TALENT Festival 2019

LET’S GET HIRED – On 12 and 13 November the recruiting event ‘Talent Festival,’ presented by our partner medianet:berlinbrandenburg, was once again held at the 3IT and CINIQ.

During the two festival days, students and job seekers had the opportunity to get in touch with recruiters from the creative and digital sector. Companies and start-ups introduced themselves and their job opportunities via 7-minute pitches on stage and were available for in-depth talks with participants at their booths in the 3IT.

On Tuesday, the gaming and film & TV industry attracted many talents with a versatile range of jobs, while many young and creative heads from the advertising and digital sector enticed the participants all day long in our Showroom on Wednesday.  

The event was accompanied by Maurice Matthieu (Alex Berlin), Niklas Kolorz (Filmmaker, Content Creator and Esports Host), Sven Oswald (rbb) and Tim Thaler (Creative sector), who guided the talents through the event.



3IT Summit 2019 – 3IT Berlin Celebrates its 6th Anniversary

On 10 September 2019, we held our annual 3IT Summit in our showroom in Berlin – it was a great event where we were happy to welcome new and old friends!

The event, which is dedicated to our partners & friends, invited everyone who is curious to find out more about what’s new in the sector of immersive imaging technologies. We were also glad to give an insight into our day-to-day work as well as to talk about the businesses of our 3IT partners and our extended family. Our various talks were presented by an international group of speakers and covered topics such as the ongoing research and development in the medical and industrial sector, new endeavors in promoting XR technologies, new use cases in volumetric video productions, tile based streaming and AR/VR integration in live TV productions. Please find the complete agenda on our website for more detailed information.

We were also very delighted to welcome our new Partner VRINN Business Cluster from Norway to our 3IT family at the Summit!

The captivating talks during the afternoon were followed by a casual get-together, where our guests were able to share their experiences in the field of immersive imaging technologies and also to experience the technical exhibits in our showroom.

We had a great day with well-known as well as new faces and are especially thankful to the speakers for their informative and inspiring talks!   



Introducing VRINN – our new Partner

Hei VRINN – happy to have you!

Building synergies is a keyword for the 3IT. We believe in the benefits of knowledge sharing, mutual support and cross-border cooperation. In the Hamar and inland region of Norway we can find a leading national environment for Virtual Reality and game development. Especially for the reason to establish and support the VR ecosystem, the municipalities of this region have created a technology cluster with the mission to offer its members a platform to connect, exchange ideas, develop projects and thus jointly advance the development of VR technology. We are super happy to announce the new special cooperation with VRINN.  

Members of VRINN are companies from both the public and the private sector as well as from academia. The field of activity focuses on the topic of immersive learning – more precisely: How can immersive technologies such as VR and AR be used in the areas of learning, education and training as well as knowledge transfer in general? However, the members are also active in a wide range of disciplines, including healthcare, crisis management, decision making, and operational support. Please find a full member list here.

VRINN helps its members to position themselves on the market, to develop further and to raise their reach to an international level. The overall goal is to contribute to research and development within the VR sector and to help build solid companies that create innovations with an international character.

To support this process, the cluster organizes the Nordic VR Forum conference in Hamar every year with more than 300 guests from all over the world. Get your Early Bird ticket now!

 

New Project launched @3IT: MultiARC!

The 3IT-Team is very excited to announce MultiARC within our large range of innovative projects. The cooperative project creates assisting aid with the development of interactive systems for microsurgery.

Surgical interventions are highly complicated. It is important to guarantee surgeons as many information as possible about the patient’s anatomy during the operation. Especially for microsurgery, assistance systems currently offer only a tiny support. MultiARC develops interactive systems within virtual and real spaces and is therefore engaged with the development of a multimodal-based augmented reality (AR) system for computer-aided surgery in the context of ear, nose and throat (ENT) treatment. In a multidisciplinary team with ARRI Medical, UBIMAX, Charité Berlin, Schölly and Pripares Software Solutions GmbH as the consortium leader, Fraunhofer HHI develops new computer vision algorithms for the full digital surgical microscope “ARRISCOPE”. The surgical view can be visualized on different displays guaranteeing the same surgical point-of-view to all viewers.  This is a significant improvement for intraoperative assistance, remote surgical collaborations and surgical training. Therefore, the surgical learning will have a steeper learning curve and operation times and complications can be reduced.

