Computer Graphics World

"Our vision to transform Topps into a sports media company is well under way," said Michael Eisner, founder of e Torante Company, which owns Topps, in a press statement. "With the launch of Topps 3D Live, children and adult collectors alike will get to experience something they've only dreamed about: watching their favorite players come to digital life right before their eyes. With the help of our partner Total Immersion and its use of augmented reality, the physical baseball trading card is now just the beginning of the experience." Taking the Field Augmented reality has been a cutting-edge computer tech- nology for many years, "augmenting" real-world informa- tion (objects, settings, and so forth) with CG imagery in real time. At the far end of the scale, augmented reality is being used in medical and scientific research; other appli- cations include architectural visualization, military and emer- gency training, and various simulations (flying and driving). Further down the line, the technology can be found at theme parks and museums, and in games. With the Topps applica- tion, Total Immersion has made the technology available at the consumer level, as virtual components are dynamically merged into a live video stream in real time. Late last year, Bruno Uzzan, CEO of Total Immersion, met with Topps officials, who were searching for a way to go digital, at least partially, to make the cards more dynamic—especially for youngsters who spend at least part of their time playing video games. "We started talking and had this idea that the trading cards could trigger a 3D experience with anima- tion and immersion," says Uzzan. e result is arguably one of the biggest innovations to baseball cards since to- bacco and confectionery companies introduced them in the late 1800s. In addition to the traditional cards, each pack of Topps 2009 Baseball Series 1 and 2 cards (and the new Topps Attax baseball-card game) contains an augmented real- ity trading card that has a special interactive "code." To "call up" players, collectors log on to the ToppsTown.com Web site, enter the 3D Live section, and select the player who appears on the special card. Next, the person presents the card to the computer webcam to trigger the application. e Total Im- mersion solution, built solely using the company's D'Fusion technology, recognizes the card, and the application superim- poses on the card a 3D version of the player, which appears on the computer screen. As Uzzan points out, there is no bar code, markers, or track- ers on the physical card; the special card looks just like all the others in the pack. "When we began working with Topps, the cards had been printed already," he says. "e application just has to recognize some physical aspect. at is the secret of our solution. We do not need any special information for the ap- plication to work." When the 3D player appears, the gameplay can begin. "You put the card on your desk so the webcam can still see it, and then by hitting certain computer keys, you can play the 3D game as that athlete," explains Uzzan. ree different games, or activities, can be triggered by the augmented reality applica- tion—batting, pitching, or catching—depending on the forte of the player depicted on the card. Making Players To date, Topps has selected 55 players whose cards can be acti- vated. To create 3D versions of these athletes for this application, Total Immersion began with basic 3D head models provided by Topps and the Major League Baseball Players Association. (MLBPA possesses such assets and then licenses them to video game companies and other entities.) Although the models were not fully textured, they gave the Total Immersion artists a sig- nificant head start in the content creation process. Using Autodesk's Maya, the digital artists textured the heads and reduced the polygon count so they would work in the real- time environment. e modelers then crafted a generic body onto which they would fuse the detailed head geometries. en, they customized each player, adding a team-specific uniform. "e players look fairly authentic. If you know what Augmented reality technol- ogy from Total Immersion causes baseball players to spring to animated life from a static baseball card. July 2009 63 Augmented Reality n n n n

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