At FormFonts 3D we take coloring pages seriously. So today, I’d like to introduce you to colAR, a new software from New Zealand that turns a colored-in coloring page… into a 3D animated scene.

 A few years ago, Marc discovered that most existing coloring books were boring, so he started taking 3D Models from our SketchUp 3D Model library, and creating some great coloring pages for his son Raef (then 3 years old). Raef loves construction equipment.

Fig. 1  FormFonts 3D coloring page, by Marc Fredrickson.

Fig 2.  FormFonts 3D coloring page, colored by Raef Fredrickson.

colAR was developed last year by members of the Human Interface Technology Lab in Christchurch, New Zealand. It takes the colored page one step further – converting it into a 3D augmented reality with some animation.

The software is dead easy to use. After coloring the pages (provided with the app), simply hold up your coloring to the camera of the computer installed with colAR software.  It scans the coloring and within a few seconds, a 3D image of the drawing shows on screen.

Fig 3.  colAR software scans the colored page, and then singulates the figures in the image and stands them up into a 3D drawing. Some figures even transform into fully 3D animations.

Most features in the picture look like flat paper pop-ups. The kiwi and penguin, however, show up as round, and the 3D birds are animated to stretch and nose around the leaves in the scene. A transformation that is sure to delight young children.

Users can also move the drawing or the camera around to view the 3D scene at different angles. To see how it all works, take a look at the video of colAR below.

Fig 4.  colAR is a computer program that brings coloring book pages to life with the magic of Augmented Reality. YouTube.

To try colAR yourself, you can download the software for free on the HIT Lab’s website. Unfortunately, it’s Windoze only.

In short, coloring books are now a doorway into augmented reality. By coloring the pages first, and then using the software to transform them into 3D, kids get to experience the power of Augmented Reality.
Thanks for reading and subscribing – FormFonts 3D Models

Source:   Human Interface Technology Lab, New Zealand