264, HEVC or QuickTime formats when encoding the video. In the 'Export Settings' dialog, choose one of these formats, then select the 'Video' settings tab. Scroll down to check the 'Video is VR' check box and choose the layout which matches your media from the popup menu. Metadata added to the encoded video flags it as VR Video content for publishers to play back correctly.

The 'Stretch to Fill' scaling setting in the Export Settings dialog output typically gives the best results for most VR Video exports. Select the “Publish' settings tab in the Export Settings dialog to upload this video directly to websites like YouTube or Facebook.

More information

https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/using/VRSupport.html#ConfiguringthemonitorstodisplayVRVideo

Samsung announces Samsung Creators program to help VR / 360 content growth.

Today Samsung Electronics America, Inc. launched Samsung Creators, a new initiative that empowers storytellers, partnering with them to generate content across a variety of audiences and channels to show everyday creators what’s possible with Samsung VR technology.

“We want to bring the power of VR technology directly to the people,” said Samsung Electronics America’s Chief Marketing Officer Marc Mathieu. “To help creators learn and perfect the art of VR storytelling, we’ve built an entire VR ecosystem that pushes beyond the frame and empowers them to develop unforgettable, immersive stories, and inspires us all to do the same.”

At VidCon—and, beyond—Samsung Creators will provide seminars and classes, putting VR capabilities in the hands of filmmakers and influencers, further accelerating this new medium. Leading into VidCon, Samsung Creators is working with Casey Neistat to spotlight emerging creators from YouTube and push the creative boundaries of 360 video storytelling. This special curation of content will premiere at VidCon.

In July, Samsung Creators will launch a competition, challenging aspiring, indie filmmakers and creators to develop VR / 360 content, using Samsung’s VR products. Ten winners will be chosen, one from each of the following ten categories: Music, Auto, Science and tech, Gaming, Travel, Fashion, Culinary, Cause-related, 4D and Sports.

For more information about Samsung Creators, please visit www.samsungcreators.com.

In addition, today Samsung launched Samsung VR– formerly known as Samsung Milk VR – which now supports user generated content. Creators can load their own 360-degree videos to the Samsung VR platform for sharing and for the first time view them in Samsung Gear VR. For more information about uploading content to Samsung VR, please visit https://samsungvr.com.

Samsung Gear 360 also launched in the U.S. today, an affordable, high-resolution camera developed for storytellers to create their own 360-degree videos for mobile viewing and VR content for Samsung Gear VR, powered by Oculus. The Gear 360 is priced at $349.99 in the United States and will be available for purchase on a limited basis during VidCon in Anaheim, California. Details about additional availability will follow later in the year. For more information about Gear 360, please visit www.samsung.com/gear360.

Meta announces $50 million in a Series B round of funding to develop Meta 3

Meta, the pioneering technology leader in Augmented Reality (AR), announced the closing of $50 million in a Series B round of funding. The round includes significant participation by Horizons Ventures Limited, Lenovo, Tencent, Banyan Capital, Comcast Ventures, and GQY.

View post on imgur.com

View post on imgur.com

Called one of the most significant technologies in recent years, Meta 2 was unveiled to a standing ovation at TED 2016 in February. Meta is delivering a new “natural machine” that builds on the principles of neuroscience to create a completely intuitive experience that transforms how people work, play, communicate and engage with each other.

Meron Gribetz, CEO of Meta, said, “It is incredibly gratifying to have the support of big thinkers and investors who understand the importance of creating a new human-computer interface, anchored in science. Our friends at Tencent, Lenovo, Horizons Ventures, Comcast Ventures and all the other investors really get what we’re doing and why Meta is different from the other players in AR. They understand that the combination of our advanced optical engines along with our neuroscience-based interface design approach are what will create a computing experience that is 100x easier to use and more powerful than traditional form factors.”

Meta plans to use funds raised in the Series B round for building upon its hardware and software technology base, business expansion, including app development, and developing the next generation of its technology, Meta 3.

Check out my review of Meta 2 http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/meta2

Introducing 360 Photos on Facebook

For the first time, you can now easily share 360 photos on Facebook. Simply take a panorama with your phone or capture a 360-degree photo using a 360 photo app or 360 camera, and then post it on Facebook as you would a normal photo. From there, we’ll convert it to an immersive 360 photo that people can explore, similar to how people experience 360 videos on Facebook.

