Author: 3dwayfinder

People move, think and experience the world in three dimensions. The majority of media channels are using 3D technologies to attract people’s attention more and more. Nowadays, 3D has become an icon that is written on many products, even on toothpaste. There it serves a marketing purpose, but in IT sector we can make use of it.

One Estonian company, called 3D Technologies R&D has developed the first wayfinding software using WebGL. The company calls themselves a WebGL pioneers, because this technology is in its baby shoes. Most solutions that you can find at this point are usually object demos or games. They may be cool, but not practical. However, 3D Wayfinder is a very practical solution. It is a web-based service for creating building directories for large public buildings.

What is WebGL?

WebGL (Web Graphics Library) in its most basic level is a graphics library that allows us to create real-time rendered interactive 3D graphics inside browser, so it is browser-based. With it, you can experience rich 3D content within any compatible web browser, without installing additional plugin. Most modern browsers support WebGL technology to deliver hardware-accelerated 3D graphics. The HTML5 and WebGL platform allow direct access to the graphics card. That means much faster load times and smoother operation on PC and on mobile devices. According to the WebGL stats, we can show you some statistics about supported desktops and mobile browsers. Data is assembled from over 15 million visits on more than 615 participating sites over the last 60 days.

Source: http://webglstats.com/

As we can see from the diagrams, almost ¾ of the personal computer users, who have visited WebGL participating sites, use browsers that support that graphics library. Mobile devices percentage is low, but it is increasing on daily basis as more power is put under the hood.

WebGL Advantages

WebGL is the best solution enabling to display 3D content on every browser and platform. It is plug-in free, memory management is handled automatically and, it is royalty free web standard for low-level 3D graphics. WebGL is supported in most of the operating systems (Windows Vista or later, Mac OS 10.6 or later, Linux and Chrome OS) and browsers. Unlike other 3D graphics technologies, such as Unity 3D, Flash.

WebGL elements can be mixed with other HTML elements and composites. This enables to design and integrate according to personal needs in combination with other technologies and content. It all together offers endless possibilities for designers and developers.

3D indoor wayfinding software

3D Technologies R&D created FRAK engine to ease up the 3D content development process. FRAK is a JavaScript 3D engine for creating interactive 3D applications. With this engine, you will have the power to build the next generation application. WebGL and the power of HTML5 gives cool designing and functionality opportunities for the future projects.

Today we are presenting 3D Wayfinder at Hospitality Technology Day in Meriton Grand Conference & Spa Hotel.

It’s a first time event specialized on introducing the possibilities of Digital Signage in hospitality sector.

Where is people there’s always a question of orientating – 3DWayfinder for hotels and spa’s.

We are pleased to announce that we have made ​​significant progress in the development of a WebGL version of 3D Wayfinder. We are planning to implement it in Atrium shopping center in Russia. WebGL and the power of HTML5 gives new cool designing opportunities for upcoming projects.

Our partner, Akzia Apps has created a super-awesome design. In the near future we will offer You this exclusive chance to be one of the first who gets a glimpse of this cool project. We plan to create all our future projects in WebGL to provide better user experience.

3D Wayfinder does not mean 3-dimensional buidling directory

The whole 3D Technologies R&D team is putting a lot of energy into product development to provide better navigation (wayfinding) for our existing and future partners. We are devoting a lot of time into innovating and testing new solutions. Our team is convinced that the best solutions grow out from engaging in dialogue with users of our products.

Our latest customer surveys revealed that there is also a market for more simpler version of 3D Wayfinder for smaller buildings with smaller budgets. We already receive requests for such solutions and hopefully first one will realize soon.

Maximize ROI

Advertising on smartphones and tablets has shown rising trends in the world and it is becoming more important information channel. 3D Wayfinder is an excellent channel for advertising to reach all user groups. It enables to advertise on all three platforms kiosk, mobile and web, which makes the solution an effective e-commerce channel.

