The big news this week came out of Liveworx, PTC's annual celebration of the digital reinvention of enterprise. The company announced new partnerships, improved software, and an acquisition at LiveWorx’19. PTC’s Vuforia AR platform gets an update that amongst other upgrades allows for 3D object recognition based on user’s CAD files. The company recently acquired tailor-made AR applications developer TWNKLS to bolster custom build capabilities. PTC is also partnering with and investing in Matterport, a 3D image capture company.
Against Gravity lands $24 Million investment as Rec Room grows. The investment comes in two rounds, with the Series B closing recently at over $15 Million on up to a $126 Million valuation. The Series A was lead by Sequoia, and the Series B by Index Ventures. The free to play title Rec Room is also approaching over 1 million user created rooms and an influx of players donning Oculus Quest headsets.
Blippar announces augmented reality through your web browser with WebAR. The platform allows for marker-less AR experiences unlockable via web link or QR code. WebAR will also be integrated into Blippar’s existing Blippbuilding platform by the end of July 2019. Blippbuilder allows content creators to build AR content with or without code.
CNN launches news app for Magic Leap One. The app combines CNN news coverage with interactive 3D elements for users to deep dive into news stories. The recent Thai cave rescue story is one of the first to debut on the new app. Users can explore the caves and see 3D representations of the surrounding terrain and get a clearer understanding of the rescue efforts made. The app is available today on Magic Leap World.
Become an MIB agent in Dreamscape Immersive’s new Men In Black: First Assignment. The location based VR experience will debut in the Westfield Century City this summer. The experience is being created in tandem with the upcoming fourth installment of the franchise. Walter Parkes, executive producer of the film and co-chair of Dreamscape Immersive, is at the helm of the project.
Virtuix launches Omniverse VR ARENA at Dave and Buster’s in Austin, TX. The VR ARENA has 4 Virtuix Omni omnidirectional treadmills where players hop in for 15-20 minutes rounds. Players can choose to battle each other or compete against others on an online leaderboard. Currently there are 4 games to choose from.
This Week in XR is written and edited with Michael Eichenseer.
