*note* If you are reading this from a blog reader and it looks like the latest post, you will need to resubscribe by heading to davidoreilly.com and clicking on rss feed.

The iHologram has become one of the All time most popular videos on Vimeo in the space of a day, and is currently on the front page of almost every technology site…   I’m getting way too many emails about it, so for those who had to know:

The iHologram app was not real. It was an illustration of an idea I had which I believe could work with the technology (combining anamorphosis and motion sensing). Unfortunately I’m just an ideas person, and I can show how things should look, but I’m no hardcore programmer.

I’d be happy to collaborate with a developer or studio who want’s to make it happen, I’m bursting with ideas for the interactive world, but right now all my attention is on filmmaking.

My aim with this was to tackle the problem of 3d viewing in an original way using current technology, not fool anyone… so for those who doubted but still supported it, respect. I hope it inspires some talented programmers out there.

?????

Ive just finished coding a concept application for the iphone/ipod touch. It gives the illusion of a 3d hologram jumping off the screen.

Here’s a video of it in use, featuring the Cat from my cartoon Please Say Something:

The application works by assuming a constant viewing angle (35-45 degrees), typical for when the device is placed on a tabletop. The 3d scene’s perspective is warped using anamorphosis, the same technique used in Hans Holbein’s painting The Ambassadors. This application does the exact same but updates dynamically.

The software uses the ipod’s built-in gyroscope to calculate rotation on the y-axis, so we can look around the environment around by turning the device, there are also controls for manual rotation with a slider on the left hand side of the screen.

My programming knowledge is limited, if any iphone developers want to collaborate on this stuff please get in touch!

David