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Netstat -vat by Sean Michael Kerner (bio)

A command line view of IT



Google O3D brings 3D to web browsers.

By Sean Michael Kerner on April 21, 2009 5:40 PM
google.labs.png From the 'Lynx can't do that' files:

Google has a new Labs project publicly available today that brings 3D graphics into web browsers. It's called O3D and its somewhat related to a multi-vendor effort that was announced last month at Game Developers Conference (GDC).

According to Google, O3D is an open-source JavaScript API for creating interactive 3D graphics applications that run in a browser window. The JavaScript required for 03D is loaded into the browser via HTML (like most content). O3D works on a users desktop by taking advantage of the GPU (hardware graphics accleration) by way of the OpenGL or Direct3D library.

Sound easy enough. The only problem in my view is that there is another effort called C3DL (sponsored by Mozilla) which look to my naked eye to be very similar.

What this could mean - in the absense of a true standard - is more fragmentation and frustration for web developers. Instead of a single standard approach, like say a real HTML 5 standard that included this stuff, developers may end up having to navigate the different specifications for different implementations.

Then again, I could be entirely wrong.

Google's effort is new and C3DL is hardly a standard either.

Perhaps with both effort pushing forward a common ground can be achieved. And if not, well they're both plug-ins now. Individual sites or developers could specify that users use specific plug-ins to get the 3D graphics. That model isn't likely to work, it failed in the early days of the web and it would fail now too.

The web needs standards. Let's hope 3D graphics are one standard that we'll see sooner rather than later.

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6 Comments

Pimpernel said:

Lynx also can't report your every move right to the NSA.

April 21, 2009 6:37 PM
Danny Stefanic said:

A great start with O3D, I do hope that Google adopt open standards so everyone can benefit and interoperate.

ExitReality web 3D app already achieves this on Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari and Opera browsers.

It also supports all graphics cards in laptops, you don't need a gamers machine to experience 3D multiuser worlds anymore.

All standard web picture, video and audio content are supported too along with Interactive Flash.

Full support for Khronos groups Collada format and ISO X3D open standards and MPEG4 avatar standards also.

April 22, 2009 1:33 AM
mph said:

In the abstract, I wouldn't worry too much at this point about there being two implementations of this particular concept. I came across an old article in the NYT a few days ago that mentioned the O'Reilly Internet guide from the early '90s, which I owned and read from my lap as I sat at a Lear-Seigler ADM3A+. At the time, the future for online text was plainly WAIS with Gopher maybe having a shot among certain communities. There was this thing called the WWW, but we already had WAIS, so why bother? I'm sure people who invested time and learning into WAIS or Gopher were pretty frustrated in the short term.

All that is to say that you probably aren't wrong: Developers will no doubt encounter frustration as they attempt to triangulate between these differing implementations and what ends up working in the dominant browsers. It's just part of the process.

Like Danny says, the key is how open the dominant implementation is.

April 22, 2009 1:24 PM
enzogames arcade said:

I tried this yesterday and no luck in opera or chrome. What does it take to make this thing work. I installed the plugin and waited for each sample to start but nothing. Maybe my computer just sucks but I should have seen something, right. But as far as a standard is concerned it would be nice if it were fast, like unity plugin(cross platform) but without the cost.

April 23, 2009 12:51 PM
Rune said:

3D content has been accessible from inside the web browser for years. Popular indie games like Off-Road Velociraptor Safari and RC Laser Warrior have used the Unity 3D technology to show amazing 3D graphics in the browser.
But also huge franchises flock to Unity: Cartoon Networks even made their fullblown MMO FusionFall as a 3D in-browser game with Unity.

Google's Beach Demo even looks suspiciously similar to Unity's vast Tropical Paradise Demo:

http://unity3d.com/gallery/live-demos/tropical-paradise

But it will be interesting to see where things will be going with an open source project like this! Once it has matured a bit more, it will certainly have potential.

April 25, 2009 8:31 PM
John said:

Looks all people forgot about Macromedia/adobe DIRECTOR IDE and SHOCKWAVE. Which could run 3D long back

September 11, 2009 1:06 AM

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