Vectorform shows off at Microsoft’s “Many Screens and a Cloud” event
Posted by Lindsay Ruthven – August 16, 2010Working with the Microsoft Research Team and Massachusetts General Hospital, Vectorform’s Justin Lankes and Patrick Samona demonstrated the Virtual Colonoscopy Viewer at a recent event in Boston, MA. Virtual Colonoscopy makes it possible to navigate through 3D images of the colon using a multi-touch platform. The goal behind this application is to reduce the time of a typical colonoscopy exam to only 5 minutes. Currently, the procedure takes 40-60 minutes. Virtual Colonoscopy requires a series of clear, high-resolution images to be taken from a CT scanner. Once the pictures are taken, the part of the exam that can be considered by patients to be “invasive” is done! The high-res images are then fed into the application, giving the doctor the opportunity to explore and navigate through the colon, searching for polyps. A standard colonoscopy procedure entails a doctor’s examination of the colon in real time using a fiber optic camera attached to a flexible tube; the tube then gets passed through the rectum. As you can imagine, this can be a long and uncomfortable experience. We hope Virtual Colonoscopy will encourage more people to opt for colon cancer screening, giving us an opportunity to save lives.
Would you like to learn more? Check out Microsoft’s Curt Devlin’s blog post about the application and the demonstration in Boston.
Virtual Colonoscopy will also be demonstrated at the RSNA Conference in November, stay tuned for more updates!
To communicate or not to communicate…?
Posted by Vito Dimercurio – August 12, 2010…the Windows Phone 7 SDK makes this a pretty easy question to answer. I mean, sure, it’s a phone – but how many ways do we stay connected to the world around us these days? To that end, we decided to throw together a couple of simple prototypes to see how easy it was to build the roots of those basic apps everyone’s going to want… The ones that use Facebook and Twitter.
Simple implementation of the Silverlight Facebook API.
By default, the current version of the WP7 SDK does not support System.Windows.Browser, so the out of the box Facebook binaries aren’t going to work. However, with a few quick “corrections” we are up and running in no time!
Simple Twitter feed
50 lines of C# and 40 lines of XAML gets you this not pretty but functional (Creative Teams around the world just felt a disturbance in the force) Twitter feed.
So, short story even shorter; our good friends at MSFT realize how important these various forms of communication are to us and have generously made it very easy to quickly build our own apps leveraging some of the most popular Social Networks in the world!
All the cool kids are doin’ it…
Posted by Vito Dimercurio – August 12, 2010…and you know you want to, too! As of July 26th, 2010 MSFT has publicly released Windows Phone Developer Tools Beta. The tools package contains everything you need to get started building your very own apps for what should prove to be a revolution in mobile communication and entertainment (including a “light” version of VS2010 and an emulator for testing). So come on code jockeys, go to MSDN and get your Silverlight on!
A NEW FRONTIER FOR THE SETTLERS OF CATAN
Posted by Lindsay Ruthven – August 2, 2010Continuing to build its digital game empire, Vectorform re-imagines The Settlers of Catan for Microsoft Surface.
Seattle, WA and Detroit, MI, August 2, 2010—The Settlers of Catan is a classic multiplayer board game, combining economics, strategy and chance, as colonists compete to build settlements from raw commodities. Created in Germany in 1995, and now available in 30 languages, The Settlers of Catan has achieved icon status. Over 15 million copies have been sold worldwide, and an estimated 20 million people play regularly, through a diverse set of traditional and digital game forms.
In partnership with Microsoft, Catan LLC, and Mayfair Games, Vectorform has recreated The Settlers of Catan for Microsoft Surface. Microsoft Surface is an innovative computing platform that responds to touch, natural hand gestures and real-world objects placed on the display. With a large, 360-degree, horizontal user interface, Microsoft Surface offers a unique gathering place where multiple users can come together to interact with content and each other–making it an ideal platform for games like The Settlers of Catan.
Working to maintain an authentic, interpersonal experience of board game play, Vectorform leveraged the social nature of Microsoft Surface. This functionality, defined by Microsoft as “together computing,” provides a distinct advantage and authenticity over games played on traditional PCs or personal devices. “Where a computer game is a solo computing affair, board games are connected experiences. Together computing has its place now, and will be more prominent in the future.” Vectorform Game Studio Executive Director Joe Engalan says.
Vectorform used the artistry of Mayfair Games’ analog version of The Settlers of Catan to illustrate the game elements, including resources, land, and evolving civilization. The digital board is complimented with real-world elements, including an acrylic die set which is seen and recognized by Surface’s built-in cameras. Additionally, an x-ray visor, fabricated specifically for the game, reveals a player’s cards to the player, while shielding the cards from competing colonists. “I’ve never seen real die used in a digital game,” Mollie Harms, Game Producer for Vectorform Game Studios, says. “I think the visors could revolutionize digital card playing. This is a new way to maintain secrecy that doesn’t hinder game play.” The visors, the dice, and the game-play experience on Surface were wildly popular with fans of The Settlers of Catan, who were involved in the design and development process, loaning time and feedback to informal focus groups.
The Settlers of Catan was first shown on Surface at Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio, in July of 2010. The extensive media coverage generated over 15,000 views of a promotional video for the game, within 72 hours of publishing it to YouTube. Vectorform will also show the game at Gen Con Indy, taking place August 5 through August 8, 2010, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Additionally, on September 3 through September 5, 2010, Vectorform will demonstrate Settlers of Catan at PAXWest, the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, Washington.
