Using a combination of triangulation – using sensors latched on to your computer – and 3D goggles, Leonar3Do creates an environment for interacting with 3D objects for work or for play. The software lets you interact with objects in various ways, like pinching, pulling, moving, and erasing – all in three-dimensional space. Once you're finished, you can export your project and print it using any 3D printer, or use the Maya plug-in to edit your project there.
The company's pro software costs around $2000, and the sensors and "bird," a N64-esque controller cost another $500. But the pro software's price is set to be cut in half, and a cheaper $50 software package is ready for launch sometime in the next few months. Researchers, schools, and now consumers are the targets, in part because 3D printers have become so popular.
The Leonar3Do software was designed to be operated using the aforementioned bird peripheral, but the company today announced it would soon release smartphone apps that let you use your phone instead – with no triangulation sensors required – another play for consumers.
The company today announced its new product Vimensio, a 3D learning environment for students and teachers. Using Vimensio, students can practice spatial reasoning by drawing 3D objects, deconstructing virtual cars or dinosaurs bone by bone, and even picking fruit from a "tree of knowledge," as the company describes it.
While these scenarios are purely concept demos, Leonardo's implications are clear. A world where we can all be like Tony Stark, flipping and grabbing 3D objects floating in front of us, is not far off.
