官术网_书友最值得收藏!

Chapter 1. Building Great Web3D

 

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

 
  --Sir Isaac Newton

Not long after the introduction of HTML, 3D for the web was launched. Web3D was a natural extension of existing technologies. Already, the first 3D games such as Doom were being launched and computer-generated imagery was being used for special effects in movies. Microsoft's DirectX game interface (originally known as Game Developers Kit) was launched and a number of 3D modeling programs such as Caligari trueSpace, 3D Studio, and Wavefront were made available to artists. In addition, programming languages such as Java and JavaScript enable web programming and Internet applications. Existing tools were also being migrated to the Web such as Macromedia's Director through the Shockwave plugin. The Web quickly went beyond just text and static images as multimedia streamed through RealAudio and RealVideo. The first modems grew from 14.4 to 28.8 and then to 56.6 kb/s. Storage increased from 1 MB floppy discs to 700 MB CD-ROMs. Memory disk prices dropped significantly, supporting the move from text to imagery. All this was driven by consumers.

A graphical revolution was taking place. The command-line operating system was finally giving way to a graphical user interface. Toy Story, the first animated feature film premiered, showed that 3D was a story-telling medium with engaging characters. Moreover, there was a small group of committed, talented people with visions of an interactive Web3D, combined with enthusiasm and dreams of virtual reality. So much was in place for Web3D's growth: fast technology, 3D modeling tools for creation, and talented people with vision. The first specification, Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML), was also born, although it served as a prototype to the soon-replaced update, VRML 2.0. Web3D was a small representative of the dot-com boom. A mix of startups and technology giants entered the arena with varied engineering approaches. Some opted for their own technology such as Pulse 3D and Activeworlds, which is still active as its name says. Others relied on their own VRML browsers and plugins such as Sony, Microsoft, and Silicon Graphics.

With time, however, the Web could no longer just be about fun, irrelevant stuff such as live video cameras focused on fish tanks. It had to become economically viable, and thus, the more frivolous applications gave way to search engines, online banking, and e-commerce. Among them were Yahoo!, Amazon, and America Online. The early pioneers of Web3D and VRML were ahead of their time and deserve acknowledgement for their great work. Their efforts were not futile, but Web3D's day would come another time. The public needed the familiar medium of text, photos, and streaming audio and video. Interactive 3D was finding its early adopters elsewhere—gamers—people who embraced new technology for fun.

主站蜘蛛池模板: 阿克陶县| 兴安盟| 鄂托克前旗| 寿宁县| 织金县| 夏津县| 从化市| 鄂伦春自治旗| 托克托县| 和龙市| 苍南县| 田阳县| 越西县| 临江市| 新乡市| 临湘市| 绥芬河市| 海南省| 秦安县| 巴南区| 杭锦后旗| 高安市| 巴中市| 江达县| 定安县| 麦盖提县| 望江县| 渭源县| 富平县| 永春县| 宝清县| 宾阳县| 金溪县| 滕州市| 屯留县| 焉耆| 阿克陶县| 松滋市| 平湖市| 水富县| 庆安县|