Lisa Watts appointed Chair of VR/AR Association Marketing Committee

We are thrilled to have Lisa Watts help lead our global community! As part of this role, Lisa will host our Online Meets with guest speakers and the committee will continue creating best practices, guidelines for marketing in immersive tech. 

Lisa is a passionate technologist, proven business leader and XR/metaverse expert. She believes spatial computing is the future of industry and our world. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience working at and with companies such as Intel, Sansar, Walmart, Tilt5 and Magic Leap, her goal is to help creators and companies big and small achieve XR leadership, grow ecosystem partnerships, and bring to life the solutions and technologies that are increasingly essential to our everyday lives.

“I’d like to thank VRARA for asking me to chair the Marketing Committee. I’m passionate about working at the intersection of product and the market. I am looking forward to working with this great team to leverage our collective knowledge and expertise to help VRARA and our members share their innovations and stories with the marketplace and the world.”

— Lisa Watts

Virtualware launches version 2.0 of its VIROO® VR platform

Virtualware, one of the pioneers in the Virtual Reality industry worldwide, today announced the launch of version 2.0 of its VIROO® VR platform.

VIROO® is a digital solution that allows the developing and deploying of multi-user Virtual Reality applications remotely. The platform aims to become the standard for developing multi-user VR applications worldwide, allowing to construct, handle and deploy immersive projects without constraints.

It incorporates its technological development with a physical space, the VIROO® Room, which allows several teams to work at full scale in the same material and virtual area.

Tracking systems are necessary to enjoy Virtual Reality experiences. Thus, the VIROO® room incorporates a complete tracking system that provides high precision compared to other relative positioning systems, allowing the collaboration of numerous users in the same physical space, whether large or large or small, safely.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office recently granted Virtualware a new patent for its tracking system, valid for 20 years.

In recent years, VIROO® has been the backbone of simulators. For example, the multinational GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy is training its personnel and the technology that will soon enable the virtual training of ADIF railway infrastructure maintenance personnel.

We have created VIROO® to become the real next leap in the Virtual Reality industry. We expect hundreds of users to start developing complex, affordable, and meaningful immersive content that really changes the worlds.” explained the founder and CEO of the company, Unai Extremo

Remote connection without limits
The platform presents an improved version in terms of connectivity, making it more versatile, so multiple users can connect to the same collaborative space from different devices and locations. Either from a large VIROO® room or from a desktop computer, with or without VR viewers.

Virtual reality without limits
VIROO® version 2.0 includes advanced streaming technology, a new feature that allows the image to be displayed wirelessly on each virtual reality headset. In this way, users immersed in VIROO® rooms enjoy greater freedom, without the need to use VR Backpacks.

Create your own content
Another benefit has been the update of VIROO® Scene Generator 2.0, a toolkit for UNITY® that facilitates the creation of immersive content without the need to generate a single line of code, providing greater autonomy to organizations. VIROO® Scene Generator 2.0 also allows experienced UNITY® profiles to develop complex content and deploy it through the platform.
Through the new VIROO® Academy portal, VIROO® user organizations can independently access tutorials and resources to generate their content.

The VIROO® platform is constantly evolving, incorporating five new interactive demos that showcase the platform’s graphical and collaborative capabilities, and further updates are planned for the end of the year.

The company expects more than 50 global organizations and industry associations to use the VIROO® standard in their processes by 2023.

To date, Virtualware has around 15 VIROO® user organizations (Industrial Companies, Universities, and Vocational Training Centers) and has deployed 20 VIROO® rooms around the world, in Wilmington and San Jose in the United States, Markham in Canada, Bogota in Colombia, Aguascalientes and Mexico City in Mexico, and others in Spain, including in Madrid and the Basque Country.

See more here:: https://youtu.be/QUJxeKkhnFg

Visit us at:  https://www.virtualwareco.com/viroo/

The Challenges of Audio in Extended Reality

Topic #1: Virtual Reality Communities

The intricate process of creating animation content such as characters, sets, and the interface design is exhilarating.  As a 3D animator and creator, I love everything about the development process of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) content, which is now better known by the combined terminology of Extended Reality (XR).  Conversely, as a user there are times when it can be daunting, and things don’t work the way I think they should or could.  As a sound engineer and designer, a tremendous area of consideration for me is audio quality.  Just like in a Google or Zoom online meeting, I am not concerned about how I appear to others because usually my camera is turned off.  The audio quality and its consistent clarity and the ability to hear others with clarity is my foremost concern.

During a recent test for the VRARA of different VR software that provides meeting spaces in virtual reality (such as Engage and Altspace, among others) the team ran into some interesting situations. We wanted a VR application for VRARA panel discussions to be held during the VR/AR Global Summit Online Sept 30 - Oct 2, 2020.  As you may know, many VR applications provide meeting spaces in virtual reality where users can have conversations, watch videos, play games, and browse the Internet. The avatars in these applications can automatically mimic a user's body language which enhances the “in-person” communication.

