SPU-Darwin: Difference between revisions
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| name = Strategic Project Unit – Darwin | | name = Strategic Project Unit – Darwin | ||
| type = [[Wikipedia:Division (business)|Division]] | | type = [[Wikipedia:Division (business)|Division]] | ||
| parent = [[LEGO | | parent = [[The LEGO Group]] | ||
| key_people = Dent-de-Lion du Midi | | key_people = Dent-de-Lion du Midi | ||
| founded = {{Start date|1996|1}} | | founded = {{Start date|1996|1}} | ||
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| successor = [[LEGO Media International]] | | successor = [[LEGO Media International]] | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Strategic Project Unit – Darwin''' (shortened to '''SPU-Darwin''' or simply '''Darwin''') was a [[Wikipedia:Research and development|research and development]] unit which led the LEGO Group's digitization efforts from 1996 to 1999. | '''Strategic Project Unit – Darwin''' (shortened to '''SPU-Darwin''' or simply '''Darwin''') was a [[Wikipedia:Research and development|research and development]] unit which led the LEGO Group's digitization efforts from 1996 to 1999. The unit was responsible for a number of developments including: | ||
* [[Wikipedia:Virtual reality|Virtual reality]] demonstrations codeveloped with MultiGen Inc. which allowed people to interact with objects in a shared virtual 3D environment using hand movement and gestures. The demonstrations were showcased at [[Wikipedia:SIGGRAPH|SIGGRAPH]] 1996 as ''Virtual LEGO Village''<ref name="ACM"/><ref name="Jacobson"/> and at SIGGRAPH 1998 as ''Batlord's Castle''<ref name="ronin bat"/>, a digital replica of the Fright Knight's Night Lord Castle (6097) set<ref name="VWN"/> | |||
The unit was responsible for | |||
* Virtual reality demonstrations | |||
* The first LEGO sets to include CD-ROMs, featuring animated building instructions and other interactive experiences. The first was codenamed "Rubber Duck" and released as "Nautilus" (8299).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.blog.fullframestudios.ch/lego-rubberduck-8299-cd-rom/ |title=LEGO – RubberDuck (8299) CD-ROM |first=Alex |last=Furer |year=2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240712073755/https://www.blog.fullframestudios.ch/lego-rubberduck-8299-cd-rom/ |archive-date=12 July 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> It was quickly followed by "Burning Rubber"<ref>{{cite thesis |url=https://www.bartneck.de/publications/1997/burningRubber/bartneckDiplom1997.pdf |title=Burning Rubber Concept |first=Christoph |last=Bartneck |date=5 September 1997 |publisher=FH Design & Medien, [[Wikipedia:Leibniz University Hannover|Leibniz-Universität Hannover]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108224537/https://www.bartneck.de/publications/1997/burningRubber/bartneckDiplom1997.pdf |archive-date=2023-11-08}}</ref> released as "Turbo Command" (8428). | * The first LEGO sets to include CD-ROMs, featuring animated building instructions and other interactive experiences. The first was codenamed "Rubber Duck" and released as "Nautilus" (8299).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.blog.fullframestudios.ch/lego-rubberduck-8299-cd-rom/ |title=LEGO – RubberDuck (8299) CD-ROM |first=Alex |last=Furer |year=2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240712073755/https://www.blog.fullframestudios.ch/lego-rubberduck-8299-cd-rom/ |archive-date=12 July 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> It was quickly followed by "Burning Rubber"<ref>{{cite thesis |url=https://www.bartneck.de/publications/1997/burningRubber/bartneckDiplom1997.pdf |title=Burning Rubber Concept |first=Christoph |last=Bartneck |date=5 September 1997 |publisher=FH Design & Medien, [[Wikipedia:Leibniz University Hannover|Leibniz-Universität Hannover]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108224537/https://www.bartneck.de/publications/1997/burningRubber/bartneckDiplom1997.pdf |archive-date=2023-11-08}}</ref> released as "Turbo Command" (8428). | ||