360 photos are available to view today on Facebook via the web and the latest version of the Facebook app on iOS and Android. Over the next few days they will be rolling out the ability to share your own 360 photos on Facebook.

Beyond News Feed, you’ll also be able to explore Facebook 360 photos in virtual reality with the Samsung Gear VR, powered by Oculus. While using a supported Samsung device, simply click View in VR in the top left corner of the video, place the phone in the Gear VR, and experience the photo in an immersive VR environment.

How Do I Take 360 Photos?

Take a panorama on your iOS device or Samsung Galaxy phone or capture a 360-degree photo using a 360 photo app or 360 camera.
Open the Facebook app and share the photo as you would any other photo: tap the status tool from the top of your Timeline or News Feed, select Photo/Video, choose the photo you want to share, and tap Post.

Once your photo is posted, look around in your photo — or any other 360 photo in News Feed that’s marked with the compass icon — by moving your phone or dragging with your finger. Tap on the photo to view it in full screen.

On Samsung Gear VR-compatible phones, you’ll see a button in the top left corner of your photo that says “View in VR.” If you tap on that button and insert your phone into your Gear VR headset, you can see your 360 photo in virtual reality.

Cats And VR

XTECH 2016 showed me that with VR and AR here, BRain is still the most innovative.

Virtual Reality is in the here and now(even if we are in the palm pilot era) and AR is right around the corner. It seems like there seems to be a conference or meetup every week that is VR related. Well Xtech 2016 had VR but it was not a conference showcasing the cool experience of the now but rather how VR as well as other technologies will redefine how we learn, grow, challenge, and understand the workings our brain on a conscious and unconscious level. 

Tim Ferriss, author of the 4 hour Work Week was the Day 1 Keynote speaker and really helped to highlight why this such a important time in technological development in relation to human development. His story from being born premature to now pushing his mind and body to become the  Batman (peak human state) is an inspiration. Check out the video below.

My back ground as a former video game journalist makes me lean towards that type of content and I found a rather interesting VR brain training simulator on the XTech expo floor.

Read About Cerevum VR brain training: http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/cerevrum

Though the event was not geared towards gaming, VR has created such an exciting spark for technology that Playstation had a presence there and showcased Playstation VR. In fact I was in awe by who sat in front of me during the conference.

XTech 2016 surprised me as it had a Ted Talk vibe that spoke to many people from various worlds not just the people in attendance. 

NY Jets Player and mental health advocate Brandon Marshall spoke about how technology can not only create a better athlete but also help those who suffer from depression and other mental illnesses. http://project375.org/

From to raising money to raising awareness XTECH 2016 did not focus on what technology is now but what it could be and possibly will be in relation to who we are. The important thing about the conference was that it focused on the fact that as much as we go forward in technology the human brain is still the most powerful computer.

Cats And VR

Cerevrum brings Neurogaming to GearVR & XTECH 2016. They also brought really cute stickers!

Cerevrum Inc. is a software development group with a focus on progressive social and educational VR projects. CEO Natasha Floksy would say that means to make people happy as well as smarter. CatsAndVR had the chance to learn more about Cerevrum the company as well as Cerevrum the game during XTECH 2016. 

Cerevrum the game left an interesting impression on me. The first thing I noticed was the calming voice that prepared me for my Cerevrum experience. From the voice tutorial I got an understanding of the simple memory training and matching that make up the game mechanics. One thing to understand is simple does not equate to easy or ineffective in this case. The simple concepts get rather complex in application as the game progresses and as I learned from CAO Olga Peshé is that Cerevrum has been tested on college level students to gauge the effectiveness as a brain training tool. 

The second thing that really took me back with Cerevrum the game is the beautiful fluid art style. The use of colors as well as scene transitions make for a very flowing and non aggressive style of gaming. That style created a place where I was comfortable learning and wanted to continue the process of brain training. The themes of alien worlds and space exploration almost bring to mind a child like view of space travel and in turn bring that wide eyed amazement to a VR educational experience.  CEO Natasha Floksy views herself as an artist first then a CEO and this shows in the game. Check out not only the screenshots but also the super cute stickers that they gave out during XTech 2016, I grabbed a few so I can give away to readers. 