Vectorform will continue to promote Settlers of Catan at conferences and private events through the summer, and is offering customized, branded versions of the game to a network of clients and partners for use on Microsoft Surface. In the future, Settlers of Catan will be available for purchase through Vectorform’s App Store. Additionally, the Vectorform App Store will sell other titles, including titles for iPhone, iPad, and other platforms. “The future for The Settlers of Catan is very bright, and we are going to push that experience to new markets and communities. But we’ve got quite a few more titles in the queue, and they are all very exciting. Keep watching, because this is just the start of the empire,” Joe Engalan says.
Click this link to view the Press Release
Vectorform on ExtraTV
Posted by Lindsay Ruthven – April 1, 2010Last summer Vectorform collaborated with ExtraTV to develop an application for the Microsoft Surface. Check out the clip below of Vectorform’s Alison Weber, teaching Mario Lopez how to use this unique application, affectionately dubbed the Vectorform Telestrator.
We are thrilled with the spot, and only regret that a special shout-out to the team who worked extra hours to make this debut a success didn’t make the final cut. Clemens Conrad, Justin Bush, Hammam Chamma, and Karl Steckling, you rocked it! To our friends on the Microsoft Surface team, Kyle Warnick and Chris Wojahn, as usual you guys rock too!
Click the link for video: Ali on Extra
WrapItApp
Posted by Lindsay Ruthven – November 18, 2009WrapItApp is a simple to use, yet intuitive application, teaching you how to gift wrap any sized box, tie a 1 loop bow and 3 loop bow. You have the option of selecting a box from a list of the most common sizes, or using your iPhone or iPod Touch device to obtain custom box measurements. If you have the perfect gift in the not-so-perfect box, WrapItApp makes measuring custom box sizes easy! Simply measure a box using your iPhone or iPod Touch device, nothing additional is required. Once a box has been selected or measured, WrapItApp estimates how much ribbon and wrapping material will be needed and shows step-by-step instructions that will get you wrapping like a pro!
WrapItApp Allows you to:
- View detailed step-by-step tutorials showing how to wrap any size box and how to tie a 1 loop and 3 loop bow.
- Intuitively and easily measure a custom size box or package. Use your iPhone or iPod Touch to obtain box dimensions. You can also select from a list of the most common box sizes. All custom sized boxes and measurements can be saved for future reference.
- Users will be provided with an estimated amount of wrapping paper and ribbon required based on the box size and selection.
Beautiful packages are just a few easy-to-follow steps away with WrapItApp. It is presented by Vectorform, innovative leaders in multi-touch solutions and Lisa’s Gift Wrappers, experts in creative packaging concepts and professional gift wrapping.
Please stay tuned for future updates.
WrapItApp is now available on the iTunes App Store.
The Cell Explorer
Posted by Blair Munro – July 20, 2009
Microsoft asked Vectorform to build a solution for the School of the Future, a collaboration between Microsoft and The School District of Philadelphia, in which technology is infused into the entirety of curriculum at a high school, serving as an example for learning communities around the world. The purpose of this project was to allow stakeholders to understand the opportunities and benefits provided by Microsoft Surface. The application needed to highlight the cellular process called protein synthesis, while providing students with an informative and immersive view into the components of animal and plant cells. The solution has already received high praise from demonstrations given at this year’s National Educational Computing Conference (NECC), which was held in Washington DC.
Vectorform designed and developed a solution that focused on two components: A Cell Explorer, which allows students to browse through a Cell SVE. Users have the ability to manipulate the components of the cell, and explore more detailed information to allow granular information to be reviewed. The Protein Synthesis Lab allows students to manipulate the specific objects involved in the protein synthesis process at a high level. While strategizing the specific order of tRNA molecules that need to be inserted into the ribosome factory to satisfy the requirements of the protein being synthesized, users are presented with the creation of a polypeptide chain, which eventually turns into protein.
AIR FLV online and offline Video Player
Posted by Brad Dunlap – February 4, 2008There are plenty of free FLV players out there, but we wanted to build one using the Adobe Flex and the new AIR runtime.
You will also need the Adobe AIR Runtime if you don’t already have it installed. [Download it here]
Source code installs with the application. Enjoy.
1 2 3 4 | [kml_flashembed movie="/flash/AIRbadge.swf" height="180" width="217" fvars="appname = VectorformVideoPlayer; appurl = http://www.vectorform.com/flash/assets/air/VectorVideoPlayer.air ; airversion = Beta 3; imageurl = http://www.vectorform.com/flash/assets/air/VectorVideoPlayer.png " /] |
What is Flex?
Posted by Brad Dunlap – January 18, 2008Ted Patrick from onflex.org posted a great overview of what Flex is and what it is capable of.
[link]
Flash Player 9 Update 3
Posted by Brad Dunlap – January 18, 2008Many of you already know that the latest version the Adobe Flash Player supports MPEG-4 and H.264 video, as well as AAC Audio, which this would seem like old news. But that is not what this post is about. The new video capabilites grabbed a whole lot of attention as it should, but I was intrigued to see a small line item that just caught my eye and many probably missed.
From the Adobe Labs site:
“Support for caching common platform components, such as the Flex framework, to reduce average application sizes. This feature is enabled in the Flex 3 beta available on Adobe Labs. ”
This was a feature I had been hoping for ever since I started working with Flex. The Flex framework adds a minimum of 100K to you flash movie(not to mention additional components and 3rd party libraries) , and that just seemed like a ridiculous thing to have to download ever time you hit the site. This is also a large reason people shy away from using Flex to begin with, too much overhead. I always thought, why not just embed all the components and libraries in the player to begin with and be done with it. Well, this would increase the download size of the Flash player, and I know Adobe wants to always keep that as small as possible to make getting in onto your machine as easy as possible.
The genius that came up with that idea, I applaud you.