‘Immersive Navigation’ is the biggest Google Maps driving update in a decade

image via 9to5google.com
image via 9to5google.com

Google Maps is giving its driving experience the “biggest update in over a decade” with Immersive Navigation that redesigns visuals and offers “more intuitive guidance.” It starts with a “vivid 3D view that reflects the buildings, overpasses, and terrain around you.” Google Maps will highlight lanes, crosswalks, traffic lights, stop signs, and other critical road details “to help you make that turn or merge confidently.”

https://9to5google.com/2026/03/12/google-maps-immersive-navigation/

Autodesk’s new AI 3D generator aims to open game art and 3D printing to everyone

image via creativebloq.com
image via creativebloq.com

Wonder 3D can create detailed 3D assets from both text prompts and 2D image references. Could it empower a revolution in game art and 3D printing, or has AI slop merely entered the third dimension?

https://www.creativebloq.com/ai/autodesks-new-ai-3d-generator-could-open-game-art-and-3d-printing-to-everyone

Hackers exploit 3D design software to target game developers, animators

image c/o therecord.media
image c/o therecord.media

Israel-based cybersecurity firm Morphisec said in a report this week that it had blocked several campaigns over the past six months in which attackers used Blender project files to deliver the StealC V2 infostealer. The attackers relied on malicious files posted on platforms such as CGTrader, an online marketplace for 3D models.

https://therecord.media/hackers-blender-software-malware

Adobe shows off 3D rotation tool for flat drawings

image via arstechnica.com
image via arstechnica.com

At this point, we're used to AI-powered image tools that instantly pull off previously high-effort edits, like filling in the missing bits of a scene or erasing unwanted parts of a photo without affecting the background. But a new Adobe Illustrator tool demonstrated at this week's Adobe MAX conference takes 2D image editing things in a literal different direction, letting artists instantly transform 2D vector images into 3D models that can be rotated around the axis of the screen itself.

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/10/adobe-shows-off-3d-rotation-tool-for-flat-drawings/

Strava acquires Fatmap, a 3D mapping platform for the great outdoors

Image Credits: Fatmap

Strava, the activity tracking and social community platform used by more than 100 million people globally, has acquired Fatmap, a European company that’s building a high-resolution 3D global map platform for the great outdoors. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The ultimate long-term goal for Strava is to integrate Fatmap’s core platform into Strava itself, but that will be a resource-intensive endeavor that won’t happen overnight. And that is why Strava is working to create a single sign-on (SSO) integration in the near-term, meaning that subscribers will be able to access the full Fatmap feature-set by logging into the Fatmap app with their Strava credentials.

https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/24/strava-acquires-fatmap-a-3d-map-platform-for-the-great-outdoors/