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View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

The advances in VR has made the possibility of using the technology in unique ways. Virtual reality is a game-changer for brain training. That feeling of presence you can achieve in VR allows you to challenge cognitive abilities in a way that more closely matches the real world. Pressing buttons on a smartphone screen only goes so far, but natural inputs like head rotation and hand tracking allow players to interact intuitively with VR environments.

I do think Cerevrum the game is fascinating and I am interested in what the company can create in VR for people who suffer from learning disabilities. Cerevrum INC already has an innovative VR tool to help with public speaking available for GearVR.   http://speechcentervr.com/

Cerevrum Inc is not only trying to innovate brain training and learning in the VR space but are looking to innovate for Augmented Reality as well. I would be very excited to see what they bring to Meta. 

Check out Cerevrum and check out a 360° video I shot at their XTech 2016 booth. 

The Cerevrum Inc team.

Cats and VR

That one time I fought Luke Rockhold and did not die or How SilVRThread videos ROCK!

"Can I jump straight to the MMA", these were my words after trying SilVRThread's Skiing training demo. Don't get me wrong the Skiing demo was super exhilarating and in the real world the first time I went skiing was one of the most "real" experiences I ever had. SilVRThread captured this more that any extreme sports VR video I have experienced yet. That experience was great, the VR experience now that was mind blowing.

Considering CEO Tai Crosby's background in photography I expected a level of quality but the delivery surpassed expectation. I started out in a MMA octagon with an overlaid ad for UFC 199: Rockhold vs. Weidman 2 and I thought that was an excellent use of ad placement. Then the fighter I was training with entered the cage. LUKE ROCKHOLD, UFC MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMP! WTF!

I am really glad Tai warned me whatever I did DON'T punch back. Immediately I felt comfortable in the training environment and bobbed and weaved at a cardio pace that made me feel this was the real deal Evander Holyfield. I even checked a few kicks while being aware that this is just a demo. Legitimately I saw elements of Luke Rockhold's standup game that I did not see in watching his fights. In fact, when I went home I looked into Luke Rockhold's standup technique and analyzed his growth in boxing as well some flaws I noticed. Then I realized I am not a UFC fighter and I didn't really spar with Rockhold. What I also realized is that the SilVRThread demo did leave me with a good training experience that left me wanting to build on it after the fact and is that not what a good training program does for you, VR or otherwise.

After the demo, I immediately responded that Chris Weidman should legit use this before fighting at UFC 199.  So this was my reaction for an MMA training session and this is a great way to get someone excited. As I say Cats And VR really means _____ and VR. It could be Cars and VR, MMA And VR, or Crochet and VR. I truly feel they are opportunities for everyone to experience and enjoy VR. 

See the whole point of what SilVRThread is bringing to the table is training. Training for markets yearning for new methods to talk to consumers. How to help an engineer on an oil rig fix something broken via VR without helicoptering out an engineer, to travel trips taking you step by step up Machu Piccu so you know what the tour will really be like. Tai and I talked for a bit about how this training can be lifesaving such as teaching medical techniques to third world nation doctors or having cops train in real world situations to understand how to react. 

In the end, VR is only now in the palm pilot era and has immense room to grow. What SilVRThread is doing will affect the future of training and I am excited to see what strides they will make. They have already established some great partnerships and are a strong part of the Hulu VR content plan.  Check out the 360° video of my SilVRThread demo. Oh and after that check SilVRThread CEO Tai Crosby showing a VR demo to Daniel Cormier the UFC Light Heavyweight Champ. http://www.silvrthread.com/

Cats And VR

Manus VR brings full arm tracking to HTC Vive.

For now, the HTC Vive brings you the most immersive right out of the box VR experience out of any on the market HMD due to its excellent motion controls. As we are now looking at a time when a quality VR experience is achievable on a consumer level, more and more immersion is desired. 

