The number one thing hardware and solutions companies ask me about is “Where can I find educational 3D content?” It’s also one of the expected questions educators ask me at my presentations. It’s my twice-a-year dragon quest.
That’s why, twice a year, every year, I release an updated list of known educational stereo 3D content providers (eS3D). Face it. Educational content developers in the 3D space are hard to find. Don’t get me wrong – there are in fact many dozens of content producers – it just seems that they tend to hide themselves from customers and partners alike. That doesn’t make sense, does it? It’s mind boggling to me. So often, educational 3D content providers operate in their own closed ecosystem; their heads are buried in the ‘coolness’ of their technology.
Some eS3D companies, however, are smart enough to go to the right venues for reaching educators and understanding the education market. Every year at the ISTE and InfoComm conferences, I begin my annual dragon’s quest in search of new companies producing insanely great 3D content for schools and universities. These eS3D companies can often times be found in a small booth, or tucked away, co-located within a corner of a larger company’s offerings. Or sometimes, they are furtively roaming the exhibit hall floors, looking for potential partners or trying to understand the market they hope to harness.
This summer I discovered two such companies, which now have been added to my growing list of eS3D content providers, provided below. The two new entries include Teracle and VR-MAX. Teracle, a Silicon Valley company, offers a venue for teachers to produce their own content (e.g., lectures or demonstrations) in stereoscopic 3D. VR-MAX produces interactive stereoscopic on-demand 3D content for domes, caves, interactive surfaces, or immersion VR. Below you will find my updated back-to-school eS3D content list, provided with links and a bit of detail. Thirty-seven players in all. Bet you didn’t know there were this many eS3D producers, did you? – Len Scrogan
September 2015 Educational Stereo 3D (eS3D) Content List
3D Hub
Producing: A library of downloadable 3D learning objects and simulations, in a number of content areas.
http://www.3d-hub.co.uk/models.php
Classteacher Learning Systems
Producing: 3D science content including biology and some unique glacial landforms topics.
http://www.classteacher.com/3D-learning.php
CubeDigiCo
Producing: 3D learning objects and simulations, thousands of them. http://www.cubedigico.com/
Cyber-Anatomy
Producing: 3D learning objects, micro-simulations, and simulations in the area of science.
http://www.cyberscience3d.com/
CyberLightning
Producing: A stereographic 3D converter and presenter, one that is scalable from mobile to large HD screens.
http://cyberlightning.com/demos/
DesignMate
Producing: A collection of 350 3D animations (4 minutes in length, on average), more than 200 3D interactives, 1200 mono-videos, and 400 simulations or learning objects in the area of 6-12 math and science. They now have more than 250 new topics for the elementary level. http://www.designmate.com/
The Digital Technical Center
Producing: customized 3D video training in school safety, emergency preparedness, PSAs, or other content on demand. http://www.3dstereolab.com/Home.html
e-Animation Corp
Producing: 3D animations and videos in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, and geography. They offer over 120 secondary school experiments that focus on presenting dangerous, expensive, or time consuming experiments. http://www.eanim.com/category/gallery/
Edumagic
Producing: 3D edutainment content for the preschool age child, including math, phonics, storytelling, rhymes, arts and crafts, habits and manners, and more. http://www.3dedumagic.com/Content.htm
EonReality
Producing: 3D learning objects, micro-simulations, simulations, and content creation http://www.eonexperience.com/Home.aspx
Fortunapix
Producing: 3D learning objects for more than 1000 curricular topics. http://www.fortunapix.com
Gaia
Producing: Secondary level 3D learning objects and simulations in the fields of science, English, geography, social sciences, math, creative arts, and sports physiology. http://www.gaia3d.co.uk/3d-subjects/
Google for Education †
Producing: Stereo 3D virtual reality expeditions that are supported within the Google Cardboard environment and free. https://www.google.com/edu/expeditions/
Hi-Fidelity †
Producing: Stereographic 3D open source software for shared virtual reality. The shared 3D experience is quite empowering. https://highfidelity.com/
Instant Effects
Producing: A stereographic 3D PowerPoint plug in. http://www.instanteffects.com/
JTM Concepts
Producing: 3D learning objects, micro-simulations, and simulations in the areas of science, math and social studies, at all grade levels. http://www.jtmconcepts.com/c_home.html
K2
Producing: High-quality 3D educational movies http://www.k2communications.com/showcat.php?cat_id=23
NavTech
Producing: 3D learning objects, simulations, and a student-created content component. http://navtech3d.com
NeoTek
Producing: 3D video segments, learning objects, and simulations. http://www.neotek.com/Educational_Titles.htm
Nvidia
Producing: Offers a 3D-Vision tool that turns existing educational games and simulations into stereoscopic 3D
http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d-vision-games.html
Passmore Lab
Producing: 3D video documentaries such as the award-winning Physics of Surfing. http://www.passmorelab.com/
Presente3D
Producing: It is a easy-to-use and very flexible ribbon bar add-on to PowerPoint 2010. It enables the educator, e-trainer, or student to turn their presentations into a 3D format, but more importantly, to turn any graphic or chart within a PowerPoint into a 3D object that can be manipulated in space. http://www.presente3d.com/?kid-88TY
Reachout Interactives
Producing: 3D simulations/learning objects in science, social studies, math, and lang arts.
