Four vastly different projects marry augmented reality with publishing.
Dorling Kindersley’s 3-D books
Publisher DK is known for its visually lush books. Whether it’s intricately designed page interiors, pull-out maps, or even a die-cut cover that lets readers peer inside at body organs — this crew likes to make books that are fun to look at and play with.
So it’s no surprise they’re experimenting with new ways of bridging print and digital. The initial titles in its just launched “3-D” series (“Human Body,” “Dinosaur”) feature AR extras that spin animations off the print page onto a nearby computer screen. Getting it to work does take a bit of work, but the results are novel enough to justify the setup effort, which goes like this:
Buy the print book
Download and install the free software on any computer with a webcam
Open the book’s pages and point any of its six “AR spreads” at the webcam. The webcam/software duo spots the special AR logo and the visuals begin. Onscreen you see a live shot of you holding the book, which now bears a superimposed animation of a walking human skeleton, a flexing dinosaur, and so on.
The result is a visual extra that depicts motion in a way that’s obviously not possible in print. Now an equally obvious question: Why force readers to go through all this book/software/webcam hassle? Couldn’t DK simply print a web address in the book and have the reader visit that web page to see an animation? Sure. But by staging the action quite literally on the print pages, there’s at least a fighting chance the reader’s journey is going to continue within the book rather than wandering off onto the web. It’s certainly a valid question as to why DK chose to create PC-based software versus, say, a smartphone app. But these kinds of print/digital joint ventures are a fun glimpse of how print can do what it’s good at (rich interior layout, large spreads) and digital can bring its special sauce to the party.
More examples at: Augmented reality and books, together at last? – O’Reilly Radar.
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