Playsign strives to be a Software as a Service (SaaS) for models of the built environment on the Web. Game-like spaces with tools for planning and operating real world locations. Over the years, we have piloted several such applications with cities and architects in various stages of built environment development projects, from early zoning drafts to repurposing existing city streets.

However, in the past creating such applications has required considerable manual work, to import the architect’s designs and to configure the interactive tools. For our service to be actually useful the best is to integrate with the real processes and automate publishing so that it’s quick and efficient. Thus we can provide it with very low cost too.

Now in 2019 we have finally made a breakthrough in this automation work and have a working, cloud based, fully automated Playsign publishing pipeline! In first stage it works from SketchUp files, which are common in early phases of planning. Our aim is to be like Youtube but for interactive 3D models of the built environment.

First demo of an automatically published Playsign app, featuring Ympäristötalo, the office building of the city architects in Oulu, is up for testing at:

It features display of the building model from Sketchup on a 3D map, adding freely positioned georeferenced comments, and ability to place your building anywhere in the worldPublic beta of the automated creation, an upload form for your Sketchup file:

The upload has an option, enabled by default, to use Mapbox for the surroundings. Otherwise the scene is your Sketchup scene, and the aerial camera is automatically configured to view it appropriately. There is a brief manual (in Finnish now).

This is very early, but is free to test for the adventurous! You get your own unique link but there are no tools to manage the content yet, apart from placing the building. Please contact us for more information and possibilities in integrating automated publishing to your organizations process.