ZSPACE in Sydney has developed a point-of-sale AR application
for Ferrari dealers and customers into the showroom for a chance
to interact with the cars and customise a model of their own.
ZSPACE Revs Up New Showroom AR Platform for Ferrari |
ZSPACEin Sydney has developed a point-of-sale augmented reality application for Ferrari dealers in Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Called the Ferrari AR Showroom App, the application was developed as a customer engagement and sales tool, drawing customers into the showroom for a chance to interact with the cars. It has recently been launched in Ferrari dealerships pre-loaded into iPads available to use in the showrooms. |
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Ferrari InteractiveUsing the camera in the iPad, the customer stands in front of the car and holds up the device to position the car in the centre of the screen. A graphic outline, or watermark, of the car appears for the customer to line up with the car onscreen. As soon as the two are aligned and the watermark locks onto the car, interaction begins. |
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Executive producersTim JardineandSam Hallat ZSPACE talked to us about developing the project, and working with Ferrari to make sure it proceeded according to what they needed. “This app developed entirely out of an idea initiated by the client, instead of Ferrari approaching us and having to fit their requirements to an existing implementation at ZSPACE,” Tim said. |
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ZSPACE’s developers and 3D team spent about 18 months all together on this project – three months refining the concept and outcomes, and another 12 months on R&D and production. The work began with the cars. The 3D team built full, extremely accurate 3D models in Maya of each Ferrari model to its exact specifications based on thousands of images and hundreds of hours of video. |
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Model Tracking and RecognitionA very important use of the modelling data was creating and calibrating thewatermarkfor each Ferrari model by identifying an optimum number of clear, distincttracking pointson the body. The watermarks were a critical step because they are the user’s way of telling the app which model he or she is seeking information about. As soon as the watermark locks onto the car’s tracking points and ‘recognises’ the model, the correct app launches. The 3D models, or portions of them, also appear within many of the activations – not only the exterior but also internal parts, calling for accurate modelling and animations. Look, design and authenticity were key factors. Ferrari’s F1 heritage is something the company likes their customers to feel involved with. For example, their racing brake and wheel systems have been partly applied to the road models, and so the app gives the customer an animated, insider’s view of how they are built. |
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On the HorizonBecause tracking is such a critical element in the app’s effectiveness,environmental lightmakes a difference – full, even light works best, creating a low-contrast, low-reflection scene. However, ZSPACE would like to work on improving the app’s vision enough to make the app usable outdoors and under varied lighting conditions. |
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The Ferrari AR Showroom App is built as an upgradable, customisable platform as well as a finished application. The panel text can be updated and edited through itscloud-based CMS, and Ferrari will be supplying local-language translations for their Japanese showrooms in this way. Also, while the app currently showcases five models, the company can add or retire models and update options and other content in real time through the CMS. Thelive analytics, currently used to monitor how customers use the app, could be extended to collect other data. Sam Hall said, “One of the greatest potentials of this Showroom AR App is that, with minimal R&D, it could become an offsite application. We have tested the app outside and in the Ferrari workshop and found that, because it is based on real car contours and tracking markers, it could be used anywhere a car can go.” www.zspace.com.au |