As we moved forward in our testing, it was soon discovered that the application cost, room size, and most of all, support for the application became a huge issue. We found the AltspaceVR application to be the best for the quick turnaround that we were looking for.  Our goal was to use the application for the VRARA panel discussion, but very quickly an audio quality situation arose. The boardroom in AltSpace (the set) and my AltSpace avatar (the character) looked great, but the issue arose when we started to have one-on-one conversations within the boardroom.  Granted, AltSpace is great for community presentations and even demo situations.  Where it falls short is audio quality and clarity during personal interaction and one-on-one communication.  This significantly impedes networking on this platform.

Let me explain in more detail the audio situation within the boundaries of personal interaction in a meeting.  In an AltSpace meeting room with ~50 other users, things tend to get hectic when the moderator turns on all the attendees’ microphones to introduce themselves and interact with others around them.  Herein lies the problem—there is currently no way to have a private discussion with someone without hearing every other discussion in the room.  Because of this dilemma, people leave the current meeting to find another room to meet in private.  Unfortunately, the process of getting a private meeting room is time consuming and cumbersome.  This means you have left the main meeting for this private discussion and now have perhaps lost the opportunity to meet other users.  In my eyes this is a major issue and defeats the purpose of being at the meeting to network with others.  A great advantage is lost.

I see two features that would be brilliant additions to AltSpace and would be an incredible game-changer for the program.  First, I would suggest:

• Add an area for appointments

In such an area, new acquaintances could arrange impromptu appointments to avoid fighting against the collective noise of everyone in the boardroom.  There could be a reservation system in place so that users could reserve an area before, during or after the boardroom meeting for a conversation. My second suggestion is:

• Add a “bubble” around the user to create a private meeting atmosphere

This “bubble” would create a useful environment for interacting with others without the user needing to arrange a private meeting room.  Easily configurable privacy settings would allow the user to have private impromptu conversations.  The addition of these two features would significantly improve AltSpace’s capability as a networking platform.

These would be my suggestions for Altspace to add to their VR application.  As I have already said, my specialty and passion as a sound engineer and designer keep me from looking past these important details of audio challenges.  Networking is vital to the process of companies making connections and growing.  I believe that by implementing these two features, Altspace can become an even more widely used application, especially as a networking platform. See you next time!

Dale L. Campbell Jr

dalecampbelljr@positiveproductionsplus.com

Positive Productions Plus

VRARA Marketing & Advertising Committee

RSVP for our Webinar: "ROI for VR/AR in Advertising and Marketing + Monetization" expert panel featuring Loreal, Island, WarGaming, King, Snapchat and others

RSVP here

Transforming Digital & Marketing Agencies with VR and AR | Q&A Series #3 featuring Pound&Grain

This is the third feature in the series showcasing Vancouver digital and marketing agencies (non-traditional VR/AR companies) 

Our own Laura Ryu (Marketing and Communications Manager at VRARA Vancouver) sat down with Michelle Knight of Pound&Grain based in Vancouver. They've worked with a number of clients on their interactive digital and brand strategy including SAP, Arc'Teryx and Lululemon.

Tell us about your agency & what you've been working on.

At Pound & Grain we work hard to add value to the brand by creating something useful for the user. We found creating a VR experience is an all-round win. It’s a tool with immersive qualities that are unparalleled. We’ve used VR as a demo tool for SAP and to show off CFL’s new Adidas gear. We also love the odd passion project.

Tell us about a VR or AR campaign that you've enjoyed or were inspired by.

We are huge horror fans (sisters), but when it comes to VR storytelling we first fell in love with loVR. Who knew a data led love story could be so beautiful? It was the game changer for us, or as some would say our ‘Jesus moment.’ That being said, cowzVR is a pretty fun and an incredibly random experience.

We are starting to see competition build up in advertising, especially with big players such as Saatchi & Saatchi building on-site VR labs. What are your thoughts on competition and what do you think will set apart the strong agencies from the rest?

We’re in such an exciting time right now! For us, a VR experience should only be created if it makes sense for our client and the concept is VR first. Today, like any new platform, there are gimmicky experiences that don’t add as much value. The difference between the ‘strong’ and the ‘weak’ VR agencies will come down to content and of course context.

How do you think the structure of agencies and its landscape will change in the next 5 years given anticipated rapid growth in VR/AR technology?

There will be an AR team and a VR team and the two technologies will exist independently of each other, with the odd overlap during integrated campaigns. It will also become a more specialized and integrated role throughout the agency at a deeper level. We hope AR will become a tool people rely on to get from A-B, to cook, to shop etc. While VR will allow the user to escape into a new role – hopefully interacting at a greater level with the possible addition of haptic responses and more attention to sound.

