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3D Development Platform Takes Interactivity to a New Level
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - September 9, 2010
Unity Technologies, provider of the Unity development platform for highly interactive 3D content on the web, iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac, Android, Wii™, Xbox 360 and PlayStation®3, today announced that Unity is powering the virtual visualization experience for Scion’s Canadian website that went live in the last 24 hours at http://www.scionnation.ca.
Scion brings Toyota brand quality to the table but with a distinct twist - delivering designs and vehicles custom-built for personal expression that target a different market with an entirely distinct mission. Scion set out to build vehicles tailored to the needs and tastes of a new generation of trendsetting drivers. The outcome is a complete range of iconic urban vehicles that combine attitude, affordability, quality and fuel economy. Each Scion offers a broad array of dealer-installed Scion accessories and TRD Performance Parts that give every Scion driver the means to boldly express their personality and individuality.
Unity makes it possible for users to experience this compelling new vehicle lineup and personalize them with accessories virtually like never before – taking interactivity to a whole new level. Consumers can “build” their vehicle with every possible combination of colors, wheels and TRD performance parts and then view their car from any angle and rotate with the same type of motion used on smartphones today. Each accessory has animations that “fly” in and show exactly where they are installed and what they look and sound like. Consumers can send their personalized Scion to a dealership and arrange a test drive. Fully customized vehicles can then be built to order and delivered in a couple of days.
“We chose Unity after seeing it used to create realistic 3D environments in the gaming world and thought why not try to bring that experience to building your car. So many of us grew up customizing our cars for different racing games and expect the ability to personalize our cars in real life too,” said Jeremy Schaab, Brand Manager, Scion Canada. “Scionnation.ca makes it easy for people to customize, build and price the Scion of their dreams at home or in our dealerships using the latest touch screen technology.”
“Scion made the right choice in selecting the Unity development platform. It allowed us to easily conceptualize what Scion wanted and gave us ample time to perfect it,” said Jaja Ishibashi, Director, Business Development, Works Zebra USA, Inc. “There is no way we could have done the site launch with three vehicles with any other development platform. Unity’s studio environment gave us a realtime WYSIWYG visualization, helping us to see what we could expect at runtime.”
“Rich and interactive 3D can be used to increase customer engagement and brand loyalty like nothing else,” said David Helgason, CEO of Unity Technologies. “Today’s web savvy generation expects a high level of interaction and aesthetics, and online customization and visualization will become increasingly important for every online business. Even though Unity was made for games, it turns out that the exact same technology is right at home for so many other uses.”
About Scion Canada
Scion is a marquee of the Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) which launched in California in 2003 and across the United States in 2004. Scion launches 3 new 2011 vehicles this fall with the iconic xB urban utility vehicle, the xD 5-door hatchback and tC sports coupe. Scion officially launches in Canada on September 28, 2010 with 46 dealerships opening in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Each dealership has a sales boutique where customers can discover and personalize their Scion with a touchscreen 3D interface powered by Unity.
About Works Zebra
Works Zebra is pushing the limit on virtual vehicle visualization. From their early days in the late 80s creating showroom kiosks with laser discs and barcodes (hence the name zebra), Works Zebra has always excelled in utilizing technology to help market and sell vehicles in every continent of the globe. Since the early 2000s, Works Zebra has developed both web and kiosk solutions with their own proprietary automotive specific ZEANY realtime rendering technology. Recently Works Zebra has ported their ZEANY shaders and visualization pipeline to the Unity platform to increase visibility. Works Zebra is headquartered in Tokyo with regional offices in Los Angeles and Seattle. For more information, visit http://workszebra.com.