Bringing children’s artwork to life, one purple-colored pony at a time.
Wonder Painter is truly a unique piece of software. Developed by Xiaoxiaoniu Creative Technologies Ltd, a computer software company based out of Beijing, China, the technology blends artificial intelligence, machine learning, and human interaction to automatically transform static 2D images into interactive 3D animations.
Users need simply snap a photo of any drawing, clay sculpture, or person, and watch as the subject is instantly cropped out of its environment and converted into a moving 3D image. Aimed at content creators, game developers, major brands and properties, toy manufacturers, and a variety of other clients, users can create their own characters to star in cinematic storylines, interactive video games, VR and AR immersive experiences, theme park attractions, the list goes on.
Xiaoxiaoniu Creative Technologies breaks down the Wonder Paint experience into three primary categories/use-case scenarios: Wonder Painter Theater, Wonder Painter Games, and Wonder Painter 3D.
WONDER PAINTER THEATER
Similar to the creative puzzle-solving series Scribblenauts, Wonder Painter Theater allows users to create a custom hero to serve as the main protagonist in a personalized interactive narrative.
In the example shown above, the user’s custom-drawn squirrel creature comes face-to-face with a ferocious storm and must draw an umbrella to keep the character safe. In another scenario, the user draws a turtle to serve as a raft for their character. For content creators, Wonder Painter Theater opens up a wide range of possibilities for interactive storytelling. Imagine if Marvel released a custom storyline in which you solved a variety of puzzles and battled classic enemies using your own custom superhero and abilities? Or perhaps a more child-friendly adventure through the Paw Patrol universe starring a personalized rescue puppy?
WONDER PAINTER GAMES
Much like Wonder Painter Theater, Wonder Painter Games involves users creating their own custom protagonist, only instead of assisting them throughout an interactive narrative, they have full control over the character in a full video games experience.
The Wonder Painter Games SDK gives game developers full control of the experience, allowing them to create everything from action-orientated games in which players craft their own weapons, to educational experiences featuring one-of-a-kind puzzles and brain exercises. There’s also the potential to enhance existing physical toys via unique mixed reality experiences.
WONDER PAINTER 3D
Dedicated to simplifying the 3D animation process, Wonder Painter 3D automatically converts 2D images into 3D animations. After snapping a photo of their creation, users can move and rotate their character in a 3D space and watch as its body and limbs—whether they be arms, tentacles, or hooves—move realistically without any additional programming or manual animation.
“We provide a new interactive media form for various markets, Wonder Painter leads the audience to have a greater sense of participation, interactivity, and lets them fully unleash their creative potential,” says Wonder Painter CEO Xiang Cao, in an official release.
Since its first showcase during CES 2018 in Las Vegas, Xiaoxiaoniu Creative Technologies has partnered with numerous clients to integrate World Painter into their products. Last year the company worked alongside LG’s nationwide smart TV service to deliver the World Painter experience to over 2 million LG TV users. Of course, this same functionality could also be made available on video game consoles, VR headsets, AR experiences, and a variety of other platforms.
The Wonder Painter Theater experience is available to clients via a standalone app, browser-based service, and SDK. Wonder Painter 3D is available as both a standalone app and SDK; meanwhile Wonder Painter Games is open to developers in the form of an SDK.
For more information on Wonder Painter technology and how to access a demo, visit WonderPainter.net.
Featured Image Credit: Xiaoxiaoniu Creative Technologies Ltd