Find out more about the details and background of MultiARC on our project page

 

3DHBR from Fraunhofer HHI honored with the „Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize“

Virtual worlds already seem very realistic. But the people moving in them not so much. Ingo Feldmann, Dr. Oliver Schreer, Peter Kauff and their team from Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute, HHI, have now developed a technology with which lifelike people can be integrated into virtual worlds. For this new technology, they have been awarded the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize.

In movies, the movement of the camera is predetermined: While watching, you are following the camera. This, however, is different in a film that you can step into. Here, the viewer is completely immersed in the film scene: When wearing VR glasses, viewers can let their gaze wander as they wish, dive into the action and circle around the actors. Nevertheless, no matter how realistic the surroundings appear in the virtual world, the people still appear artificial and their movements seem unnatural. Also texture – for example the way the fabric of the sweater is woven, beard stubbles or birthmarks on the skin – still is far away from reality. Until now.

Ingo Feldmann, Dr. Oliver Schreer and Peter Kauff from Fraunhofer HHI have developed a novel technology that solves these issues. “We are able to integrate real people into the VR environment who then appear lifelike and move in the artificial world just as smoothly and naturally as they would in the real world,” says Ingo Feldmann, group leader at Fraunhofer HHI. “The texture also appears lifelike to the viewer. The team has been awarded with this year’s Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize for the development of the “3D Human Body Reconstruction” technology used here.

The trick: The researchers film the actors with 32 cameras, each camera with ten times HD, which are combined into pairs and optimally distributed in the room. The cameras record up to 30 images per second and from this data a software calculates the corresponding depth information. In other words, it calculates how far away each part of the body is from the camera on the respective shot. It then fuses the data of the individual camera pairs with each other. The result is a lifelike three-dimensional image of the person and their movements. This three-dimensional model is then directly integrated into the virtual world, with all the movements the person performs. Until now, people were scanned statically and their movements were then animated on the computer.

In October 2017, researchers from Fraunhofer HHI built a first prototype to optimally “capture” people and their movements. In summer 2018, they also set up a studio at the Babelsberg film studios. Here, external clients can have images digitized and can also book additional services. The production company Volucap GmbH was founded in conjuction with Studio Babelsberg, ARRI, Interlake and UFA.

Areas of application: Wherever authenticity is required

The researchers at Fraunhofer HHI also want to use the technology in other areas in the future. Possible scenario: In the case of difficult surgeries, an expert could call in VR, see the patient in real time and provide assistance. Also, a popular soccer player could visit a fan at home before a Champions League game. “Essentially, our technology can be used wherever authenticity is needed – for example, people from society and media, but also for training and further education,” explains Peter Kauff, who has an eye on the commercial utilization of the technology. His colleague Oliver Schreer, who developed the algorithms together with Ingo Feldmann, adds: “Our technology opens a door to a huge new field of applications – it remains to be seen exactly where it will go.”

 

360° Figaro – First Opera Recording Realized For Virtual Reality With The OmniCam-360

In the 25-minute long music film “360° Figaro” , an opera scene was conceived and staged exclusively for Virtual Reality (VR) for the first time, using Fraunhofer HHI’s OmniCam-360.

The OmniCam-360, a panorama camera developed at the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI, played a significant role in the production of the second act from Mozart’s „Figaro’s Wedding“. In this project, impressive 360° recordings of the live performing singers and musicians were produced. The result shows a unique 25-minute immersive video experience: The viewers are being placed in the center of the performance which enables them to dive into the scene audio visually. Thus, they get the feeling that they themselves are participating live in the opera.

The film project was realized by Pars Media in cooperation with the Leipzig Opera, the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute and digital images GmbH. The project was supported by the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Nordmedia and the FilmFernsehFonds Bayern.

“360° Figaro” can be experienced at the 3IT! Make an appointment now!

