Brett Jones, Author at Lightform

Creator Free with LF2/C – No subscription needed

Lightform Creator is now free forever with your LF2/C device purchase.

We launched our new hardware products with a required subscription for Lightform Creator. We’ve had $700K in sales since Monday 🙂, but we also talked with some customers who said the required subscription was too expensive for them to get started with projected AR.

We heard you. As artists & makers ourselves, we want Lightform to be accessible to the widest audience possible. To better serve both our independent & professional customers, we’ve modified our pricing. A perpetual license to Creator is now included in all LF2/C purchases. As originally planned, next year we will introduce Lightform Pro subscriptions geared towards professional users, which will include advanced content creation features and remote access to your device over the internet. This enables everyone to get started with projected AR, and then opt-in to more advanced features.

Get yours today, and join the Lightform community of artists, makers, & designers.

~Brett

CEO & Co-Founder @ Lightform

While you wait

We hope you are having a great summer!

We’re excited to share that we will be revealing LFC and LF2 on October 22nd. Full product specifications and pricing will be made available at that time. We have received the first 35 internal alpha units of LFC and LF2 and are working on integrating them with the the Lightform Creator software. In case you missed it, you can read more about the new products in this sneak peek email.

In the meantime, we thought you might enjoy seeing some of the projects our customers have been making with Lightform. We hope they get you excited about creating your own projected AR experiences!

Featured Collaboration:

Amazing Exhibit at Joshua Liner Gallery in New York by Jen Stark

Earlier this month Lightform collaborated with artist Jen Stark for the opening of her show “Dimensionality” at Joshua Liner Gallery in NYC. The piece features generative projection animations using Lightform Creator and custom animations by Ray Chang, our in-house motion designer. Ray used After Effects to create the custom animations from our office, using only the Illustrator assets that Jen provided us with. Once there in person, Ray and the rest of our creative team used LF1 to map the artwork, sequence the animations, and blend the effects with video to create the animations for the show.

User Projects Made With Lightform:

Renegade Projection Mapping by Ryan McCoy

D4 Visuals strike again with these renegade projections in the streets of St. Louis!

Mapping a House with Lightform by Brad Herman

“From immersive light show to Halloween creep show in under a second.” Brad lit up his house using the Epson 1060 kit projector. He used a combination of Lightform Creator effects and his own custom effects to create what you see here.

Jesse James Allen Projections

“Set me in front of a mural or let me run wild in a Sculpture Garden. What I have discovered with these simple things is the tip of the iceberg of what I now know is possible.” Check it out on his instagram!

Dance School Wall Mapping by David Beck at Iki Techno

David used Lightform and Ableton integration to sync audio with these projections on the wall inside of a dance school. Watch it here!

Ocean World Community Arts Installation by John Sutcliffe

John Sutcliffe of Hanging Boots Creative put together a collection of art installations for the 2019 Dronfield Arts Festival in the UK. “Ocean World” is an interactive and immersive AR projection that uses 3D spatial sensors.

We are so excited by all the possibilities that these new products will bring, and we can’t wait to see what you will create with Lightform.

As always, feel free to get in touch with us via our contact form here or simply reply to this email if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Brett

LF1 Wave 2 Update

April 11, 2019

We wanted to share with you an important update regarding wave 2 shipments. Since we launched, we’ve shipped the first wave of 1,500 units to seven countries, we’ve watched the Lightform community grow to create some truly amazing experiences, and we’ve shipped 10 release updates to Lightform Creator.

The good news: we have 600 LF1 units ready to ship out immediately.

The bad news: unfortunately, the WiFi module for the LF1 was abruptly discontinued by the manufacturer despite an originally estimated lifespan until 2028. As there is no suitable drop-in replacement for the WiFi module, we will need to change the processing architecture and re-certify the device (CE & FCC). These changes would push out LF1 production and deliveries beyond November 2019. We don’t think that is acceptable and we want to get your hands on Lightform sooner. Thus, we’ve made the hard decision to discontinue manufacturing LF1 in it’s current form.

