spotlight stories app 3D Scanning Google ATAP Spotlight Story ‘HELP’

Google Brings Its 360-Degree Movies App, Spotlight Stories, To iOS

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SCANable helped bring the Google Spotlight Stories fourth animated film to life by capturing all of the sets, locations, actors and vehicles in 3D for recreation of each item as photorealistic 3D digital assets. These assets were used by the VFX teams to create the final version of the film.

Source: TechCrunch.com

Google Spotlight Stories, a mobile app featuring immersive, 360-degree animated films originally developed by Motorola, has now made its way to iOS devices.

When viewers watch the movie, entitled “HELP” they can look anywhere, set the pace and frame the shot by moving their mobile device. Previously Spotlight Stories was only supported by Android but is now available to users of iOS 8.0 or higher.

The app itself is intended for entertainment purposes, as it offers stories built using 3D and 2D animations, 360-degree spherical “cinema-quality” video, sound sphere audio and “sensor fusion techniques,” explains Google. In short, what that means is that viewers can look around inside the animated content by moving their body and the phone to see different parts or angles of the story taking place.

Basically, the app can take advantage of the device’s sensors like its gyroscope and accelerometer in order to offer an immersive viewing experience. However, it doesn’t let end users create these sorts of movies for themselves.

One of the original animations featured in Spotlight Stories when it debuted was a film called “Windy Days” by ex-Pixar moviemakers, which appeared on Moto X phones when the Android app rolled out. This, as well as the other content previously available on Android, is also available in the new iOS app.

The app includes films like “Duet” from Glen Keane, “Buggy Night” from ATAP, and “Help” by “The Fast and the Furious” director Justin Lin. What’s interesting is that this latter movie, unlike the others, is noted as being “free for a limited time,” which indicates that Google may be planning to sell movies through this service in the future.

The technology for making these artistic mini-movies was first developed by Motorola Mobility’s Advanced Technology And Products (ATAP) moonshot division, but Google continued to fund its development in the years that followed. However, because the app was originally intended for Motorola devices (like the Moto X), it didn’t immediately support a wide range of Android devices when it launched. Some limitations on Android continue today, as the Google Play version still indicates that Spotlight Stories is “not yet compatible with all smartphones.”

However, the new iOS release will work on any device running iOS 8.0 or higher, notes Google.

The app is a free download, here on iTunes.

Rental companies returned to growth in 2011

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Rent the latest LiDAR TechnologiesEuropean firms lag behind as world’s top 100 rental companies’ revenues grow by 13.3% in 2011  [source]

WORLDWIDE equipment rental revenues grew significantly in 2011 as contractors and other equipment users increased their reliance on rental suppliers, according to the latest IRN100 survey of the largest 100 equipment rental companies worldwide, published by KHL Group.

Rental companies in all regions reported revenue growth last year, although European firms lagged behind the rest.

Total rental-related revenues at the world’s top 100 rental companies grew by 13.3% last year, with revenues at the top 10 growing on average by 22.9%, after adjusting for currency changes. The full survey is published in the July-August issue of International Rental News (IRN).

North American rental companies in the list grew, on average, by 17% while European renters reported much more modest growth of 5.9%. US rental giant United Rentals top the list with UK-based power rental company Aggreko at number two.

The 2011 survey reflects wider trends in the global economy, with growth shifting to emerging markets and recovery in the US proving more robust than in Europe. Of the top 100 companies, 44 were from Europe, the lowest number since the survey was started in 2005 and the first time it has been below 50.

Emerging markets continue to increase their participation in the list, with Chinese and Middle East companies in the top 100 for the first time.

Capital expenditure on fleet was also up dramatically in 2011, with the top 25 spenders investing €5.7 billion, gross, in their fleets. This is more than double the €2.5 billion in 2010 and reflects high replacement investment by rental companies in the US, Japan and Australia.

Murray Pollok, the report’s author, said; ‘A mix of factors contributed to the growth in rental last year. Many of the biggest rental companies in North America and Europe saw rental revenues recover from depressed levels in 2009 and 2010, while in developing areas of the world rental companies are expanding rapidly as the rental concept catches on.

‘In addition, many rental firms believe that the current economic uncertainty, and difficulties in obtaining finance, are leading equipment users to source more of their equipment from rental suppliers. This trend is most evident in North America, where rental penetration rates are increasing.’