Mobile & Web version

To meet the needs of our customers we have launched a mobile version for Android and iOS users. Windows Phone users can expect the mobile app soon. It has all the basic functions – search, deals, map etc. The building map is 2D so it could work smoothly and simply on most smartphones and tablets. The map is converted from 3D to 2D, to preserve its preciseness and to automate the process of updating. Exactly the same content that is in the kiosk and web version. All managed from one CMS. Mobile offer even more possibilities to integrate different custom solutions like social networks, loyal customer schemes, timetables and other useful features.

You can download the mobile app from your app store by searching “Lounakeskus” or, simply just scan the QR code below.

If you wish to see the web directory in action then visit Lõunakeskus website (South Center).

We would appreciate any feedback, so if You have any questions, recommendations or desire for cooperation, just let us know.

3D Technologies R&D presented it’s 3D Wayfinder software at Rock IT Con 2013 fair from 24-25 of August. It was a first time event specialized on bringing together IT companies from Russia and Estonia. Our software got a lot of attraction by many companies and also by visitors from the street. We had a good opportunity to present some of our projects on our partners ML Novator’s kiosk.

We’re happy to announce that we have a new reseller in Canada, Diopso inc. If you have any questions regarding touch screen kiosk hardware or wayfinding software from this region please contact Mr. Jacques Clermont (j.clermont@diopso.com)

This tutorial is intended for Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 9 or newer. These steps will ensure that Your kiosk self-service web application will work and look always the same and users can’t do anything else than the applications intention. Be aware that this tutorial is for basic usage and doesn’t deal with malicious attacks against the whole system. If You wan’t a 99% bullet proof system then there are specialized software solutions for this occasion. But this approach will work for in house usage, trade fairs and other smaller events and venues.

Start the browser in fullscreen

There is a command line flag for starting Internet Explorer in fullscreen and without the address bar.

Start Your command line by searching cmd from the Start Menu. It will list as cmd.exe.

Type in „C:Program FilesInternet Exploreriexplore.exe" -k http://app.3dwayfinder.com/projects/demo

-k is for the kiosk mode

http://app.3dwayfinder.com/projects/demo is the address to Your project.

Internet Explorer kiosk mode has some missing features for using it on touch screens and self service computers. For example it doesn’t:

• Disable web page zooming;
• Shows address bars for pop-up windows
• Doesn’t disable right click menus

But there are some solutions to fix these problems.

Disable zoom

When You are using a touch screen that supports at least two finger gestures then users can zoom in and out the webpage. This is bad when Your page has to have certain layout and dimensions.

To disable zoom and set it to 100% You have to change some registry values. You can do this by using the regedit.exe tool or import new values from .reg files. To open regedit open the Start Menu and search for regedit. Remember You have to be a Administrator to change the registry.

Find the following folder:

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerZoom

If this folder doesn’t exist then create it.

Change or create a new entry called ZoomDisabled (it has to be DWORD type). Set the value to 1.

This will disable Internet Explorer zoom for the current user. If You want to disable it to all users find the same value under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

To import the value from a .reg file download the file from here. Find the file on Your computer, unzip the file and right click on the secure_ie.reg file. Choose Merge and then press Yes.

Set the zoom to 100%

Under HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerZoom

Change the ZoomFactor value to 000186a0 (DWORD).

Disable the address bar

Under HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftInternet ExplorerToolbarsRestrictions change the NoNavBar value to 1 (DWORD).

Disable right click menu

Under HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftInternet ExplorerRestrictions change the NoBrowserContextMenu value to 1 (DWORD).

Now we have a reseller in Hong Kong and Macau area, Look Easy Group Limited. In case of any queries from this region please contact Mr. Nuno Duque at nuno@lookeasy.asia

Just got approved by Apple. Download Lõunakeskus (South Center) mobile app from your app store.

Also Wayfinding Blog writes about this app.

3DWayfinder will be in Kiev from 8th to 11th of July.

The road guide that saves you from getting lost

3D Wayfinder is also an Estonian LBS company (fit to be Regio’s little brother, if you consider their duration and breadth of operations) that has set its focus on global markets. For the last couple of years, the company has been engaged in creating digital indoor guides for large buildings. The software can be accessed in a browser, on a smartphone or an online kiosk. In essence, the goal is similar to Regio’s Hajj application — to guide people to their desired destination.

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