Luckily, we’ve been working on LF2, the next generation of Lightform. For LF2, we are working with projector manufacturers to bring you a beautiful, all-in-one solution for projected AR that integrates the camera and computer directly into the projector. For those of you that would still like to use your own projector with Lightform, we will offer an alternative solution that pairs an off-the-shelf camera with computer hardware to replicate the LF1 + Lightform Creator experience.

This next generation of Lightform products will launch later this year and will enable us to produce a much higher volume of shipments on a quicker timeline so you can play with Lightform sooner and scale your projects as fast as you can dream them up. The next generation of Lightform will be built upon Creator and we will continue to support existing LF1s.

The details:

As we won’t be making additional LF1s, if you had a reservation in wave 2, we are asking you to confirm if you want your LF1 now or if you want to wait for LF2 later this year.

If you want LF1 now, we will ship the first 600 orders in the order that reservations were received.
If you decide to wait for LF2, you will be first in line to buy and we will offer you a heavy discount.

If you had a reservation in wave 2, we sent you an email to select your choice. We need confirmations by Thursday, April 18th so we can start to ship out the remaining units. If we haven’t heard from you by then, you will be placed on the waitlist for an LF2.

We deeply apologize to those that will have to wait for LF2. We are doing everything we can to expedite the next generation of Lightform and we are looking forward to being able to finally scale production to meet demand.

~Brett Jones
CEO @ Lightform

Note: your credit card has not been charged.

Lightform Shipping Update

Thanks for reserving Lightform! We’re so excited to see what you make with it! We have started shipping the first Lightform orders and we want to give you an update on our progress and our new shipping timeline.

TLDR: We will be staggering our LF1 shipment schedule in order to improve connectivity issues and fix a few bugs. This will result in a much better user experience and will make Lightform more reliable. We will not charge your card until your Lightform ships.

The Good News

We’ve been working with over 100 beta customers to refine the Lightform software and have made a ton of progress. We are super excited to share this updated software demo with you! We’ve got better warping, masking, and selection tools, plus a bunch of awesome effects. Check it out!

The Details

We initially planned to start shipping the bulk of Lightform Wave 1 orders in November. However, we have discovered a few software bugs and connectivity issues that we are working on improving (details below). We want your first experience with Lightform to be amazing and we don’t want anything to come between you and the awesome projects you want to create. So, we have decided to start with only shipping a few hundred LF1 Kits this November. We will verify that our improvements are working and then ship out larger and larger batches as these issues are further improved. We are a small team working around the clock and we want to be sure we can adequately solve these issues as efficiently as possible. Like many of you, we have been burned by Kickstarters and pre-orders before – that’s why we have decided not to charge anyone until their Lightform ships. In the meantime, we will keep this page updated with any new developments surrounding shipping.

New Timeline

LF1 Kit Orders will be shipping out from November through December.
Wave 1 LF1 Orders will begin shipping on a rolling basis from January through February, in the order that they were placed.
Wave 2 LF1 Orders will begin shipping on a rolling basis in spring/summer 2019.

What we’re working on

Improving LF1 Connectivity Experience

In some situations, LF1 encounters issues connecting to certain wifi networks. We are working hard on new firmware to improve connectivity for a variety of different wireless networks and projectors.

Lightform Creator Software Bug Fixing

We will be continuously improving Lightform Creator and squishing pesky bugs. Right now we’re focusing on optimizing the speed and performance of Lightform Creator as a whole. For example, Lightform Creator’s quick selection tools can cause the software to slow down significantly, we’re working to fix that.

How does this impact you specifically?

If your ordered an LF1 Kit…

Your shipping date range is Nov 15 – Dec 31. You will receive an email within the next few weeks to confirm your shipping and billing information. Then, we will charge your card and ship out your Lightform!

