Augmented reality hits the catwalk

By Paul Ridden

Cassette Playa brings augmented reality to the catwalk of the London Fashion Show

It's not unusual to see some bizarre and extraordinary creations at the London Fashion Show and this year Cassette Playa continued this fine tradition with a live augmented reality catwalk performance. CGI animations on screens behind the models on the catwalk were triggered by different symbols on the clothing being shown, transporting the audience into a rich, colorful digital world where the boundaries separating reality and the virtual are blurred.

With 3D animation "softwear" development provided courtesy of Philip Delamore, David Sweeney and Peter Hill of the London College of Fashion and funding from the London Development Agency, Cassette Playa managed to successfully merge the real world and a virtual digital landscape into one bold colorful creation in a show that saw augmented reality used for the first time in the world of fashion.

As the models stood in front of a camera, the symbol on the clothing activated the animation on the screen. The model was subsequently stripped of facial features, enclosed in bizarre headgear or surrounded by dancing figures straight out of the introduction to "Tales of the Unexpected" in a mix of the medieval and industrial as determined by the software.

The designers are looking to make the AR softwear available when buying an augmented garment so that customers can enjoy a tailored virtual experience in front of their computer or laptop webcam.

Disney will be spending quite a bit of time on Mars in the coming years. We've been hearing for a while now about the Willem Dafoe vehicle John Carter of Mars, which pits a Civil War veteran against 12-foot-tall giants, and now they've announced a release date for Mars Needs Moms, about a boy who travels to Mars to rescue his kidnapped mother.

We knew the film was in the works over a year ago, but now per Variety, the Mouse House has announced a release date. The first of its Martian riddled films, Mom, on March 11, 2011, which will be about a year before John Carter. The film will be put together much in the same vein as The Polar Express, which predictable as it's being produced by Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis

‘Popeye’ 3D CGI Adaptation On the Way

The only time the character of Popeye was brought to film was in Robert Altman’s notorious failure starring Robin Williams in the title role. That film was a commercial and critical disaster, and nearly ended the director of the film’s legendary career. Still, that apparently wasn’t enough to ward off Sony from trying to bring him to movies again, as they have a new film in development. It’ll be done in motion-capture, and will be in, you guessed it, 3D.

Variety (via /Film) learned that Avi Arad, producer for much of Marvel’s film franchises, will be taking the producing reigns on the project. The rumor is that it will be penned by someone named Mike Jones,  whom it’s oddly difficult to find any concrete information on, except for the fact that he was apparently a writer for Variety and laid off a year ago. Funny how things work out, isn’t it?

They’re also keeping the plot under wraps, because Lord knows that every movie news site is just digging for information on a new movie featuring Popeye. Regardless, we can expect to see unnaturally muscular spinach eating sailors popping out at the audience within the next few years.

GigaPan Epic Pro robotic camera mount can hold DSLR/lens combos up to 10-lbs.

Posted by Rachel King on ZDNet

GigaPan has announced a new model in their digital SLR camera mount collection. The Epic Pro, set to be released in April, is a durable and strong system, able to hold up a DSLR-lens combo up to 10 pounds.

Targeted towards those who are serious about keeping their cameras absolutely still while shooting ultra high-res images, the magnesium chassis is supposed to be compatible with most DSLR models and shapes.

The Epic Pro also comes with a few different methods for adjustment, including the aluminum arm for up/down movements and precision, plus an onboard bubble level for horizontal accuracy. The ranges of motion are 360-degree panoramic and -65/+90-degree tilt.

The system weights 8 pounds itself, and it comes with a 7.2V, 4300mAH rechargeable battery, so it should be ready for major photo shoots. But this camera mount is meant for the professionals with a price tag set at $895. Everyone else can just keeping on practicing with their tripods.

Boeing launches compact, energy-efficient 3D imaging camera

By Darren Quick

Say cheese to Boeing's compact 3D imaging camera set for deployment on unmanned aerial and ground vehicles