News From Our Partner reallifefilm international

2018 is almost over and it is the time of retrospects. Our Partner Reallifefilm can proudly look back on an eventful year.
Here is a little insight:

  • As part of several German media delegations INVR.SPACE had the great opportunity to travel to Los Angeles, Toronto, Montreal and Tel Aviv – trips full of fruitful networking! Moreover, reallifefilm international and INVR.SPACE were invited to China to give a keynote on K-Lens and the research project VVOW – Volumetric Video Workflow.
  • Back in Karlsruhe, Germany reallifefilm international had the chance to present VVOW and its latest technological achievements about creating holograms and stories in 6DoF at Beyond Festival.
  • Experiencing Basketball Bundesliga live and in 360°? INVR.SPACE made it possible and supported Telekom with conducting the first live broadcast of a Bundesliga basketball match. On 09 December the 360° stream in 6K resolution was available via the Magenta VR App.
  • INVR.SPACE for its part did not only support this year’s VR Now Con & Awards as a main sponsor and hosted its Cinematic VR Movie Theater but also enjoyed taking part in several vibrant panels. Additionally “Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, reallifefilm’s interactive volumetric video experience produced in cooperation with VVOW partners Trotzkind GmbH and Frauenhofer HHI, was nominated for the VR Now Technology Award – so proud!
  • Within the frame of Most Wanted:Music and its Hybrid Musik:LabSPACE installed the Immersive Media Exhibition which let attendees experience a selection of staggering audio-visual performances designed especially for VR.
  • Our docu-fiction My Identity Is This Expanse!, a film and an installation about a refugee child, receives funding of the FFF Bayern. This project will be co-financed by Film Fund Luxembourg and the art forum Casino Luxembourg. My Identity Is This Expanse! is a co-production between the Luxembourgian production company a_BAHN and our brand-new Bavarian branch.
  • This years Sana Fest was reason enough for INVR.SPACE to head to Brazil one more time. Furthermore, INVR.SPACE stopped by in São Paulo to offer, in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut and SPcine, a workshop on 360° filmmaking.
  • Thanks to funding from the Robert-Bosch-Stiftung. Afroroutes director Selim Harbi went on a research trip to India where he could meet protagonists for the next shooting stage, which will start in January!
  • As the EFM’s official technology partner INVR.SPACE is already excited about again hosting the VR Cinema during the Berlinale 2019. Don’t miss out the opportunity to present your company profile and VR creations! Submissions of your 360° VR projects are warmly welcomed – preferably until the end of the year. For further information, prices and submission details please contact .

BEYOND Festival 2018 – Future Design

At the beginning of October, BEYOND Festival 2018 took place in Karlsruhe, Germany. The Festival was dedicated to V-Arts, artistic & artificial intelligence and post-capitalism.

Already in 2013, the 3IT entered into cooperation with BEYOND. Representatives of the 3IT partner network have been present at the conference ever since. This year, 3IT chairman Dr. Ralf Schäfer and Executive Manager Kathleen Schröter actively participated in the conference. The following provides an insight into the BEYOND Festival 2018 with the topic “Future Design”.

Ludger Pfanz, professor in charge and founder of the BEYOND festival invited all attendees to think outside the box and to picture a world beyond their specific professional expertise. Working in interdisciplinary teams, the aim was to address the challenges our digital society is facing and the problems for our economies that are coming with them – whether related to a specific technology or the integration of new technologies in various sectors of the industry. On Wednesday evening the festival was opened with the exhibition “We Buy Storms”. Artists from all over the world were represented by displaying their digital art.

DAY ONE
The symposium was opened by Dr. Ralf Schäfer who introduced V-Art, focusing in his presentation on volumetric video capturing solutions. 3IT partner Sönke Kirchhof (reallifefilm international / INVR.SPACE) presented his latest project: “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, a collaboration and publicly funded project by reallifefilm international, Fraunhofer HHI and Trotzkind. Furthermore, Sönke Kichhof demonstrated how his company uses real-time generated point clouds for real 3D dynamic models for the use in VR and AR. Moreover, reallifefilm international and INVR.SPACE were the main sponsors of the entire equipment needed for the VR & AR exhibits, which could be experienced during the festival. Dr. Sebastian Knorr, a Senior Research Scientist and Lecturer within the Communication Systems Group at TU Berlin, a partner university of the 3IT Berlin, presented his work in the university labs. The afternoon session then focused on the artistic approach of VR & AR. Kathleen Schröter initiated the session with a presentation dedicated to the different use cases of VR & AR. During that part the 3IT partner university UNSW gave a presentation about immersive experience “Parragirls Past, Present: Unlocking Memories of Institutional ‘Care’”.