If you ordered a standalone LF1 in Wave 1…

Your shipping date range is Jan – Feb 2019. Before your Lightform ships you will receive an email to confirm your shipping and billing information. Then, we will charge your card and ship out your Lightform! In the meantime, we will keep you updated on our progress via emails. We know shipping delays are annoying and we are working very hard to get your Lightform to you ASAP!

If you ordered a standalone LF1 in Wave 2…

Your shipping date range is Spring/Summer 2019. We will send you a more detailed shipping window as we get closer to Spring. Before your Lightform ships you will receive an email to confirm your shipping and billing information.

FAQs

Why are you shipping LF1 Kits First?

We are shipping out all LF1 Kits first because it will allows us to troubleshoot and resolve problems faster. We are a small team that is simultaneously fixing bugs and providing customer support. By eliminating the projector variable, we will have more time to focus on fixing the issues for all of our customers. Don’t worry – LF1 works well with most mainstream projectors. We have shipped out several standalone LF1’s to our beta users and we have tested a number of projectors across all the main projector brands, and are continuing to test additional projectors this month.

I was planning on using Lightform for an upcoming project, now my plan is ruined!

We completely understand your frustration, and we are sorry. We thought a lot about projects like yours when we were debating whether to stagger our shipping batches. Part of our decision to delay shipping until we fix these performance issues was to ensure Lightform is reliable, so users like you can depend on Lightform for projects. We don’t want you to run into bugs that derail your project. We’ll be sending out more shipping and product updates to help you anticipate when you’ll get your Lightform and what exactly you’ll be able to do with it.

I would have ordered a Kit if I knew it was shipping first! Can I swap my standalone LF1 for a Kit?

Unfortunately, we are completely sold out of LF1 Kits and cannot swap orders.

Still have more questions?

Send us an email at [email protected]!

-The Lightform Team

Next Gen Sneak Peek 👀

(Only shared with existing customers)

Later this year, we will be shipping the next generation of Lightform. These new products are designed for high volume manufacturing, and when they launch later this year, they will be in-stock and available to purchase for immediate shipping. We are excited to share a sneak peek of what’s next:

Lightform Compute (LFC) provides equivalent functionality to LF1. LFC is a bundled computer, camera, and mount for use with any projector.
LF2 is a sleek, all-in-one AR projector.
LF1 is no longer for sale, but will continue to be fully supported and receive Creator updates.

LFC

<$999* retail, shipping in fall 2019

Lightform LFC (Lightform Compute) provides an equivalent functionality to LF1, and can be used on any normal throw projector. LFC is a hardware bundle comprised of a separate computer, a 4K camera, and a projector mount. The bundle ships pre-loaded with the Lightform operating system and 5Ghz WiFi. Just like LF1, LFC attaches to a projector to turn it into a 3D scanning and AR playback system.

LFC provides more compute power and uses a camera & mount that is comparable to LF1, but at a cheaper price point. LFC will be less than the retail price of LF1 (<$999) and will ship in fall 2019.

LF2

≤$1299 retail, shipping date TBD*

Lightform LF2 is a sleek, all-in-one AR projector. LF2 is composed of a 1000 lumen LED projector, a camera, and an ARM processor. This solution is perfect for small scale installations. We recommend LF2 for scenes up to 5ft with bright ambient lighting, and up to 10 ft in darker ambient lighting. We are working with projector manufacturers on integrating Lightform into a range of projectors with various lenses and brightness in the future.

Creator & Creator Pro

LF1, LFC, and LF2 are all powered by the same software, Lightform Creator. Think of Lightform Creator as the operating system running on multiple versions of hardware, integrated directly into a projector or placed on top.

Later this year, we will also be launching Creator Pro, which will be compatible with all Lightform hardware. Creator Pro will include a built in library of stock videos, remote device management, the ability to import custom shaders, and additional content creation tools.

