CES 2013: Augmented Reality iOS And Android App Showcases 3D Mobile Tech

LAS VEGAS -- Mobile technology has shaped the way people work and communicate, with smartphones and tablets opening up new opportunities for creating content and sharing information. Now, a Colorado-born startup has developed technology with the potential to enhance the architecture and interior design industries.

At CES 2013, Limitless Computing Inc. unveiled its new VYZAR custom 2D and 3D augmented reality engine. The company has created three apps based on this engine thus far: SiteSpace 3D, Circulizar Gifts, and Sleek Markers.

This VYZAR engine essentially lets users overlay virtual data on to spaces in the real world in real time. For example, with SiteSpace 3D, users can choose objects such as furniture to overlay as a 3D image in whatever environment he or she is in.

Using an Apple or Android mobile device, the viewfinder of the camera acts as the backdrop for the 3D image. These objects can be resized, rescaled and placed anywhere in the room to create an accurate image of what the space would actually look like.

According to Vice President of Limitless Computing, Jeffrey Franklin, SiteSpace 3D has been well received thus far.

"[Some] have said that SiteSpace is a game changer," Franklin said.

The augmented reality app, which has been available for over one year, allows clients to see what their projects will look like in real time. Franklin says SiteSpace 3D is most popular among building owners and interior designers, and the app currently boasts about 10,000 users.

In order to use SiteSpace 3D, users select and modify items through Limitless Computing's Trimble 3D program. The company's president, Errin Weller, offered an example of how this technology could be implemented into education.

"Teachers can geolocate [historical] monuments to a schoolyard to give students a virtual tour," she said.

According to Weller, Limitless Computing VYZAR-based apps have no limit when it comes to polygons, which results in a smooth viewing experience.

In addition to SiteSpace 3D, the Circulizar app lets users choose animations and images to overlay while taking a photo. Users can send the image through Facebook as a virtual gift, and can choose from both stationary and animated images. While SiteSpace 3D is available for devices running Android 2.3 and higher and Apple's iPad 2 and iPhone 4 and later, Circulizar is still only available for iOS.

The Limitless Computing team consists of less than 10 people, and Franklin says the company's main priority is to gain investors.

"At this point we're trying to ramp up the company and look for investors to take it to the next level," he said.

SiteSpace 3D has been nominated for the 2013 Mobility Award at CES 2013, and the social driven Circulizar app has been nominated for an award given for the best use of a mobile device's camera.