HOT MIX 11

SILICON GRAPHICS, INC.

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Application Scenarios and Visions

Why put 3D on the World Wide Web?

Imagine that you are using your favorite WWW navigator to surf the Web following links that interest you. You find yourself on a page that is describing theories on the John F. Kennedy assassination. You notice a link to "3D View of the Scene" and decide to click. Moments later, a new window appears and displays a 3D view out the window of the famous book depository looking down on the street below. You notice a frozen motorcade on the street. You also notice a simple controller mounted on a dashboard in your window that appears to be a vehicle navigation device. You then click the cursor over the controller and drag forward. Immediately, the scene begins to zoom in towards one of the cars in the procession. As you approach the car you notice annotations floating in space around the scene. One of the labels catches your eye, "Grassy knoll". You then move your cursor over the "Grassy knoll" label. You notice that the label lights up and the cursor changes to the familiar link cursor. You decide to click on this label. Immediately, you are flown to the area marked "Grassy knoll". From here you can still see the car. You also notice that there are various colored lines in space that all converge on the car. Each line is annoatated with a label such as "Theory #3". You click on a line and notice that your original Web navigator jumps to a new text page that describes in detail Theory #3. The 3D view is still active and visible - at this point you realize the power of WebSpace...

[note: The 3D world described above does not exist, but is entirely possible with WebSpace and VRML. ]

Application Areas

Architecture

Arts and History

Advertising

Education

Engineering

Entertainment

Expositions and Kiosks

Information Services

Science


Architecture

Architecture concerns itself with the design of 3D environments. One of the biggest problems facing an architect is working with the client to help them experience and understand a space before it is built. Many people have difficulty with this and are frequently unhappy or surprised when the structure is constructed.

3D on the World Wide Web provides a simple mechanism for architects to share ideas with peers, customers, and community, in a way that is significantly more powerful than blueprints and rendered ../images. With WebSpace, one can actually walk or drive through the garden, building, mall, or city before it is built. This is especially useful for large-scale projects which impact lots of people. WebSpace's accessibility and easy navigation can be used by anyone and thus can help to include more people into the design process.

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Arts and History

Artists, teachers, and historians are frustrated with the lack of interest shown by the everyday person in the arts and history. These professionals have discovered the wonder and beauty that comes with appreciating these areas, and have desire to share this with others. Combining 3D interactive worlds with the World Wide Web provides an appealing and revealing interface for subjects which many find inaccessible or dry. A few examples come to mind:

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Advertising

The growth of the Internet and World Wide Web is staggering. With the exponential increase in Web sites, competition for the public's attention has gotten fierce. Interactive 3D worlds offer an extraordinary way to differentiate and dazzle your customers. Not only are 3D graphics stunning, but the user experience of navigating through a 3D world in which no two experiences are identical is too powerful an opportunity to ignore. Possible applications in advertising are:

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Education

The possibilities here are endless. The opportunity for lessons, experiments, story telling, and exploration using 3D interactive worlds is mind boggling. The worlds can be designed to appeal to specific or general audiences. Imagine fiction like "Peter Pan", or "Moby Dick", or non-fiction such as "The Way Things Work" by David Macaulay, "Incredible Cross-sections" by Stephen Biesty, or "The MacMillan Visual Dictionary" as 3D interactive worlds that you can enter, explore, and most importantly learn while having fun.

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Engineering

The engineering world is changing. As a result of the emergence of a more integrated global marketplace and increased competition, engineering companies are changing the way they work. Many companies are taking a strong interest in concurrent and collaborative approaches to design and manufacturing. These companies are learning how to operate across geographic and cultural boundaries - engineering, marketing, management, and manufacturing teams are spread out to maximize skills and value. These changes are difficult to implement and require new tools and systems in order to be successful. The World Wide Web represents one very important tool that allows groups around the world to share information easily and quickly. 3D on the Web allows engineering teams to securely share the actual model or data rather than a static image. Today it is possible to create complex, hierarchical 3D and 2D databases on the Web, and to conduct a real-time meeting across the globe while interacting over the telephone.

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Entertainment

There are unlimited possibilites for entertainment using 3D on the World Wide Web - here are a few:

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Expositions and Kiosks

Expositions, kiosks, trade shows, and fairs can now be experienced remotely through the combination of WebSpace and the World Wide Web. Since physical attendance is no longer a requirement, organizers can potentially attract larger and more diverse crowds.

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Information Services

The World Wide Web makes a LOT of information accessible to a LOT of people. What is missing is a presentation format that is interactive and explorative. 3D graphics offers possibilities for visualizing abstract (e.g. stock prices) and literal (e.g. stadium seating) information.

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Science

The scientific community relies heavily on journal publication to disseminate and share information. 3D datasets have become a commodity in scientific research. The combination of interactive 3D graphics and the distribution power of the World Wide Web represents a significant improvement in scientific publishing. Scientists can now share more than text and images - they can actually share the results in the form of interactive, annotated 3D objects and visualizations that explain their ideas in a way unachievable in 2D.

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