LF1

Since you placed your order, we’ve shipped the first wave of 1,500 units to seven countries, we’ve watched the Lightform community grow to create some truly amazing experiences, and we’ve shipped 10 release updates to Lightform Creator. Recently, we learned that the WiFi module inside the LF1 is no longer available for purchase from the manufacturer. As a result, to continue manufacturing LF1 we would need to change the processing architecture and re-certify the device, which would push the next shipments of LF1 beyond November 2019.

Fortunately, we’ve been hard at work on the next generation of Lightform, which we can ship sooner. Thus, we are no longer taking orders for LF1, and are focused on getting the next version of Lightform to you as soon as possible, including LFC which provides equivalent LF1 functionality.

We want to assure you that LF1 will continue to be be fully supported. LF1 customers will continue to receive Creator updates and we will continue to release significant feature updates to Creator which apply to all hardware devices. We have an aggressive 2019 roadmap for Creator, including launching Creator Pro for LF1 alongside next generation hardware.

We are excited to launch these new hardware products, and to give you more ways to make magical experiences with light. We will be announcing more details this summer, and we can’t wait to see what you will create.

~Brett Jones
CEO & Co-Founder, Lightform

*We will be offering a discount to all existing customers and reservation holders. Once LFC and LF2 launch, we will email a coupon code.

Press Release: Lightform Raises $5M to Make Projected AR Mainstream

San Francisco — November 20th, 2017 — Lightform Inc. , an augmented reality hardware company, is announcing a $5 million round of funding led by Lux Capital. Other participants in the round include Dolby Family Ventures, CrunchFund, Comet Labs, Presence Capital, and Anorak Ventures. Lightform is using the capital to fund the manufacturing of their projected AR device, which lets artists and designers easily map digital video content onto 3D objects and spaces. The technology can be used in retail, restaurants, offices, and events to inform, advertise or entertain customers. “Lux is excited to support Lightform in its mission to democratize access to this technology with a hardware/software solution that makes projected augmented reality affordable, accessible, and really easy to use,” says Bilal Zuberi, partner at Lux Capital.

Lightform is the first computer for projected AR (also known as projection mapping), a form of augmented reality that uses projectors to map digital content onto real-life, 3D spaces. This type of AR eliminates the need for headsets or phones, allowing viewers to have unobstructed, shared AR experiences. Previously, the cost and complexity of creating projected AR has limited the technology to high-budget projects at theme parks, concerts, and events. Lightform’s solution is a small Wi-Fi-enabled computer that mounts on any video projector, turning the projector in an AR display. The device uses a built-in camera to scan the environment, and in conjunction with the accompanying desktop software, Lightform Creator, lets designers easily create magical AR effects for their environments. Lightform also acts as the media player, making it easy to permanently deploy the experience.

“When integrating digital content into a physical space, your options haven’t fundamentally changed much since the advent flat panel LCD screens” says Phil Reyneri, Lightform’s Director of Marketing. “Augmented reality will completely change that, and projected AR is an immediately accessible way designers can blur the line between real and virtual worlds.”

As an example, Lightform partnered with local San Francisco bakery Vive la tarte for a pilot installation using their system. A digitally updatable menu is projected onto a sculpture made of wood and steel. “We wanted to do something different and saw Lightform’s technology as a great way to push the boundaries of what a menu could be,” says Arnaud Goethals, Vive la tarte’s co-founder and CEO. “The menu is alive, like our food, and it perfectly integrates in our space.”

Delivering On The Promise

Lightform is already manufacturing the first production units. Instead of the usual path of early crowdfunding financing, the company will use the $5M round to finance their first manufacturing run. “There’s been a lot of undelivered hype in the AR/VR space, so we want to ensure we can ship a product to our customers and deliver on our promises.” says Brett Jones, Lightform’s CEO. “Given the skepticism around AR vaporware, we want to make it clear that Lightform is real and being used for real applications. Funding the development with this new capital allows us to finalize our product before we start selling it, not the other way around.”

Lightform is currently alpha testing with select partners, and will be available to order next year. The device will cost under $1000, and will have an optional professional software subscription. The company is also actively hiring for multiple roles building tools for creative people. To receive product updates and see career opportunities visit lightform.com.

