We launched a new, enhanced version of My 3D Scenes on Facebook today. The release includes several new and improved features that we're excited about, including:
* Friends' Photos: Users can now search and include their friends' public Facebook photos in their 3D Scenes. Adding an incriminating photo of your friend to your cool new 3D Scene has never been easier.
* Gifting: We've introduced a new gifting feature. Users can now show their generosity by gifting a 3D Scene to a friend. Perfect for birthdays, weddings, holidays and other special moments.
* Linking: Users can now link items in their scene to any website or to another 3D Scene. For example, a door in a 3D Scene can be linked to http://www.doors.com or serve as a portal that links to another related 3D Scene. Linking works exactly the same in a 3D Scene as it does on the 2D Web. Set hyperlinks that users can click on to jump to any page or destination on the Web.
* Captions: Tired of seeing all those IMG_4532 file names for photos you've uploaded directly from your digital camera? Now you can use our simple photo caption tool to change that file name to something more evocative like, "5 Margaritas in a Row". Your updated caption will appear in your 3D Scene.
* Improved video search: Adding YouTube videos to your 3D Scenes is now easier than ever. Select a video slot and we will automatically display relevant videos for your scene. Of course, you can always search for another video or input a YouTube URL directly.
There are several other performance and under-the-hood improvements that our developers could go on for hours about but I'll leave it to you to experience the application for yourself. Please give it a try and do provide us with your feedback.
Finally, we will be releasing another update by the end of this month that will add music and soundtrack capability and will offer a new subscription payment method for our premium content. Stay tuned for that!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Happy Birthday Jaime
It was my niece Jaime's 5th birthday this weekend. My sister Sharon and my brother-in-law Mark organized a great party for all the kids and the adults. While the kids played and painted bird houses on the "messy bus", the adults drank wine and mingled. I also managed to sneak in a few pictures and a video of the event and captured it in the 3D Scene below.
Note: I used the "Scrapbook" premium template for this 3D Scene as it has over 20 photo slots. Click on the images in the scene to view them larger. Create your own 3D Scenes here.
Note: I used the "Scrapbook" premium template for this 3D Scene as it has over 20 photo slots. Click on the images in the scene to view them larger. Create your own 3D Scenes here.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
We've launched My 3D Scenes on Facebook
After an initial launch on Friendster last month, today we launched the service on Facebook. See a scene I've created with my Facebook account below. It only takes a few minutes to create one of these and personalize it with your own pictures and videos.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
More on 3D Scenes
Following up on my last post, Virtual Worlds News wrote a nice article about the recent launch of our 3D Scenes application.
We're also excited to see users embed 3D Scenes on their blogs and web pages to display and share their photos and videos. A great example can be found on Constance Pappalardo's blog. A visual artist, Constance is using 3D Scenes to promote and merchandise her artwork in a new and highly engaging way. Make sure to click on the televisions in the scene to view her fabulous Animoto videos.
Finally, we're working closely with interactive agencies and directly with brands to showcase how 3D Scenes can be used to create effective and engaging advertising campaigns. Here's an example of a 3D Scene that we've customized for the home furniture retailer, Pier 1. Make sure to click on the items in the scene (desk, candles, chair, rug, wall panels, etc.) to link to additional information on Pier 1's website and on the laptop and television to view one of Pier 1's signature commercials.
We're also excited to see users embed 3D Scenes on their blogs and web pages to display and share their photos and videos. A great example can be found on Constance Pappalardo's blog. A visual artist, Constance is using 3D Scenes to promote and merchandise her artwork in a new and highly engaging way. Make sure to click on the televisions in the scene to view her fabulous Animoto videos.
Finally, we're working closely with interactive agencies and directly with brands to showcase how 3D Scenes can be used to create effective and engaging advertising campaigns. Here's an example of a 3D Scene that we've customized for the home furniture retailer, Pier 1. Make sure to click on the items in the scene (desk, candles, chair, rug, wall panels, etc.) to link to additional information on Pier 1's website and on the laptop and television to view one of Pier 1's signature commercials.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Introducing 3D Scenes
Well, it's been quite some time since our last blog post. While we can blame the holidays, the darkness of winter and the global economic recession, the real reason for our long blog hiatus is that we have been busy these past several months working on our latest application.
Well the wait is over. We're really excited to finally be able to tell you about and show you our new 3D Scenes application. 3D Scenes offers users a brand new way to view, interact and share their personal media, including photos and YouTube videos, in a rich, immersive 3D environment. Significantly, 3D Scenes is a Flash based app and therefore doesn't require any proprietary plug-ins or lengthy downloads -- it just works!
So how does it work? Users of 3D Scenes can select from a wide range of fun and thematic 3D templates such as Fashionista, Gothic Princess, Surf's Up, Soho Gallery and Medieval Times, point and click to add their photos and videos and then post their personalized 3D Scene on their social networking profile page or embed it on their web page or blog. A quick intro video of the app can be viewed here.
We're especially excited to announce that we have partnered with Friendster, one of the top global social networks, for the initial launch of 3D Scenes. Friendster's 85 million users can now enhance their profile pages by creating amazing 3D Scenes. The Friendster deployment of 3D Scenes can be found here. By the way, within the first week of launch, 3D Scenes is already the second most popular app on Friendster's global network!
