The Javelin Technologies Blog

 QR codes are popping up everywhere these days: movie posters, coffee cups, stickers. I even have one on the back of my business card (see left). When you use a smart phone scanner and you scan the (Quick Response Code) it usually takes you to a promotional website of the product you are scanning.

On a recent trip to LA I met Gerald Nacache, the CEO of 3D California at the Dassault Systemes office in Woodland Hills. Over a French espresso he showed me the difference between a QR code and an Augmented Reality marker. He had recently finished a proof of concept for Procter & Gamble using an AR Code.

On the back of the Gillette razor package he showed me there was what looked like a QR code. When he scanned the code a menu popped up giving him the option to go to a website or to an AR experience. He clicked AR and an interactive animation popped out of the QR code. See video below.

My head was spinning with the possibilities of adding this functionality to the back of my next business card. How much would it cost, I wondered, to have Obi-Wan pop out  (like he did in the first Star Wars) with a personal message for you to call Ben Sainsbury at Javelin Reality to discuss dynamic interactive training options? It would be intriguing. Which is the point of this type of advertising.

For more information about 3D California check out this website: http://www.3dcalifornia.com/

To discuss new and innovative 3D marketing strategies and 3D dynamic training solutions please contact us or contact me directly: ben.sainsbury@javelin-tech.com – 1.877.219.6757 x257.

Cheers, Ben

Recently the Javelin Reality team travelled to GDC 2012 in San Francisco. GDC stands for “Game Developer Conference”. If you think SolidWorks World is a big event, there were over 22,500 people that attended the conference.

Why was a company like Javelin Reality there? Javelin Reality provides cost effective and visual solutions for the sales, training and marketing of our customers products – We call this “3D Dynamic Training”. Another industry term for this is “Serious Video Games” or “Non-Entertainment Games”.

I like the term “3D Dynamic Training”. Think of “static training” as a medium delivered with a workbook or training manual. Or, think of it as a video showing how to operate or assemble something. With Dynamic Training, it comes to life. Touch it, feel it, operate it, make mistakes with it, see the consequences of your mistakes, train your muscle memory, train your mind, live the experience. Not only that, you can live this experience in full, stereoscopic 3D on a 3D TV or monitor with 3D glasses. Big difference huh? Now think of your products, what you design. Imagine the possibilities.

I ran across an old Kogi Indian Proverb that explains this perfectly. It goes like this:

“Tell it to me and I’ll forget it, Write it to me and I might remember, Make it live to me and I’ll never forget it.”

At GDC 2012 we learned some great things about the industry. We met some fantastic people doing some very creative, dynamic things which really got our creative juices flowing. It was a great experience.

Near the end of the week, we dropped by Crytek’s booth at the expo exhibit at the conference. If you don’t know who Crytek is, they have created some of the biggest blockbuster games you can find on the PC and now consoles (Crysis 1 and 2, and FarCry 1 and 2). What many people do not know, is they offer solutions for Dynamic Training. Their sister company – RealTime Immersion, gave a few of us a fantastic demo of just how far we can take Dynamic Training, and Serious Games. They are using this with the American Military, for training in Afghanistan. Take a look:

As always, please contact me to find out how Javelin Reality, can work on taking you from training manuals and how to videos – to a new world that your customers and employees will never forget. Come on by and we’ll show your our 3D theatre here at Javelin, and give you a great tour!

Cheers,

Dan

Dan.gamsby@javelin-tech.com – 1.877.219.6757 x258

Psst, hey you…come closer.

Don’t tell anyone, but did you know that some of the best marketing material you could possibly have to work with for your company, is in fact right under your nose?

Look down there. Down the hall. No, no, not the water cooler in the corner, the door beside it. Yes, the engineering office. There’s smoke coming out the bottom of the door…but that’s okay, that’s just all those smart guys using those big brains of theirs to create some amazing things. (Many of these amazingly smart engineering types also write a majority of the blog articles you read from Javelin – Shameless Plug)

Yes, these guys are super-smart!

Did you know all those super smart engineering folks, have some awesome 3D geometry for you to work with? With products like SolidWorks, your engineers are already creating full 3D representations of your products. Yes, they’ve been doing this for years, and have hundreds of different models for you to choose from. As a matter of fact, they could have already created photo realistic representations of your product, all ready to be used in your marketing material.

SolidWorks Goodness!

Now, let’s take it one step further. You can use all this fancy pants 3D stuff that your smarty-pants engineer folks have, and market more effectively across the web. You can totally immerse your customer in your product, whatever your product may be. Whether it be facilities design, or retail product, you can put it in your customer’s hands virtually. You can even allow your customers to collaborate together and discuss your product online, all leveraging existing engineering data.

Read More »

Lately a few of us at Javelin have been researching new, alternative ways to help customers and employees visualize their products. Many companies are utilizing virtual simulation to either demonstrate their product, or help train their customers and employees on how to use their product.

I recently was invited to Sandvik in Lively, Ontario, to take a test drive of their

Underground Training Simulator that they use to train people on how to operate their heavy mining equipment.

Tom White – Operator Trainer Underground Mobile Equipment USA/Canada for Sandvik, was my tour guide and operates the training simulator. I couldn’t have asked for a nicer guy to show me the ropes, so thank you Tom!

The simulator is housed in a large shipping crate, and is home to 3 large, rear projected screens that surround the operator. There is a large, metal platform that houses all the equipment and the operator seat, which is all motorized, and reacts and moves just as you are in the actual vehicle. Start the vehicle using the start up sequence, and you literally feel the ground shake beneath your feet as it starts to hum.

What is unique about this simulator, is that Sandvik can actually simulate up to 4 different vehicles, by interchanging the control panels that are secured to the floor, in a plug and play fashion. I had the priviledge of using the Drill, which they use to drill holes into rock faces inside of mine shafts, for controlled blasting.

Finally, when I was finished destroying the rock face, and drilling a bunch of very inaccurate, terrible holes, Tom showed me all of the results on the software, running the simulator. It was a little embarrassing, but very cool to see.

I don’t think I’ll be hired for a job in the mine anytime soon, but for a full video of my experience, please click below.

Reality is a growing industry. Customers, Prospects, students, etc. demand new and inspiring ways to interact with their designs and their products. Javelin Reality is coming in 2012. Are you ready to be innovative? Want to know more? As always, give me a call 905-815-1906 x258 or send me an email dan.gamsby@javelin-tech.com.

Dan