Second Life and user created content for Augmented Reality apps
The first wave of Augmented Reality apps is about to hit the world - they will mostly be based on geolocation and compass data to overlay information on the live camera feed on iPhones and Android phones.
One big question for AR apps is where the content will come from - several apps like Layar and Wikitude are trying to build platforms where users can add new layers of information or points of interest. Here we’re still talking text and image input, potentially also about users choosing a content type or template so that the information they input will be displayed in an appropriate way.
But what about 3D objects? One next step after displaying 2D “signs” on the real world like in Nearest Tube or Wikitude would be placing 3D objects in the world. How could that type of content be created by users? I would say there are two widely used 3D-modelling systems that “regular” people (not professional 3D artists) are using to create this type of content - Google Sketchup and the build tools in Second Life. I wonder if Linden Labs has thought of using their 3D content creation and scripting system for AR 3D content?
A huge user base already knows how to create and script 3D objects, and there is a huge bank of existing content and experience creating it. I’m going with the Linden Labs tools here because they have the scripting language and the social dimension, whereas Google Sketchup is more of a utility.
What if objects created in Second Life could be moved into the real world? This doesn’t even have to be based on AR markers - you could just rez Second Life objects and structures on geographical locations, and have them visible in a layer in an AR app. What if you could place your SL avatar on a real world location? Or place other SL objects like a mailbox, a house, a vehicle, an art installation, on a “real” geolocation, and have it visible through the lens of an augmented reality app? Second Life stuff could come back to the first life.
Is this a total long shot, or does anyone else see the connection?