http://reachout-interactives.com/
Sensavis
Producing: 3D video complex simulations in the area of medicine and science. Sensavis recently released their flagship passive 3D educational product, The 3D Classroom, to the international marketplace.
http://the3dclassroom.com/usa/
Smartur 3D
Producing: 3D science models/interactives in 3-12 STEM subjects. Special features include image capture, recording of interactive events, and overlaying augmented reality images on live video. These resources can be viewed in high-definition rendered 3D, stereo 3D, or augmented reality formats. http://www.smartur3d.com/
Spatial Thinking
Producing: 3D video interactives/simulations in the area of secondary mathematics. These resources were designed for the classroom and produce concrete achievement results. Expect a Calculus series soon.
http://www.spatialthinkingllc.com/Products.html
Sterling Pixels
Producing: 3D high-quality short videos and simulations. http://sterlingpixels.com/Demo/
Tactus Technology
Producing: 3D simulation and learning objects, featuring a stereoscopic 3D virtual frog dissection model.
http://www.tactustech.com/products/vfrog/press_release.html
TAODYNE
Producing: Tao Presentations, an interactive 3D presentation platform. http://www.taodyne.com/
Teracle†
This Silicon Valley company offers a venue for teachers to produce their own content (e.g., themselves giving lectures) in stereoscopic 3D. http://www.teracle.com
TrueVision Systems
Producing: Visualization systems that transform optical 3D images viewed through the microscope to a digital 3D image displayed on a projection screen or monitor in real time. They are now making interesting in-roads into the arena of patient education with 3D prior to cataract surgery, to improve patient outcomes and outlook. http://www.truevisionsys.com/education.html
Virtual BioTK
Producing: 3D anatomy learning objects, with Spanish-language options. http://www.biotk.co/site/index.php?lang=us
Vito Technology
Producing: creative iPad apps that run in 3D mode using anaglyph glasses. These include StarWalk (an interactive astronomy guide), SolarWalk (a 3D solar system model on steroids), and GeoWalk (an interactive globetrek) http://vitotechnology.com/index.html
ViziTechUsa
Producing: Interactive stereoscopic 3D content ranging from fully functional electrical sub-stations to operational interactive nuclear power plants. They also offer some green energy content in how to service wind turbines, and more. http://www.vizitechusa.com/
VR-MAX†
Producing: Starting with immersion (VR) as their first love, this company can also produce interactive stereoscopic on-demand 3D content for domes, caves, or any interactive surface. http://www.vr-max.com/
Xpand
Producing: In the content creation category, a 3D plug-in for PowerPoint. They also serve as a clearinghouse for many of the other 3D content providers listed in this content update. http://www.xpand.me/education/
zSpace
Producing: customized 3D content that will run on their profoundly amazing 3D display hardware. Although primarily a hardware manufacturer, they work with customers to develop customized educational training content. http://zspace.com/about-zspace-holographic-computing/zspace-system-natural-3d-holographic-computing/ and check out the K12 areaa at http://zspace.com/academia/k-12-programs/
† = fall 2015 additions
