Microsoft launches Photosynth

An application that lets you create three-dimensional representations of places using digital images has been launched by Microsoft. Photosynth can analyse a collection of photographs of a place or object and by linking similarities in the images, it can create 3D simulations. The application is a free download from Microsoft Live Labs and to recreate an object or environment you will need between 20 and 300 images. You can then fly through virtual spaces or get a 360-degree view of an object. Once you have created your 'synth', you can share it with others through the Windows Live service. The Encyclopedia of Life, a project to catalogue all life on the planet, is using the technology to give visitors 3D simulations of eight different species. You can examine a harlequin beetle, a brain coral and a toucan skeleton in 3D on the EOL website. The Photosynth technology lets you zoom in and out and rotate the object. "The mission of EOL — to advance and preserve knowledge about the world’s species — demands that we take advantage of new tools whenever possible," said James Edwards, executive director of Encyclopedia of Life. Last year, a collaboration between Microsoft and the BBC let surfers see virtual, 3D representations of historical sites using Photosynth technology. http://photosynth.com www.eol.org