Seemingly real paint samples that react to movements of the iPad, leather that you can actually touch as well as see, and individualised image content in many app areas. A new benchmark for innovation, interactivity and customer communication.

BMW Individual, the most exclusive way to drive a BMW, is now available as an interactive experience on the iPad. Thanks to an innovative user interface, this unprecedented virtual product catalogue enables a breathtaking experience of BMW Individual, the BMW premium range.

The app commissioned by BMW M GmbH and developed by Effekt-Etage had a simple aim: to fully exploit the interactive potential offered by the iPad medium in an innovative way, thus creating a new benchmark. The app developed by Effekt-Etage is set to establish a new trend in the category of interactive product magazines.

Its various chapters relate interesting facts about the BMW Individual philosophy, paint finishes, fine leather upholstery and other equipment options. In addition, users can create a virtual vehicle according to their preferences and view the finished result in a Visualiser.

The app is the first to achieve a near-realistic representation of paint finish samples in a virtual environment. In part this is due to Effekt-Etage’s high-quality 3D renderings, which perfectly communicate the BMW Individual paint finishes’ special appeal. In addition, the virtual paint finishes react to movements of the iPad, so the user has the actual impression of moving a real-life paint sample in relation to a light source. This virtual reality effect has also been implemented for the leather samples, allowing the user to leaf through them and touch them.

The interactive capability of this app means that almost every product image can be interacted with, creating a virtual environment that allows users to experience the look and feel of the various equipment details for themselves.

Another outstanding feature is the way the app combines the product information and vehicle configuration processes.

The conventional approach involves the user finding information about products and features such as paint finishes, equipment etc. in a physical catalogue, or on the web. They then begin a separate step of vehicle configuration in a Configurator, beginning with a default vehicle. The BMW Individual app goes one step further by combining these previously separate steps. While reading the various chapters, users are already able to bookmark paintwork finishes, leather colours or other features they like. They can effectively configure their vehicle while gathering information, performing both activities within a single process. As a result, the vehicle initially shown in the Configurator already reflects the user’s individual preferences.

Users can of course save “their” dream car, share it with friends and acquaintances on Facebook, file it in their personal photo album, or send it off in an e-mail.

The BMW Individual iPad app comes in English and German, is optimised for the iPad and iPad2, and is available free of charge in the App Store.

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