About Lightform

Lightform Inc. is based in San Francisco, California. To date, the company has raised $7.8 million in funding from investors including Lux Capital, 7 Seas, Dolby Family Ventures, Crunchfund, and the National Science Foundation in order to build the world’s first computer for projected AR.

Press Release: Lightform Turns Any Projector Into A 3D Scanning, Augmented Reality Device

Company emerges from stealth with $2.6M in seed funding from Lux Capital and Seven Seas Partners

March 27, 2017 – San Francisco, CA – Lightform, the company developing the first computer made for projected augmented reality, emerged from stealth today with $2.6 million in seed funding from Lux Capital and Seven Seas Partners, with participation from several prominent angel investors and the National Science Foundation.

Lightform is a computer and 3D scanning device that, when connected to any video projector, lets you quickly scan complex scenes and turn any object into a screen. It’s augmented reality without the headset.

“While at Disney Imagineering eight years ago, I saw a demo of projected AR that was the most compelling VR/AR demo I’ve ever seen,” said Brett Jones, Lightform Co-Founder & CEO. “There was an entire enchanted forest set covered in projection, with lightning and rain, butterflies fluttering across the scene, and a running waterfall. My co-worker threw his ID into the waterfall, and I swore that the ID was wet. The problem was the demo cost millions and only Disney could build it. That’s when I knew I wanted to bring this technology everywhere.”

The core technology is known as projection mapping and is a form of augmented reality. The Lightform team combines years of projection mapping experience, ranging from large scale entertainment experiences to PhD research experiments. They’ve innovated in projection mapping at Disney Imagineering, designed software behind Bot & Dolly’s Box, and created immersive AR prototypes IllumiRoom and RoomAlive at Microsoft Research. They also run the most popular blog on projection mapping, which features community submissions from around the world.

Lightform uses advanced computer vision to eliminate complexity in the projection mapping process. “We believe projected light is inherently more interesting than a flat screen because it can be overlaid on the existing environment,” said Phil Reyneri, Design Director at Lightform. “This gives designers the opportunity to seamlessly blend digital content with existing materials and structures. We want to democratize the medium so it can be used anywhere across film, art, education, cultural exhibits, events, signage, home entertainment, weddings, seasonal decor, theater, dance, and more.”Lightform supports video streaming and real-time shaders, but unlike the founders’ past work, does not provide real-time depth data. “Lightform connects to any projector via HDMI and projects a series of patterns. Those patterns are recognized by the onboard camera, and used to generate a point cloud and 3D model. As opposed to realtime depth cameras like the Kinect — which provide comparably low-res point clouds — Lightform generates a high resolution mesh in under a minute. This makes it suitable for precise, pixel-level alignment,” says Brett Jones, Co-Founder & CEO

“Lightform bridges the gap between fiction and reality by blending the two in a single physical form,” said Bilal Zuberi, Partner at Lux Capital. “It brings digital creativity into the physical world, enabling all surfaces to potentially come alive in a magical way. I’m excited about this team because they’re making projection mapping accessible to everyone, from artists to businesses to consumers.”

“Lightform brings wonder to everyday life,” said Ivy Li, Partner at Seven Seas. “Amazingly striking effects are unveiled right in front of our eyes with just a simple click. We are honored and extremely proud to have the chance to work with a company that inspires such imagination and innovation.”

About Lightform

Lightform creates simple, powerful tools that connect real and digital worlds. We’re combining years of experience in computer vision, augmented reality, and hardware design to create the world’s first computer for projected AR.

Visit lightform.com.

Contact

For more information and press kit materials contact [email protected]
Press kit materials here.

Hi there! We are launching Lightform!

We’ve been working on something for quite a while now, and we are excited to share a teaser of what we’ve been up to.

