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[www-vrml] Web3D 2006 Impressions (WAS Re: Norms and Affordances For Sustainable Content



Len...your observation that "The history of VRML, Active Worlds, Cybertown,
etc. will become the 'how the old guys screwed up and us
young guys fixed it' very soon.   See SGML.  If you want a
different outcome, there is a short window of opportunity
to get X3D out front as the best deal for the content owner.
"
is dead right BUT I'm not sure it's so bad....SGML did in the end
turn out too complicated and it took the time and simplicity of HTML then XML
to change the world!


And now for something completely different....a positive post from me about X3D!
I haven't seen anyone post anything about the Web3D 2006 Symposium last week so I'll just
add my impressions. I was unbelievably pleasantly surprised. I had honestly thought for quite
some time that the conference should probably be postponed a year and that it would just turn
out to be the usual suspects with incrementally improved demos and papers. Au contraire!
The papers were damn good and really showed a high degree of maturation to the field.


X3D is still too complicated but the VRML/X3D browsers out there are really beginning to look good!
In particular both the bitmanagement and Xj3D browsers are really showing some impressive capabilities.
Shaders are making these things look like they belong to graphics from this century and the ability to interact with
a lot of stuff at once is finally bringing the graphics quality up to snuff.


I have to mention one paper in particular...Herbert Stocker from bitmanagement presented a talk on his
paper innocuously titled: "Linear Filters - Animating Objects in a Flexible and Pleasing Way".
Stocker presented the whole talk using a customized version of BS Contact that implemented the new nodes
he had designed. The entire talk consisted of 3D examples of him using these new nodes which allow
for highly dynamic animations that respond to the user's actions. Little balls follow the cursor and objects
respond and animate all over the screen. It was the most impressive 3D talk I've seen in years!


What was most impressive to me was that it was clearly implemented in a rock solid browser. We've
been putting together VRML animations that respond to user actions for years but they always seem to have
nasty boundary conditions and jerky responses for example using a VCR type of control to control the animation and
move it forward or reverse and so on. There are always problems. The Stocker presentations was completely solid
and responded in exactly the way one would expect and there were no glitches whatsoever. I don't know if bitmanagement
can make a video of this available but it would be great, at least until the live actual version is available.


Maybe this 3D stuff is actually going to work ;-)
Sandy




On Apr 25, 2006, at 9:09 AM, Bullard, Claude L ((Len)) wrote:

That's cool, "Hat".

BadGirl uses it.  In JOI she is very determined to have more
clica on the objects.

Given that presence is amplified and sustained by feedback,
clica distinguishes the old "shoe box with an orange" worlds from
compelling real time 3D.  It's been obvious for anyone who has
attended business meetings in the worlds that this application
of presence to collaboration has legs.  Onset cues are everything.
There are still some problems of lag and use of text interfaces,
but also some advantages.

I think the business types and probably some contingents
here miss the point that for the content builders and content
customers, X3D is still the best deal in terms of holding on to
investments.  Building in a world is good, but being able to
maintain and keep what one builds is better.  I don't think we
are even halfway to the goal of what real time 3D systems can
achieve in terms of immersion and behavioral shaping.  On the
other hand, anyone who thinks the business types are paying
attention to anything other than subscription numbers
is mistaken.  The history of VRML, Active Worlds, Cybertown,
etc. will become the 'how the old guys screwed up and us
young guys fixed it' very soon.   See SGML.  If you want a
different outcome, there is a short window of opportunity
to get X3D out front as the best deal for the content owner.

You really do want to own content and build content for
others to own.   A virtual economy can only convert to
real dollars when the property of exchange has a lifecycle
past the next rev of the specification.  One really doesn't
want to measure content time in server cycles.  As I said,
it is too much like a blog host that suddenly disappears.

A topic not discussed here as far as I can remember is how
one can acquire affordances (operation rights) that transfer
among worlds in accordance with the norms (cultural constraints)
of a world.  IOW, analogous to single sign on for other network
apps, a means to share identity and ownership to enable rights
regardless of the server owner or vendor.

len


From: owner-www-vrml@web3d.org [mailto:owner-www-vrml@web3d.org]On Behalf Of Peter Griffith

Len from your blog :

'2. Clica (gestures as sensor events) can entertain, attract, repel,
restore, whatever. They can also teach.
'

Don't know where you first came across *clica* but to me it will always
be associated with an Australian lady who I met in a blaxxun chat a long
time ago.


About five years ago, it led to this little piece of 2D fun : *Incident
on Clica Way*


http://www.3dworlds.ca/misc/index.htm

Peter 'griff' Griffith
aka Griff The Hat :)

PS The 'Fatman' is a sometime contributor to this list (Rick Kimball)
and the Aussie lady is Relign/Feathers ;-)


Len Bullard wrote:
http://lamammals.blogspot.com/

My viewpoint only.. d'oh! Answers an email someone sent me relative to
this.


len


From: owner-x3d-public@web3d.org [mailto:owner-x3d- public@web3d.org]On
Behalf Of Sandy Ressler



Check out: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_18/b3982001.htm a COVER STORY article about Second Life...looks like virtual worlds are starting to have a real impact in the traditional business world...Sandy


NAME: Sandy Ressler TELE: (301) 975-3549
USMAIL: National Institute of Standards and Technology FAX: (301) 975-5287
100 Bureau Drive, STOP 8940
Gaithersburg MD 20899-8940


WEB: http://ovrt.nist.gov/people/sressler/sressler.html
Open Virtual Reality Testbed
http://ovrt.nist.gov

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