VenueGen is a browser-based

web conferencing Web conferencing is used as an umbrella term for various types of online conferencing and collaborative services including webinars (web seminars), webcasts, and web meetings. Sometimes it may be used also in the more narrow sense of the peer-l ...

service created and marketed by The Venue Network. It is a 3D

virtual meeting Web conferencing is used as an umbrella term for various types of online conferencing and collaborative services including webinars (web seminars), webcasts, and web meetings. Sometimes it may be used also in the more narrow sense of the peer-l ...

software that enables users to interact with each other using

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s. Users can host and attend meetings, conferences, and training with other colleagues and upload rich media into virtual meeting rooms for real-time collaboration.

Technology

Avatars

The avatars in VenueGen are created using a licensed technology developed at the

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that converts a photo into a 3D model. The realistic photo-generated 3D

face features a set of morph targets that convey facial expressions. Facial expressions can be controlled by the user through preset buttons in-world. Prior to entering a meeting, users can upload images of their own faces to create their photo-realistic avatars and choose from a built-in selection of hairstyles, clothing and accessories to resemble themselves as they are in real life. During a virtual meeting, avatars make conversational gestures that are automatically driven by a user's own voice. Users also have the option to control the mood, body posture, and nonverbal language of their avatars to communicate as they would in a real meeting. The avatars movements and gestures are intentionally limited to those that would be useful in a meeting.

Venues

VenueGen has over 36 different virtual meeting spaces including a board room, executive office, lecture hall, theater, sailboat, campfire, coffee shop, amphitheater and talk show studio where users can conduct their online meetings, conferences, interviews, or trainings. The largest virtual room can accommodate up to 50 guests. The smallest is suitable for 2 guests.

Audio

Users with a headset and a broadband connection can communicate through

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or dial-in from a phone line using one of VenueGen's designated conference phone numbers. Voices of participants are heard in-world through 3D positional sound audio that enables users to locate and identify users speaking around the room.

Integrated Content

Screen sharing and content sharing supports integration of word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and digital media files. Documents used during the meeting are displayed on a viewer within the virtual rooms. The viewer(s) can be viewable by anyone in the meeting, or just one person depending on the venue and viewer chosen. Each viewer may display several forms of content simultaneously, including documents, or streamed feeds such as a webcam or

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session.

Virtual Technology

VenueGen is a

software as a service Software as a service (SaaS ) is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. SaaS is also known as "on-demand software" and Web-based/Web-hosted software. SaaS is con ...

(SaaS) that is built on a MMO engine and runs 3D graphics technology. It is a browser-based plug-in that is available as a download once logged on the VenueGen website. The software application runs on

Windows XP Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001. It is a direct upgrade to its predecessors, Windows 2000 for high-end and ...

Windows Vista Windows Vista is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was the direct successor to Windows XP, which was released five years before, at the time being the longest time span between successive releases of ...

Windows 7 Windows 7 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009, and became generally available on October 22, 2009. It is the successor to Windows Vista, released nearly ...

, and

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operating systems and is compatible with browsers Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or above and Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or above.

History

In 2007, VenueGen was founded by business entrepreneur David Gardner. The virtual meeting software was developed by The Venue Network in

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and became commercially available in early 2010. The VenueGen business application has been compared to

Second Life ''Second Life'' is an online multimedia platform that allows people to create an avatar for themselves and then interact with other users and user created content within a multi player online virtual world. Developed and owned by the San Fra ...

's virtual meeting spaces. Its main web conferencing competitors are

WebEx Webex by Cisco is an American company that develops and sells web conferencing, videoconferencing and contact center as a service applications. It was founded as WebEx in 1995 and taken over by Cisco Systems in 2007. Its headquarters are in San ...

Fuze Meeting Fuze (formerly known as ThinkingPhones) is a cloud communications and collaboration software platform designed for the enterprise. Fuze was acquired by 8x8. The company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Products Fuze's main product com ...

, and Dimdim.

References

External links

* {{Official website, venuegen.com
VenueGen blog

VenueGen on YouTube
Telecommuting Teleconferencing Videotelephony Web conferencing