With nearly 28,000 attendees expected for the 2013 edition, South by SouthWest Interactive (SXSWi) is likely the largest event for digital media and interactive arts. This year, 3D is at the core of many key presentations.

To begin this Design School Miniseries, here is an interview of David, a young student and award winner… let’s discover what he has to tell us!

David, could you please introduce yourself?

Hello! My name is David Arenou and I am from Nantes. I study at the School of Design Nantes Atlantique, France. I am currently in my last year of studies and just did a 3D project. At the moment, I am doing my final internship at Alcatel Lucent and then I will graduate. And why not apply for a job at Dassault Systèmes?

Describe your “IMMERSIVE RAIL SHOOTER” project…

IMMERSIVE RAIL SHOOTER is my final School of Design project. What I came up with is a shooting video game. The central idea is that you have to hide to survive.  And to give the game a tangible dimension: you are in your living room or bedroom, where you place a video console, and the immersive rail shooter allows you to bring the belongings you have around you (chair, sofa, table, any object that you could use to hide behind), into direct interaction in the video game. You use these physical elements as real hiding tools. The only other thing you need is a camera for you to be detectable, and a fake gun or remote control to track your movement.

What is it about your game that really offers something new to a potential user?

The main evolution introduced in the game is related to the physical immersion aspect: you are completely in the game, with your body and your thoughts, and this is the huge difference with other projects. The game is a success when you forget that you are only in your room.

But how do you use the game?

You just put a chair in front of your body, and you imagine your body is in the virtual world; as I said before, you forget where you are.  You are in another world, you feel immersed.

Why did you choose 3DVIA Virtools to develop this project?

I chose 3DVIA for three reasons: first, because I learned 3DVIA Virtools in my school, so I was used to it and I already knew the software; secondly, 3DVIA enabled me to prototype my ideas very rapidly. Last but not least, I knew I needed a tracking system to detect the player, ARtoolKIT to track big markers. 3DVIA Virtools gave me the answer.  It made it easy and quick to compose and have access to a whole array of different choices and behaviors.

What does your winning Laval Virtual’s First Prize and Prize for the Best Interaction and Programming inspire you for the future?

I took part in the Laval Virtual Conference as a student competitor and I won the Virtual Fantasy Prize. It’s a great honor for me to have won this kind of award and I really want to express my thanks to the jury. This award tells me today: “Ok, David, this project is your thing, keep it up; maybe it will be your way for the future….”

David, thank you for visiting DS Campus and thank you for talking to us.

My pleasure !
http://www.davidarenou.com/

Best,

Charles

Charles Bonnassieux works as Marketing Specialist for Dassault Systèmes

With several hundred attendees above target, there were lots of minds connecting at ECF 2010.  Is this a sign of economic hope?  I’d like to interpret it that way!

One of the people I enjoyed connecting with was David Nahon, our immersive virtuality/iV lead.   The event’s theme was lifelike experience, an area that intersects with David’s.  We had some ‘coffee tawlk’ and discussed whether traditional PLM is blending with lifelike and especially iV.  Said David,

“They’re beginning to merge.  You can look around the agora and see it.  There are three auto stereoscopic screens, a few stereo systems, Kinect . . . We’re now in the phase where PLM and iV are starting to bleed together.  The future is bright.”

David went on to explain that he thinks a mainstream iV solution for PLM users is not too far away.  Even with abstract data there’s a lot to be gained by translating it visually. 

I’ll leave you with a few goodies:

1. The PLM Marketplace has blogged some technology-in-action videos taken from the agora here. 

2. These are a few of my favorite event sound bites:

“We have to have the right to fail in order to innovate.” Jean Botti, CTO EADS

“There is no undo in the real world.” Bruno Delahaye, Dassault Systèmes

 ”There is more value in your IP than the in products you make.”  Bernard Charlès, Dassault Systèmes

3.  And last but not least, look what I “bumped into” today!  Made with our software too.  

If you were with us, I hope you had an enjoyable, fruitful time!  And if you were not, I hope you have a feel for what transpired.

Best,

Kate