DAY TWO
The second day focused on artificial and artistic intelligence. Starting with an inspiring presentation about human-machine-interaction from Prof. Dr. Barbara Deml from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), a highlight certainly was Festo’s presentation: The audience was able to witness how a robot butterfly flew over their heads. This was followed by a stunning afternoon session: The artist Roman Lipski showed how he created fine art paintings with the help of an AI muse created by YQP Birds on Mars. Furthermore, the composer and Artificial Intelligence scientist Eduardo R. Miranda presented his work at the interface of biology and music. He showed how he uses an organism – similar to a mushroom – that generates electricity and collaborates with the artist in a piano music duet. Hence, one could say that he uses a bio computer to collaborate with him.

DAY THREE
The third day focused on the topic of “Post-capitalism” and started with the presentation of three Professors of the HfG, who gave the audience an introduction in the fields of philosophy and arts. Thereafter, the well-known scientist Mark Post gave an update of his work on cultured meat. He provided insight on the opportunities of cultured meat, how it could be an alternative to intensive animal farming and how this addresses climate change and the increasing demand for meat consumption worldwide.

DAY FOUR
On the fourth day, questions emerged about the future of education, about how to find a balance between the digital and the analog world, as well as how to address the major issues of digital society and the growing world population. One of our favorite artists, the dean of the arts and media school of NTU Singapore, impressed the audience with her unusual artwork regarding climate change. This year she showed how to use AI for visualizing how the climate is changing worldwide and how the collection of worldwide weather data can create a multimedia wall integrating LED lights and multi-layer printed fabric from Asia. The festival ended with an inspiring performance from Prof. Vesna Petresin, with an award show and a closing ceremony.

We would like to thank the BEYOND team for broadening our horizons and connecting all professional groups working with digital technology and art!

Schneider Digital @ INTERGEO 2018

See the benchmark for passive 3D stereo monitors with all leading GIS applications live on eight INTERGEO exhibition stands!

Once again, Geo-IT experts will meet at the world’s leading trade fair for the geospatial community GIS and Photogrammetry, INTERGEO 2018, which will take place in Frankfurt/Main from 16-18 October 2018.

As visualization will be an important topic at INTERGEO, Schneider Digital e.K. will exhibit its 3D PluraVIEW monitor family to the professional audience. Visitors will be able to experience 3D PluraVIEW live with leading GIS software applications as well as the highest stereo image quality (up to 4K per eye), maximum brightness (3D work in daylight) and completely flicker free (innovative mirror technology with passive 3D glasses).
3D PluraView will be on display at the booths of key software vendors and partners, such as: IGI GmbH, Aerowest, Trimble, Racurs, TerraSolid, South Surveying & Mapping Instruments Co. Ltd, Agisoft and DAT/EM.

For detailed product advice on the 3D PluraVIEW and GIS hardware solutions (GIS performance PC systems, GIS mice and input devices, high-end graphics cards, etc.) visit Schneider Digital at the TerraSolid booth in Hall 12.0, Booth B.098.

Please get in touch for an appointment!

3IT Summit 2018 – 3IT Berlin Celebrates its 5th Anniversary With a Successful Partners & Friends Event

On 30 August 2018, the 3IT SUMMIT took place in our showroom in Berlin – thanks to everyone who was involved for making it such a special day!

The annual partner & friends event was open to everyone curious about the latest developments in the sector of immersive imaging technologies. This includes technologies like 3D, virtual & augmented reality or 360-degree panorama videos, only to name a few. An important topic of this year’s presentations was the research and development in the medical and industrial sector. We got new insights into the successful projects 3DInMed and M3D and had the chance to learn about how VR technology could soon improve rehab training.

Other topics were the production of high quality 360-degree videos as well as updates on volumetric video production. Please find the complete agenda on our website for more detailed information.

After an afternoon full of fascinating talks and presentations, the official part was followed by a casual get-together. Our guests had not only the chance to see Fraunhofer HHI’s Volumetric Video Studio, but also to experience various brand-new technical exhibits in our showroom.

We had a fantastic day and are grateful for the inspiring talks and for seeing well-known as well as new faces!