United 3D Labs: Augmented Reality for a Trade Show

Visitors to the MosBuild Construction Exhibition, the largest one in Russia, could observe quite an unusual sight of wild animals: a bear, a wolf, a deer and a serval were roaming at the ROCKWOOL stand. No worries, no animal or person was hurt: animals existed only in augmented reality, which United 3D Labs created for ROCKWOOL, commissioned by "4 VIDA" exhibition company.

ROCKWOOL, a world leader in the production of non-combustible rock wool insulation, annually takes part in MosBuild. This time the company decided to present its products using augmented reality technology.

Augmented reality (AR) is an enhanced version of reality where live direct or indirect views of physical real-world environments are augmented with superimposed computer-generated images over a user's view of the real-world, thus enhancing one’s current perception of reality.

Put a 3D model or a text in augmented reality is not a difficult task, but animals are not the same. Their models should be realistically embedded in the image transmitted by the camera. Our characters were not chosen by chance, but because of their wool, its excellent thermal insulation properties which are comparable to the characteristics of ROCKWOOL products.

Our appealing and spectacular interactive solution, the use of augmented reality, was carried out as following: a professional video camera with a wide-angle lens transmitted the image of the space in front of the stand to the video wall; with the software, developed by United 3D Labs, the real image was complemented by video content with animals. A special sensor determined the position of visitors on the stand (that is why the virtual animal did not just appear on the screen, but also interacted with the viewer). If there were no visitors in the field of view of the sensor, the animals just walked around freely on the video wall, attracting the attention of participants passing by.

While the audience was playing with the virtual animals, the camera automatically took photos, which could be immediately printed or sent to e-mail using an interactive table. No one could resist getting a spectacular picture, which is proved by more than 2 thousand pictures printed at the stand for 4 days of the exhibition.

The augmented reality of the ROCKWOOL exhibition caused with genuine interest and sincere amazement of visitors of MosBuild exhibition.