by Fred Abler

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that George Lucas of Star Wars fame has finally given up on Marin County. In a bitterly worded letter, Lucasfilms pulled all of its building plans out of Marin, the notoriously politically correct enclave just north of San Francisco, CA.

The rife politics of local development of the Grady Ranch was just too much. Having fought since 1978 to develop Skywalker Ranch and other studio facilities in Marin County, Lucasfilms understandably decided to take it’s “evil empire” elsewhere.

Ironically, the very digital technologies Lucasfilms and ILM invented – are now being used to engage community members and help get other terrestrial building projects through City Hall.

The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, hopes to even the odds with AR (Augmented Reality) that can show 3D models of proposed building projects on mobile screens and  devices –  as if they had actually been planted into the environment.

This is no longer the most mind-bending application of virtual 3D, but while architects continue to adopt Virtual Building Design  and Construction (VBDC), it’s good to know the Finns are keeping pace with virtual community building.

P.S. We invite Mr. Lucas to bring his high-creative, high-tech, and high-income industry to beautiful San Luis Obispo County.

Source: The Atlantic