INTERACTIVE BOOK: an Augmented Reality Setup

Application Domain

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The Augmented Interactive book represents an advanced use of INSCAPE which is relevant in the Education and Entertainment domain.

This application provides a new relation between a reader and the book by allowing the author to create 3D illustrations for the reader to interact with. The system also works with a simple hardware configuration using a standard PC and Webcam.

Story Outline

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In this scenario, the user is reading the Augmented Interactive book. On the book, the user can see text, flat illustration, and 3D content through their computer display (screen, projector, etc.). At any time, the user can interact directly with the 3D model.

The application presentation

In this tutorial, we will create an augmented reality encyclopedia using the INSCAPE software. This encyclopedia consists in presenting a modified book to the webcam. It then appears on the computer screen showing the book content augmented with additional information, such as 3D assets that could be visualized from multiple viewpoints.

More particularly, the story in this tutorial concerns a little encyclopedia on common vehicles, and is targeted at young people. This kind of mini story can be easily created by the teacher of the classroom, for instance, to increase the knowledge of their pupils on a particular theme by increasing their interest on the content (it is much more attractive to look at a highly detailed 3D model rather at a plain photograph) and their interaction with the information (in case of our augmented reality scenario, the pupil would manipulate the encyclopedia rather than just passively looking at the pictures).

In our example, the Augmented Interactive Book shows different types of vehicles such as cars, motorcycles, bicycles, helicopters or planes. In the real book, the printed text presents a wide range of data which is related to the vehicles (dimension, date of creation, history, brief introduction.). On the INSCAPE display, we can watch the real 3D model with proper animation, sound, and some extra text data.

During the application the user will turn the pages of the book; he navigates through the book story. The user can go forward and backward in the book. When a pattern has been recognized by its webcam, a 3D object related to the story is added to the display. On the interface some text feedback will be shown. The goal of this text is to indicate the different interactions which are available on the current page. Sounds are emitted when the user performs a specific action on the scene. A sounds strength is modulated depending on the distance between the virtual object.

This kind of story requires the following assets:

3D models of the vehicles (car, bicycle, motorcycle, helicopter, etc. )

Sound corresponding to the sound of the 3D models

3D models animation

Highlighted INSCAPE Features

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In this scenario, we will be using many INSCAPE core features, most of them related to the Stage Editor, AR Editor, Object Editor and to using code snippets. The following capabilities will be specifically emphasised in this story:

Edit the Augmented Reality object through the AR Editor

Associate Patterns with Augmented Reality object

Associate 3D model to pattern

Show/Hide object

Edit sound, and trigger sound

Use of snippets dedicated to Augmented Reality interactions

Display information based on the current active pattern

Use of proximity trigger