I’m happy to announce

a $2.6M funding round from Lux, Seven Seas, NSF, and the former head scientist at Oculus.
the launch of our company which has been in stealth for 3 years.
a teaser of our product (which you can pre-order this summer)

Lightform is the first computer made for projected augmented reality, also known as projection mapping. By connecting Lightform to any video projector, you can quickly scan complex scenes and turn any object into a screen. It’s augmented reality without the headset.

The device uses computer vision to 3D scan its environment, then wirelessly transmits the data to our desktop app. The app uses this data to automatically generate effects and filters, so you can quickly create compelling projection mapped content. When things move, Lightform uses vision to keep content aligned. This makes it possible to permanently install projection installations quickly and easily.

The Future of Augmented Reality

We believe that virtual reality head-mounted displays (HMDs) are going to be huge, and that augmented reality HMDs aren’t far behind. Soon amazing immersive experiences will feel mundane from our the comfort of our swivel chairs. But what happens when we get up and go experience the world? HMDs have a lot of downsides: they only work for one person at a time, they take minutes to adjust per person, they run out of battery, they strain your neck, and worst of all they can even give you pink eye.

At Lightform, we are playing with a lesser known technology called projected augmented reality, or projection mapping. Projection mapping uses everyday projectors to turn complex objects into video screens. Today, projection mapping is usually limited to big budget productions like product launches, sporting events, and theater performances. It requires teams of experienced artists and technicians using expensive tools to make these events happen. Here’s what projection mapping looks like today, with content from various artists featured from our community blog on projection mapping.

Projection Mapping Made Easy

Lightform uses advanced computer vision to eliminate complexity in the projection mapping process. We want to democratize the medium so it can be used anywhere across film, art, education, cultural exhibits, events, signage, home entertainment, weddings, seasonal decor, theater, dance, and more.

We believe projected light can be inherently more interesting than a flat screen because it can be overlaid on the existing environment. This gives everyone the opportunity to seamlessly blend digital content with existing materials and structures. We frequently hear from architects, interior designers, and business owners who see projection mapping as an interesting alternative to TV screens, but don’t know where to start.

The Problem

Projectors used to be expensive, bulky, and required frequent bulb replacements. New LED and laser projectors are brighter, smaller, quieter, and can operate many years maintenance free. This makes projection an increasingly viable alternative to traditional screens for permanent digital art, signage, and ambient display applications. While advanced, these projectors are still “dumb” – they don’t know what they are projecting on.

Also, projection mapping involves a complicated workflow with multiple pieces of advanced software. Each step – from initial scanning, to 3D animation, to on-site calibration – requires a different artist or technician (usually teams of them).

With projection mapping things inevitably move in the real world, and even slight shifts in the set or projector alignment can noticeably ruin the effect. It currently requires tedious clicking around in clunky software to re-align the content. This is why you typically don’t see projection mapped installations outside of temporary events.

The Solution

Lightform offers the first end-to-end workflow for projection mapping, making it possible for a single user to scan, create content, and deploy an installation in one sitting. The workflow benefits experienced designers and novices alike. By leveraging computer vision, we automate tedious steps while assisting in the more fun process of content creation. We use 3D info to drive AI-generated effects and filters which users can quickly integrate into their projects. The experience is designed around one explicit goal: quickly turning scans of the real world into compelling motion content.

Also, Lightform is working on the latest computer vision techniques to automate the alignment process, letting the user focus on more on the installation and less on the technical execution. We believe that when paired with a long life, low maintenance LED or laser projector, Lightform will finally make permanent projection installations a reality.

Future Vision

We see projected AR becoming an integral part of architecture and interiors. As projectors are rapidly shrinking in size and increasing in brightness, projectors will eventually become as ubiquitous as light fixtures. Projectors will be small and bright enough to be installed like traditional lighting, simultaneously capable of standard illumination and high-resolution information display. This projection-as-lighting will enhance or create art, signage, decor, and interactive displays.

We are excited to share more about Lightform in the coming months. But for now, it’s back to work.
~Brett

p.s. press kit materials here.