What is currently your biggest challenge (or as the industry) in regards to integrating VR/AR?

Getting headsets onto faces is still a pill the smaller brands are battling to swallow.

We know that VR/AR will be disruptive in many different industries, how will this affect your company and clients?

VR will allow us to share our client’s emotional and intellectual being in a space of presence. AR will allow us to communicate and create ways that make brands more useful and integrate them into everyday life.

Why is it important for agencies to be onboard now and join the VR/AR Association?

VR is the coming together of many, many skills and mindsets. And we are all in a learning stage, we want to harness all failures and celebrate all successes together. This combined knowledge will allow us all to experiment and learn at a much greater pace.

What benefits do you see in being a member?

Collaboration and insight. We are part of two committees with professionals that are open to share and learn from each other. Being part of the VRARA means being part of an inclusive group of professionals playing with one of the most powerful storytelling tools that’s ever existed.

We'd like to thank Michelle Knight from Pound&Grain, please visit them at www.poundandgrain.com

Join the VRARA Marketing Committee and others, here

Transforming Digital & Marketing Agencies with VR and AR | Q&A Series #2 featuring Domain 7

This is the second feature in the series showcasing Vancouver digital and marketing agencies (non-traditional VR/AR companies) 

Our own Laura Ryu (Marketing and Communications Manager at VRARA Vancouver) sat down with Kevan Gilbert, Director of Engagement Strategy of Domain 7 based in Vancouver. They've worked with a number of clients on their interactive digital strategy including Microsoft, Telus and UBC.

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Tell us about your agency & what you've been working on.

Domain7! We've been working on using virtual reality as a way to inspire our partners to envision a more positive future. From in-studio demos to taking the technology to conferences, we see this as an opportunity to help people reduce their cynical barriers, and start dreaming together about the future we want to co-create. 

Tell us about a VR or AR campaign that you enjoyed or was inspired by. 

We're loving the demos coming from ARKit from Apple, including the portal-to-another-world demo: http://mobilesyrup.com/2017/06/30/new-video-of-apples-arkit-shows-off-interdimensional-portals/

We are starting to see competition build up in advertising, especially with big players such as Saatchi & Saatchi building on-site VR labs. What are your thoughts on competition and what do you think will set apart the strong agencies from the rest? 

Rather than simply stealing attention or building on negative habits, the way our over-optimized 2D web has become, perhaps the work that will stand out in VR is work that answers this question well: "Does it help the human who is using it live the life they want to lead?" 

How do you think the structure of agencies and its landscape will change in the next 5 years given anticipated rapid growth in VR/AR technology?

I think it will remain important-as-ever to invest in healthy workplace cultures, since there will be more competition amongst agencies for smart technologists, designers, writers, creators, etc. How can we grow healthy workplaces that affirm human value even in this coming gold rush, where companies may become tempted to start taking shortcuts in hiring and culture.

What is currently your biggest challenge (or as the industry) in regards to integrating VR?

The chicken-and-egg-ness. What comes first: becoming an expert in the technology, or waiting for client demand? Since the technology doesn't have wide adoption in the user base, clients aren't necessarily asking for it. But in the meantime, they'll never ask if they don't see expertise and opportunity. 

We know that VR/AR will be disruptive in many different industries, how will this effect your company and your clients?

I'm curious to see how, in 10 years time, fully integrated VR/AR solutions have the opportunity to influence HOW we work, not necessarily what we work on. For instance, workspaces are very physical right now, because of the need for computer monitors, and the human desire for social proximity that has no other outlet. But if through VR/AR, the work isn't on your screen, how would we redesign the workplace? Similarly, if through VR/AR I can "feel" like I'm right beside my colleagues, even when I'm in my house, do we still need offices in the same way? And if a certain percent of the workforce can become not just "remote" workers, but "virtual" workers, how can this influence commuting, and thus, carbon emissions and air quality? (I'm not saying we'll all become hermits, but I do hope we ask ourselves more, "Why am I commuting, and is there another way?")

Why is it important for agencies to be onboard now and join the VR/AR Association?

To anticipate what's coming, to develop your imagination, and be part of a community of changemakers. 

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We'd like to thank Kevan from Domain 7, please visit them at www.domain7.com

Join the VRARA Marketing Committee and others, here

Transforming Digital & Marketing Agencies with VR and AR | Q&A Series with Intergalactic

This series will feature Vancouver digital and marketing agencies (non-traditional VR/AR companies) 

Our own Laura Ryu (Marketing and Communications Manager at VRARA Vancouver) sat down with Michael Farquhar, Managing Partner of Intergalactic based in Vancouver and London. They've worked with a number of clients on their interactive digital strategy including SXSW, HP and Sundance Film Festival. 

Tell us about your agency & what you've been working on.

