Nena Media

creating the new play experience

3D Printed Objects Viewed through a “Magic Glass”

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AugmentedcatDPSThere is a new world of story magic out there! Imagine 3D printing objects (cool on their own) but then viewing them through the “magic glass” of your smartphone.  Suddenly the possibilities are endless as you view creatures, characters and otherworldly animations connected to the object you just printed.  Suddenly a virtual kitty is sleeping on your newly printed chair or a fairy is breaking free from the lantern you just printed.  Story, whether in the printers mind or viewed through augmented reality, is what makes these objects special and desirable.

The technology is there but the magic is waiting to be unleashed!

Women Entrepreneurs Going after the Dream

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designhergalJesyca Durchin, creator of Digital Playspace and Dreamhouse Designer, and Dawn Espinoza, owner of Design-Her Gals, believe in the business of publishing creativity tools for women online.  Design-Her Gals enables everyone to create an avatar by selecting from hundreds of different outfits, hairstyles, body types and more.  This decidedly modern (and grown-up) site of digital paper dolls is extremely popular, and along with the fashion activities, Designer-Her Gals offers members the opportunity to personalize high-quality stationery and other items featuring their “Gal.”

Design-Her Gal was recently featured on ABC-TV’s show Live, Love, Laugh Today with Linda Cooper and Susie McAuley.

Dreamhouse Designer offers a similar interactive digital design experience but focuses on the creation of environments–“Dreamhouses”–where designers can express their creativity by decorating 3D rooms with furniture and accessories from the sitem and by adding images from all over the web through a proprietary tool. Dreamhouse Designer has been compared to a “gamefied pinterest.”

At the heart of both projects is a commitment to creating and nurturing an online community that loves to express themselves and support others in their creative endeavors. Like so many female entrepreneurs, Dawn and Jesyca immediately discovered ways that they could make the two sites work together to increase their traffic, generate more interest and support both communities.

Starting October 25, Dreamhouse Designer will host a “Dream Office” design competition that invites all designers to create a Design-Her Gal avatar and import it into their dream office through the Dreamhouse Designer app. Four winners will be selected by the Design-Her Gals staff and a $150 gift certificate will be given to the Grand Prize winner. Throughout the ten-day contest, which ends at midnight on November 3rd, Dawn and Jesyca will be creating avatars of themselves and their team members who will talk about their dream projects, what it means to start a business and why it’s important to follow your dreams.