Images on this site were compressed using e-Vue MPEG4 technology in 2001, which was groundbreaking at the time for its DRM component and higher compression than JPG, however e-Vue is no more — we are transitioning these images to JPEG for 2004.
Several major companies have invested in community 3D technologies for the Web, and we will see at least two major search portals offering chat worlds with avatars before the end of the year.
As part of their plan to dominate the multi-user market, Blaxxun has also released a software application called Blaxxun Avatar Studio, for Windows 95/98 only, that takes a point-and-drag approach to building your virtual self. Simple controls allow you to choose body type, height, and dimensions, and then move on to subtle features like smile and hair. Even neck width, chin, and forehead can be modified using sliders.
Clothing options include everything from suit and tie, to lingerie and the like. You can even scan in your own face (or a celebrity, although the documentation is careful to not say so specifically) to put on the virtual body. These VRML characters can be easily imported into any chat community that supports avatars.\
Blaxxun's Avatar Studio offers simple drag-and-click control of personalizing male and female VRML avatars.
Compatibility Issues
In testing many of these and other options for Web 3D, it was unfortunate that many do not support the Mac, Linux, or the perennial hopeful BeOS. Blaxxun does not currently have a Mac plug-in for their 3D communities like Cybertown.com, but expects to have one within a year. WebGlide has one in the works, and presumably with Adobe's support, there will be a MetaStream 3.0 Mac plug-in. For Web 3D, the Windows platform currently has a predominance across the board.
Several new Mac-based VRML 2.0 browsers have come into being to fill this void, including Twirl 1.0 from Zap Technologies, and MacLookAt. CommercialVRML plug-ins include Flatland Rover (only for Netscape), and the Cosmo Player. All are free.
The Near Future
When asked about the near future of Web 3D, Blaxxun's Grekin comments, "There will be a convergence of applications and devices for 3D on the Web. People will be able to communicate in a variety of ways. All will be linked to the Web, allowing people to access more visual information anywhere at anytime on any device."
Electric Rain's Klein adds, "I definitely think that 3D will start to become more of the norm than the exception on the Internet. Bandwidth is certainly becoming less of an issue and the industry is always finding a way to improve the delivery of content through smaller file sizes. The world is three-dimensional, and as the barriers for deliverying 3D content are broken down, people will want to view things as they are in real life."
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What is X3D
While still in its formative stages, the new Extensible 3D format (X3D) should finally address the shortcomings and limitations of the existing VRML97 and 2.0 specifications.
The benefits of X3D lie in its open archicture, and by nature, its extensibility. This provides for a stable common framework, which allows individual developers to build application-specific extensions while retaining basic functionality.
This approach would simplify distribution of Web applications, browser plug-ins, and even developer tools because a development package could add new feature sets much as Photoshop gains functionality via new filters/plug-ins. Currently, every publisher has to essentially rewrite their development code to incorporate the features they want, and then their tools won't work with other developer tools directly.
Based on response to a 1999 Web3D.org survey (www.Web3D.org), the primary target applications for X3D are:
E-commerce product and technology demonstration
Visual Simulation
Database Visualization
Advertising and Web Page Animation
Augmented News and Documentation
Training
Multi-user
Games and Entertainment
Virtual Characters
Education
Art Galleries
Augmented Reality
An important aspect of X3D is its ability to run VRML97 files at 100-percent compatibility. Another important feature is its tight integration with XML, allowing access to an additional range of functionality without weighing down the 3D features.
As of this writing, X3D has not yet been submitted to the International Standards Organization.
Christopher Simmons has been working with 3D for many years and has created 3D editorial illustrations and magazine covers for Micro Publishing News, Digital Imaging, Print on Demand Business, and Quick Printing, among others. He is currently the president of Neotrope, which offers design, brand marketing, and content development.
E-mail him at cs@digitalauthor.com.
A version of this article appeared in the July 2000 edition of Micro Publishing News.
