NEWS &
VIEWS FROM iCREATE
3D ViSUALISATION &
MARKETING FOR THE PROPERTY SECTOR
 iCREATE WINS INNOVATION AWARD
A SWANSEA BAY PRIZE TO
RECOGNISE INNOVATION IS AWARDED TO iCREATE FOR THE iVIEWER SOLUTION
With
clients around the world already buying into iCreate's new iViewer
technology for interactive 3D walkthroughs, managing director Dawn Lyle
has now been crowned the winner of the innovation category at a glitzy
award ceremony in Swansea last Friday.
The Swansea Bay Woman of the Year awards seek to
recognise the achievements of women in the region and to promote
winners who will be an inspiration to others. Dawn was thrilled
to receive the award on behalf of the whole team at iCreate, whose
creativity and expertise has helped to keep the company ahead of the
game throughout the economic downturn.
The iViewer solution is attracting clients from
across the globe, and from some of the world's most exciting
development projects. Clients are excited by this cutting edge
marketing solution which enables them to present their new property
developments in a whole new way, through the use of computer games
technology.
“We believe passionately in the importance of Research &
Development at iCreate, and it is this commitment to innovation that
has given the company the edge over recent months,” Dawn
explains. “While many firms might have slashed their investment
in technology during the recession, for us, it's the life-blood of our
business, and our clients recognise this as one of our key strengths.”
Strong links with Swansea Metropolitan University and support from the
Technium network of technology incubators have also played a role in
iCreate's evolution into one of the world's leading architectural
visualisation providers. The order book is already filling up for
2010 and the team looks forward to an exciting year as the iViewer is
rolled out.
To download the iViewer demos and try the technology
for yourself, visit: www.icreateinteractive.com.
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FROM
VIRTUAL TO REALITY - PLAY 'SPOT THE DIFFERENCE'
HOW RELIABLE ARE OUR 3D
VISUALISATIONS?
We
all know that 3D visualisation is a powerful way to show what new
buildings will look like before they're built, but how reliable are the
images we produce? Both planning officers and potential buyers
often have to rely on 'artists impressions' when making important
decisions, so, do our 3D computer generated images (CGIs) offer a true
impression of the finished scheme?
To find out, we've selected some recent projects which have now been
built, and compared the 3D images we produced with photos of the
completed buildings, so you can see for yourself.
Before reading on, see if
you can tell which is virtual,
and which is reality...
The images on the left are
our 3D visualisations, produced before the buildings were built,
whereas the images on the right are the real thing - photos of the
completed properties. We hope you'll agree that the differences
are minimal!
At iCreate, we are now
leading the way in the creation of virtual images and photomontages
that are 100% reliable. 'Visually verified montages', or VVMs, are
increasingly requested by UK planning departments who need images they
can depend on when making important planning decisions.
Our VVMs, which merge 3D
virtual models with actual photos from specified viewpoints, are
produced according to rigourous guidelines published by the Landscape
Institute and Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment, and
all viewpoints are accompanied by a report detailing how the montage
was arrived at.
For
more information, contact Dawn or Liam today via email or call 01792
824 894
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 DUBAI OR
NOT DUBAI?
WAS IT EVER GOING TO BE
SUSTAINABLE?
Having recently returned from a visit to Dubai, we were saddened but
not exactly surprised by news of what is being dubbed the 'Financial
Crisis II'. The inability of Dubai World to repay its debts has
led to panic and uncertainty, particularly among the many British banks
and contractors owed money by companies in the region.
Up until this point, it's been a bit like the Emperor's New Clothes -
no-one wanted to be the first to question the sanity of the phenomenal
amount of speculative development underway in Dubai, despite the fact
that the inadequacies are surely glaringly obvious to visitors and
residents alike. Richard Rees, director of Urban Design at BDP,
in his presentation 'The Future of the City', asserts that many new
Asian and Middle Eastern cities, like Dubai, have
taken their lead from what we in the West now deem to be the worst
aspects of modern cities.