* LEGO 3D Database (''L3D''), an internal database of 3D LEGO bricks and models<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.spu-darwin.org/posts/hello-world/ |title=Digital LEGO |website=LEGO Darwin |date=May 14, 2013 |first=Julian |last=Gómez |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240712073749/https://www.spu-darwin.org/posts/hello-world/ |archive-date=July 12, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> | * LEGO 3D Database (''L3D''), an internal database of 3D LEGO bricks and models<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.spu-darwin.org/posts/hello-world/ |title=Digital LEGO |website=LEGO Darwin |date=May 14, 2013 |first=Julian |last=Gómez |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240712073749/https://www.spu-darwin.org/posts/hello-world/ |archive-date=July 12, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
Revision as of 04:55, 16 July 2024
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Founded | January 1996 |
| Defunct | 1999 |
| Fate | Disbanded |
| Successor | LEGO Media International |
| Headquarters | , Denmark |
Key people | Dent-de-Lion du Midi |
| Parent | The LEGO Group |
Strategic Project Unit – Darwin (shortened to SPU-Darwin or simply Darwin) was a research and development unit which led the LEGO Group's digitization efforts from 1996 to 1999. The unit was responsible for a number of developments including:
- Virtual reality demonstrations codeveloped with MultiGen Inc. which allowed people to interact with objects in a shared virtual 3D environment using hand movement and gestures. The demonstrations were showcased at SIGGRAPH 1996 as Virtual LEGO Village[1][2] and at SIGGRAPH 1998 as Batlord's Castle[3], a digital replica of the Fright Knight's Night Lord Castle (6097) set[4]
- The first LEGO sets to include CD-ROMs, featuring animated building instructions and other interactive experiences. The first was codenamed "Rubber Duck" and released as "Nautilus" (8299).[5] It was quickly followed by "Burning Rubber"[6] released as "Turbo Command" (8428).
- LEGO 3D Database (L3D), an internal database of 3D LEGO bricks and models[7]
External links
- spu-darwin.org, a history of SPU-Darwin by its former members
- LEGO - The Movie, a movie produced by Animagica and used as a pitch for SPU-Darwin[8]
- Alex Furer's posts on SPU-Darwin as a founding member
- First LEGO Trailer SPU Darwin, a "technical demonstration of the Real-Time Content Engine developed by the Wizard Group at SPU Darwin in 1998"
- Images and videos related to SPU-Darwin preserved at Internet Archive
References
- ↑ Blau, Brian; Dodsworth, Clark; et al., eds. (1996). "Digital Bayou – The Virtual Lego Village" (PDF). Visual Proceedings: The Art and Interdisciplinary Programs of SIGGRAPH 96. New York: The Association for Computing Machinery, Inc. p. 88. ISBN 0-89791-784-7. ISSN 1069-5419. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 July 2024.
- ↑ Jacobson, Linda (January 6, 1997). "LEGO Virtual Village". Silicon Graphics. Archived from the original on 1997-06-05. Mirror by Erlkönig on Talisman.
- ↑ "Batlord's Castle". RoninWorks. 2000-07-07. Archived from the original on 2001-04-20.
- ↑ "Lego Universe: From the child on the floor to the user online". Virtual World News. September 19, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-10-25.
- ↑ Furer, Alex (2011). "LEGO – RubberDuck (8299) CD-ROM". Archived from the original on 12 July 2024.
- ↑ Bartneck, Christoph (5 September 1997). Burning Rubber Concept (PDF) (Thesis). FH Design & Medien, Leibniz-Universität Hannover. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-11-08.
- ↑ Gómez, Julian (May 14, 2013). "Digital LEGO". LEGO Darwin. Archived from the original on July 12, 2024.
- ↑ https://www.blog.fullframestudios.ch/animagica-the-lego-movie/
- ↑ "Yoda LEGO assembler". RoninWorks. 2000-07-07. Archived from the original on 2001-04-21.
- ↑ Crecente, Brian; Vincent, Ethan. "Episode 16 – Darwin" (PDF). Bits N' Bricks (Podcast). Participants: Claude Aebersold, Alex Furer, Julian Gómez, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, and Bjarne Tveskov. The LEGO Group. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 July 2024. Audio version via YouTube.