Ok, so what if you don't have a Friendster account? No problem. We're launching a Facebook version of 3D Scenes within the next couple of weeks and we expect to be on other major social networks very soon.
Before signing off, we'd like to thank a couple of our partners, Paypal and Zong who are providing the payment systems for the purchase of premium templates and virtual goods on 3D Scenes. We'll be adding more payment options soon, including OfferPal, and new templates and features so keep coming back often to check us out.
Finally, I thought I'd leave you with one of my 3D Scenes which features my profile picture on Friendster (I know it's dark, but I like it) and celebrates one of the great comedy troupes and movies of all time: Monty Python and The Holy Grail. Click on the photos and videos in the scene to get a closer look.
Well the wait is over. We're really excited to finally be able to tell you about and show you our new 3D Scenes application. 3D Scenes offers users a brand new way to view, interact and share their personal media, including photos and YouTube videos, in a rich, immersive 3D environment. Significantly, 3D Scenes is a Flash based app and therefore doesn't require any proprietary plug-ins or lengthy downloads -- it just works!
So how does it work? Users of 3D Scenes can select from a wide range of fun and thematic 3D templates such as Fashionista, Gothic Princess, Surf's Up, Soho Gallery and Medieval Times, point and click to add their photos and videos and then post their personalized 3D Scene on their social networking profile page or embed it on their web page or blog. A quick intro video of the app can be viewed here.
We're especially excited to announce that we have partnered with Friendster, one of the top global social networks, for the initial launch of 3D Scenes. Friendster's 85 million users can now enhance their profile pages by creating amazing 3D Scenes. The Friendster deployment of 3D Scenes can be found here. By the way, within the first week of launch, 3D Scenes is already the second most popular app on Friendster's global network!
Ok, so what if you don't have a Friendster account? No problem. We're launching a Facebook version of 3D Scenes within the next couple of weeks and we expect to be on other major social networks very soon.
Before signing off, we'd like to thank a couple of our partners, Paypal and Zong who are providing the payment systems for the purchase of premium templates and virtual goods on 3D Scenes. We'll be adding more payment options soon, including OfferPal, and new templates and features so keep coming back often to check us out.
Finally, I thought I'd leave you with one of my 3D Scenes which features my profile picture on Friendster (I know it's dark, but I like it) and celebrates one of the great comedy troupes and movies of all time: Monty Python and The Holy Grail. Click on the photos and videos in the scene to get a closer look.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
SceneCaster: A Cost Effective Marketing Solution for The Times
We've been busy this past month preparing for our next major release, which is scheduled for early November. This new release will significantly enhance and expand (hint, hint) the overall user experience on our sites and will also create new and more effective advertising and commerce opportunities for our brand partners. Enough said for now. Check back in a few weeks to experience the new SceneCaster first hand.
On a more sober note, it's clear that this coming year will be a difficult one for businesses and consumers in North America and around the world. The financial credit crisis and a looming recession is forcing companies to adjust to the new economic realities by reducing expenses and becoming more capital efficient.
In these tough times, retailers, brands and advertisers are seeking cost effective sales and marketing solutions. This is where SceneCaster comes in. As a recent article in Stores magazine notes, SceneCaster "takes much of the cost and time out of creating physical spaces and allows retailers to create an unlimited variety of showrooms stocked with their products".
Reducing costs though is only one part of the equation. SceneCaster is also helping retailers like SmartFurniture increase sales. As TJ Gentle, President of SmartFurniture, notes: "[SceneCaster] gives us a pure online way of helping people so they can see what it will really look like. It provides us with a lot more sales opportunities."
In the coming weeks, we will be launching a new program designed to provide companies both large and small with a cost effective solution to market and sell their products online using SceneCaster's immersive 3D Web application. As Stores magazine suggests, "online retailers may find that the ability to mix and match products in a virtual environment translates into instant sales."
On a more sober note, it's clear that this coming year will be a difficult one for businesses and consumers in North America and around the world. The financial credit crisis and a looming recession is forcing companies to adjust to the new economic realities by reducing expenses and becoming more capital efficient.
In these tough times, retailers, brands and advertisers are seeking cost effective sales and marketing solutions. This is where SceneCaster comes in. As a recent article in Stores magazine notes, SceneCaster "takes much of the cost and time out of creating physical spaces and allows retailers to create an unlimited variety of showrooms stocked with their products".
Reducing costs though is only one part of the equation. SceneCaster is also helping retailers like SmartFurniture increase sales. As TJ Gentle, President of SmartFurniture, notes: "[SceneCaster] gives us a pure online way of helping people so they can see what it will really look like. It provides us with a lot more sales opportunities."
In the coming weeks, we will be launching a new program designed to provide companies both large and small with a cost effective solution to market and sell their products online using SceneCaster's immersive 3D Web application. As Stores magazine suggests, "online retailers may find that the ability to mix and match products in a virtual environment translates into instant sales."
Monday, August 25, 2008
Our new 3D viewer is available
We launched our new 3D viewer on Friday and already our most creative users are saving out their best scenes in interactive 3D mode. I'm highlighting one of Lesley Bergen's masterpieces: The Grand Hotel. Click and drag on the view below to look around. Click on the elevator door or on the blue panel next to the back door to get taken to different areas. Click on the camera icons below the view window to see the scene from different virtual cameras.
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