I once played Surgeon Simulator in a padded room just for a tad bit more immersion and I love using a SubPac for full audio immersion.  Everyone developing for VR is looking on how it can be more immersive. Enter Manus VR. Manus VR recently released this video showing full arm tracking being developed for HTC Vive. The have been working on hand tracking but this is a great step and I am excited for what Manus VR is bringing to the VR table. This will be very applicable not to just gaming but for training simulators and a wide array of VR productivity applications. Personally, I want to see the VR boxing games of the future. Punch Club 3000!

The Manus is the first consumer data-glove specifically designed for virtual reality. It tracks hand movement using a combination of high-tech sensors all contained inside the glove. With this technology, The Manus provides accurate and reliable hand tracking. Bluetooth integration makes The Manus completely wireless, giving gamers a no strings attached mobile VR experience. 

To make it easy to develop, the software is completely open-source. This makes it an incredible opportunity for game developers. The Manus offers a immersive and intuitive interaction not found in any other device on consumer market, enabling a revolutionary new VR experience. 

Cats And VR.

So AltspaceVR has integrated with Slack but what else do they do?

 So AltspaceVR has integrated with Slack but what else do they do?

Recently AltspaceVR announced they integrated with Slack. Though I feel like a Slacker for just now getting to post this it is because CatsAndVR.com is not my day job. I was actually bombarded by Slack messages in my “real world” gig. I am a big fan of Slack as it has helped increase productivity at my day job in quantifiable ways. I use Slack for my day job and to interact with the MettaVR community.

Exit Scene/Cut to Future: 
A good majority of the modern American tech workforce need an escape from the mundane day to day spreadsheet salesforce customer service existence we call a day job. Monotony is our first world brain torture. VR offers us an escape into immersive worlds where we can forget our worries, disabilities, and troubled state of consciousness. 

What AltspaceVR offers is to bring us back together as a social unit during that momentary escape. 

During SVVR 2016 I had the time to chat with the AltspaceVR team and do a #VRcall in a 80’s/90’s era phone booth. Just using a mobile device and a Gear VR I was able to visit an island dance party in honor of the recently departed Prince. This gathering of people showed my point whether likeminded or not, there are more commonalities than differences in the world. Everyone was there for a common interest in both Prince and VR. 

The picture told of VR sometimes is that is a lonely isolationist experience. Hell at a point people looked that way at videogames. That is actually counterintuitive of the historical precedent of Mankind itself and the way technology has shaped shows this. World Of Warcraft was popular not because of being a good game but for it’s social value. The term Social Media has been ingrained in our modern technologic vernacular.

I get the marketing angle that with AltspaceVR and Slack conference calls and meetings will never be the same again.Well that angle is how you get funding and VentureBeat articles. Now mass scale adoption is different and that angle about AltspaceVR  is what intrigues me about them. 

My first interaction with AltspaceVR was a few years ago when I saw a random person on the street carrying an Oculus Dev kit. Though it was brief I got to share my intrigue of the modern VR movement and get some quick insights. Only recently I realized that person was Bruce Wooden.

For many people the fear of walking up to someone in the real world and having a conversation ends up creating a limited world view.  AltspaceVR looks to solve this by having a virtual safe space to interact and communicate. The thing that really got me intrigued with AltspaceVR is the open mic and comedy events they host. Many people myself included want to get on stage and perform but can have a level of fear that is hard to overcome. In fact I only did my standup act once and it was random at Burning Man. A place I consider safe for me to truly be myself. 

By having a virtual community people can become singers and poets in a space that is more akin to a real world environment than Youtube. When I spoke to Debbie Shepard she said she was so caught up in the energy and excitement of a recent event she decided to recite Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll 

 I have to thank the AltspaceVR team for giving me some time to get a better idea of what they are doing. 

I want to give a special thanks to Gerald Gottheil for taking the additional time to ask me what does AltspaceVR mean in the perspective of Cats And VR. I look at AltspaceVR as a place where pet owners as a whole can find out they have way more in common than they might have thought. I also look at people with disabilities having the opportunity to go to a virtual dog park. If I would request something in AltspaceVR it would be intuitive pet avatars, sometimes you may just want to wander around a virtual social world with your dog buddy. 

I hope this turned out to be a good read, the original was actually deleted this morning due to WiFi issues and user error. Ok well now back to that AR Slack channel I'm living my real reality in, unfortunately the AR stands for Accounts Receivable not Augmented Reality. 

CatsAndVR.com