The spins create a much more informative visual display for the product in question. I think it's perfect for designer toys! Above is a spin of Evilos' Tron Mini Qee custom (from my personal collection). The actual creation of the spin takes about 1 minute from the time you set the object on the base to the time the app is done creating the file. Really, super incredibly fast. The spins are currently hosted on Arqball's servers, and you can access them at any time online via a link or by embedding a short line of HTML code into a web page or blog post (as I have done here). So easy, a toy-obsessed caveman could do it.
Above is a Pink Feather HoodZomb from 3A's Adventure Kartel series of 1:6-scale figures.
Above is our exclusive David Horvath Strange Beast Bossy Night Stomp edition.
Although we didn't do it with these spins, the Arqball software does come with a background deletion feature which allows you to record the spin in front of a white background and with one click, remove the entire background and base so it's pure internet white.
Arqball is really easy to use, and you can get a jump on your competition by supporting their Kickstarter here. I'm a backer. Expect to see more spins incorporated into Tenacious Toys blog posts and product listings soon. I'd recommend this system to any toy shop or manufacturer that would like to more easily and completely reveal all the details of the products they carry or manufacture. Even great for bloggers who frequently review products online. No more photo shoots followed by editing multiple images! One Arqball spin takes care of every angle.
I don't like this service, in the end your at the mercy of the rates or policies of spin. I would gladly buy the app and the stage if I could host my own spin files. With this being a service I would be at mercy of their rates. If they were ever to go under everyone would loose all their spins.
ReplyDeleteHaven't spinning images been available for years using mov files and javascript?
@mrscifi: I do like this service. I don't mind being at the mercy of Arqball.. in fact, I'd rather have them host my spins as I have no clue how I'd do that on my own. There are no ongoing "rates". You pay up front a fixed price for the system and that's it. If Arqball goes under... what's the big deal? It's not the end of the world. I put myself at the mercy of my landlord, my banks, and the cab drivers in NYC every day. In comparison, having a company host my spins doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Have spinning images been previously available using .mov files and Javascript? I dunno. I have no idea how to do that kind of stuff. What I CAN do is install an app on my iphone and point it at an object spinning on a rotating base.
ReplyDeletehttp://arqspin.com/pricing
ReplyDelete"Basic Plan
We also offer a basic plan for $4.95/month that entitles you to an unlimited number of shared spins. This is in addition to the other features described above (unlimited captures, embedding, etc.). We expect to announce other subscription plans in the future that will provide access to richer editing controls, higher resolution spins, exporting in various formats, and additional features."
As I said before it's a service and at that a monthly one if you want anymore than 25 spins. This means for a collector who would like to display/catalog his collection he would pay $60 a year to do so and have bandwith limitations.
Your analogy fails, if your bank fails you, you move your money. If your lanlord fails you, you find another place to rent. If the taxi fails you take another transit. If Arqball fails it takes all your work (photos/spinds) without you being able to save them.
Even if the service was free I would not want to invest my time into something that might disappear anytime without notice without the capacity to save all my work in a place I know was secure.
Java, flash, silverlight, and now html5 all have the ability to animate and control images. I know flash and java have had this ability for years, using mov files. I would like to see this service generate the appropriate code and allow people to download and host their own files for a reasonable up front cost. Maybe this will happen under the business tier, hopefully at an affordable rate.
@mrscifi:
ReplyDeleteFrom the Arbqball Kickstarter:
"When you create a spin using our app and stage you have the option of "publishing" it which allows you to share the spin with other people over the Internet. To publish a spin you first need to create a free account. This can be done from either inside the app or through our website: https://arqspin.com/users/new.
When you publish a spin it is uploaded to our servers and is added to the collection of "shared spins" in your account, which you can review by first logging into your account here (https://arqspin.com/session/new) and then following the "shared spins" link along the top of the page. Shared spins can also be embedded into other websites and blogs as descibed in this blog post: http://arqball.com/blog/?p=9
A free account entitles you to share up to 25 spins. However, note that shared spins can be deleted, freeing up a slot, and allowing you to share a different spin. There is no limit on the number of spins you can capture, just on the total number of spins that can be shared at any one time. We encourage you to experiment with how our service works which can be done for free using the app, the spins that come bundled with it, and the account management portions of our website.
We also offer a "basic" plan for $4.95/month that entitles you to an unlimited quota of shared spins (also unlimited captures). All of the backers of this campaign will receive this "basic" service through the end of this year. This is our way of thanking you for being one of our first supporters and early adopters. We'll credit your account once the campaign finishes and is fully funded."
Basically, because I backer the Arqball Kickstarter, I get the Basic plan for free thru the end of the year with unlimited spins and capture. After that I can switch back to the Free plan and use my 25 spins on my website to promote toys. I will never ever need more than 25. I will probably need less. So this works for me, very well, in fact. It also worked for the 500+ backers of this project.
If it doesn't work for you, so be it. Don't buy in. I put my money down and I'm happy with that decision.