Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/863766
j u ly . a u g u s t 2 0 1 7 c g w 4 9 whole five-episode series at a sitting," says Gemmell, who hopes to produce 90-minute dramas in the near future. As Plumer said back in 2015, "It is such a new medium. In the past, to launch a new platform, you could acquire a library of con- tent. But with VR, there's nothing out there that will work. We have to basically create it all ourselves." It seems they've already started. Going Mobile Oculus Ri, HTC Vive, Sony PlayStation VR, and the other head-mounted displays are tethered devices in that they attach to a desktop computer, requiring the user to be a cord-length away from the PC. Jaunt's entire current product runs on these devices, but industry expectation seems to be that mobile is the future plat- form customers will demand. Tethered devices are still working to build an audience in the tens or maybe hundreds of millions, but there are already more than two billion smartphone devices active in the world. And as the technology develops and as the screen resolution im- proves, it seems logical that mobile devic- es will be the preferred way to experience VR and all forms of media delivery. Augmented Reality Terrence Masson is the founder and CEO of Building Conversation, a company that has developed the Building Conversation AR app for a target audience of architects and other designers involved in the construction industry. The aim is to solve the problem plaguing all previous means of communi- cation at their disposal, from blueprints to Photoshop composites, where, as Masson says, "you're trying to explain a 3D concept in a 2D medium." The app aids the conversation between professionals and their clients, who oen find visualizing the final building from tradi- tional sources difficult or even impossible. The app – which runs on an iPad or smart device – basically allows a person to review a design on a turntable, akin to a modeling program. Used at the construction site, the app will geo-locate the model as a holo- gram in the landscape, fully textured and lit according to the time of day if desired. The structure also can be viewed as a simple polygonal model or at any resolution, with zoom/rotate and other features expected from these mobile devices. Although Masson spoke mostly of the conversation that takes place between client and architect, clearly the application would work for designers, as well, enabling them to review their work in the real world. The hologram mode is already familiar, where a flat 2D image on a wall or table surface will trigger the app to grow a 3D model from the AR image when viewed through the iPad, eliminating the need for foamboard models and offering alternatives to a client simply by toggling while viewing the hologram. For now, Building Conversation is still a 2D experience on the user's device screen. So, what about VR? On this, Masson is not yet convinced. It's difficult to work with it on a construction site where the risk of stum- bling is great – even assuming that the HMD is tetherless, which, as noted earlier, they seldom are at this time. He also notes that headsets are bulky and uncomfortable, and most people are not at ease wearing them. At this time, those at Building Conver- sation are wary of the current wave of new devices, as Masson points to the short-lived life of Google Glass. They are waiting for a stable and widely adopted technology before taking their app beyond AR. They are aware of what may come, and "when it does, we will port to it," Masson adds. Mixed Reality Mixed-reality HMDs place virtual objects – 3D holograms, if you will – within the world around the user. A person can place a TV screen (any size) on the wall or elsewhere and watch a show while walking around. Or, Skype a friend, surf the Web, or all of these at the same time, with the mechanisms placed by the user. It won't be long before this capability becomes a fully operational telecom system, with a switch between mixed and full-immersive virtual reality. It also includes the possibility of creating personal holograms. This means designers can work together on a single virtual object, walk around it, change it and its position in the real world, as solidly fixed as the ground beneath one's feet. Compared to VR, MR has the potential for a wider audience due to its more immedi- ate practical use. Mobility and practicality are the hallmarks of consumer choice these days, the one that everyone from a 10-year-old to an octogenarian can relate to, given the appropriate apps. It took only 15 years for mobile phones to go from a rich man's toy to a universal necessity. MR, once perfected, could follow the same pattern. At present the HoloLens and other similar MR devices have a limited field of view, some- PATRICK OSBORNE CRAFTED "PEARL," THE FIRST OSCAR-NOMINATED VR SHORT FILM.