Intergalactic is a creative technology agency that specializes in the creation of amazing interactive experiences. We’re this unique blend of creative folks and business edge, a culture that we created on purpose with the goal of creating solutions that are both inspired and effective.

We’ve been busy! We have a number of projects on the go at any time in both our Vancouver and London (UK) offices. Right now in Vancouver we’re using Apple’s ARKit to develop an AR app that provides a 1000m view of a new mountainside community. You feel like you are looking down from Olympus through the clouds at the future of this development. Computer vision reads a physical topographical model of the mountain and then we display virtual renderings of the community, lifestyle, trails, transit, and amenities. This is combined with beautiful 360 photos of the entire area and interactive points of interest; It's a great way for our client to help convey the scale and quality of their development while embracing and respecting its surroundings.

Our London office is busy building a 3D retailing visualizer to help their global retail client plan the layout of their stores and associated merchandise. When the project is complete our client will be able to switch between 2D views to full 3D VR views of their stores with all their next season merchandise laid out according to their merchandising rules. These visualisations will then push critical product information into their ordering system to trigger the fulfillment of clothing and accessories through the supply chain.

In the UK, We also have a strategic partnership with Aisle411, who’s indoor mapping and production search technology is used in over 15000 locations. Aisle411 are working closely with Google’s Tango team to leverage AR in the retail environment. Of course we still have other web and mobile projects on the go for clients such as Cisco, Microsoft and BC Liquor.

Tell us about a VR campaign that you enjoyed or was inspired by.

There are quite a few and more coming out everyday and each is genre expanding. We actually have a dedicated internal Slack channel just to keep up on what’s new. However, one we’d mention is the Beyond Mars Experience Schoolbus by Lockheed Martin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5JTb_7qv78) - I like that this is a shared experience designed to inspire.

Some other mentions: Walking on Mars (hey we’re called Intergalactic so you may see a theme) - https://youtu.be/e76uBfWxD74; Haagen-Daz’s Honeybee VR Experience which combines brand, social consciousness and amazing cinematography. From a CG excellence and technological progress standpoint using real time rendering - The Better Days https://youtu.be/JThuL6Aq1Qg and from an art perspective - Microsoft’s Raven Mask using Hololens http://www.booooooom.com/2017/07/14/transformation-mask/.

We are starting to see competition build up in advertising, especially with big players such as Saatchi & Saatchi building on-site VR labs. What are your thoughts on competition and what do you think will set apart the strong agencies from the rest?

It's funny, I just finished a round of informal reviews within the Vancouver team and asked everyone the same question. We are in many ways a young organization and everyone sort of embraces competition. We look at it as a way to learn from others in the field and see how we can take ideas in new directions and use them to deliver more value. I don’t see the big agencies cornering the market on any of these technologies. In fact VR technology itself is very accessible and a great leveler; the best will be determined by what they create, not their head count. Of course some clients will play it safe and go with bigger multinational agencies, but what they don’t always know is that those same companies approach companies like Intergalactic to ideate and create the end experience. This is something we’ve been hired to help with on more than one occasion.

How do you think the structure of agencies and its landscape will change in the next 5 years given anticipated rapid growth in VR/AR technology?

I believe we will start to see roles expand or additional roles appear within agencies as they deal with 3D interface design. Up until now we’ve focused on good 2D design, now we will need to think in the third dimension and how information can be overlayed to convey priority. I also think everything will be tried through the lens of VR, which will need to be tempered by the need to make things of value, either functionally or aesthetically. As always, agencies that get this and find ways to reach broad audiences will do well.

What is currently your biggest challenge (or as the industry) in regards to integrating VR/AR?

The biggest challenge is finding ways to create multi person experiences that are truly immersive. We all know how important social is in the technology realm so we focus on using ubiquitous devices such as smart phones or enclosed environments to help us deal with shared social VR experiences.

We know that VR/AR will be disruptive in many different industries, how will this affect your company and your clients?

The bar keeps getting raised in terms of experiences. Our clients already acknowledge this truth and have been very keen to embrace VR/AR. As a result we’re seeing a lot of our very marketing conscious sectors such as Events, Retail and Real Estate be very open to our proposals. Interestingly enough, it isn’t just for the novelty, but seems to be for the long term as there is recognition that VR/AR present more complete ways to experience products and remove barriers to a sale. For Entertainment oriented clients and other Agencies we were already there and everyone we speak to just seems to be glad that the technology is catching up with our imaginations.

Why is it important for agencies to be onboard now and join the VR/AR Association?

Easy, so you don’t get left behind. Things are evolving so quickly, it’s nice to have a way to keep up to date that doesn’t require you to do all the research first hand - no one has time for that.

What benefits do you see in being a member?

Simply, visibility, information and analysis. We want to keep our mind share for our clients, be inspired and share what we’ve learned.

We'd like to thank Michael from Intergalactic for participating and you can check them out at www.intergalactic.com