These new 'high rise' cities
have developed into hugely built-up urban
spaces which ignore the green issues and 'quality of life' aspects that
are increasingly of interest to urban designers and planners in the
UK. The result can be pretty unwelcoming: over-reliance on
car travel, very few green spaces, no consideration given to
pedestrians, even less to cyclists (as if anyone would want to cycle in
the heat of the desert) and very little cultural interest or local
authenticity. All coated in the shiny gloss of brand-name
consumerism. Perhaps not such a desirable place to live after all.
Like UK consumers, who kept on spending despite record levels of debt,
the Dubai taste for bling, glamour and excess now looks, to some, like
utter folly.
It will be interesting to see how the current debt
crisis plays out, but we can't help wondering whether a bit of
'reality-bites' is just what's needed to inject a bit of pragmatism
into the vision for the future of the emirate.
What
do you think? Please tell us, by visiting our Comments page now!
 THE
HEIGHT IS RIGHT
3D TERRAIN MODELING FOR
ARCHITECTS
The
latest new technology to be launched by iCreate is helping architects
and their clients understand the lay of the land, without the need for
expensive topographical surveys. A new service offers accurate and
reliable terrain modeling to help show new developments in the context
of their proposed location - a flexible solution that provides
architects with access not just to accurate height data but also 3D
modeling expertise to make best use of that data.
 Liam Tandy, head of
Research & Development at
iCreate, explains the solution: “Height data is readily available, but
getting it into a usable format is the challenge. It's also a matter of
fixing the glitches, as well as merging terrain data, surface data and
aerial photography into a meaningful model."
iCreate can now provide accurate
terrain models in a variety of 3D formats, which architects can use
in
their own 3D software to inform the design process. Alternatively, we
can use the terrain models in our software, to provide static
visualisations or interactive 3D models for submission to the Planners
and other key decision makers.
For
more information, contact Dawn or Liam today
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THIS
ISSUE :
NEWS: iCreate wins prestigious innovation
award for its advanced interactive solution, the iViewer.
FEATURE: Spot the difference between
virtual images produced by iCreate, and photos of the completed
real-life developments.
COMMENT: Dubai and the emperor's new
clothes.
FEATURE:
The height is right - how iCreate is using height data to model
accurate 3D terrains for architects and developers.
Visit
the iCreate website
FEATURED PROJECT Flythrough of
Luxury New Home in Crete, Greece.
View
Project
TESTIMONIAL:
Rory Ffoulkes, Digital Marketing Executive,
Harrogate International Centre:
"We needed an incredibly quick turnaround on a high quality flythrough
at a reasonable price ahead of a presentation to secure funding for our
new halls – iCreate Ltd delivered on every front, and the flythrough
played a significant part in our successfully securing that funding."
FEATURED PROJECT Flythrough of
new Halls at Harrogate International Centre
View Project
TESTIMONIAL:
Andy Boulton, Managing Director, Design Depot:
"Having worked with numerous 3D companies over the years, I can safely
say that iCreate have been the most consistent agency in terms of the
creative work they produce and the Professional attitude towards every
part of their business. We needed to work with a like minded company
who embraced our values and ethos and who could deliver fantastic
results on time every time – iCreate achieved this!"
SPECIAL
OFFER!
ARCHITECTS: Save 20% off our standard
hourly rate by
buying our time in bulk! Benefit from priority scheduling, unlimited
amendments, monthly payments and lots more!
Contact
Dawn for
details.
TESTIMONIAL:
Mark Pihlens, Director, Function Films:
I have
worked with iCreate on a number of projects and the whole team at
iCreate are a pleasure to work with. They provide cutting-edge
graphics to suit whatever budget constraints we have and always deliver
on-time. They go the extra mile to ensure we are completely
satisfied and I thoroughly recommend their services.
FEATURED PROJECT Interactive Masterplan for
Coastal Housing Group
View Project
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