• The x3D Initiative
• State of the Industry
• 3D Market Forces
• 3D E-commerce- Online Fashion

I’m psyched to finally meet the core movers & shakers of the 3D Web community.  It’s been amazing and inspiring to watch how the community has pulled together X3D to the point where it stands today.  The 3D Web Revolution is on, and VirtuWorlds is excited to be a part of it!!!  We are finally about to witness the mass conversion of the Web into 3D, first through applets such as X3D which will incorporate 3D into HTML pages.  In the subsequent 3-4 years, we will see the Desktop and World Wide Web go entirely 3D as well.  The 2D/HTML web will certainly be viewed as an antique of the 20th Century.  VirtuWorlds intends to be a chief catalyst for this momentous dimensional shift.

Now there are tons of naysayers who, disappointed and embittered by the past four years of failed expectations of 3D Web delivery and the corporate debacles that ensued, dismiss the 3D Web as incapable of being an economically viable Internet arena.  And yes, it must be outright acknowledged that the 3D Web industry has endured a very painful fragmentation which scarred everyone in the industry to a certain extent.  However the result of this evolutionary shakeout is that there is an incredibly experienced core of players (companies and individuals) that have graduated to the era in which all of their dreams and hard work can finally be realized.  For only now are we seeing the obstacles to 3D Web ubiquity finally lifting:  The megahertz race has intensified beyond expectation, new Graphics Card solutions are coming out by the week, and the mass population of Internet users are finally gaining access to the broadband which is essential to proper 3D Web surfing.  Everything is in place for the 3D Web revolution to take hold.

The only problem is that there is still extreme fragmentation, as evidenced by the lower than usual attendance of the Symposium this year.  The reasons behind this fragmentation must be addressed and resolved- stay tune for our official diagnosis of the situation post-symposium.  The time is come to reconnect the scattered pieces of the 3D Web industry that have become isolated over the years of stagnation.  It’s time to bridge the communication of the 3D Web industry so that the industry can move forward unhindered by its choppy past.  This is the prime objective of the VirtuWorlds 3DEZine:  To catalyze 3D Web Ubiquity through aggregation and critique of the most cutting edge 3D Web content; to successfully steer the 3D Web industry through the tricky waters inherent to the 3D Web through moderation of the debates over crucial 3D Web issues; to rally the focus of the 3D Web industry by providing objective analysis and positive editorials, as well as up-to-date 3D Web News and resources; and finally to raise the public’s awareness to the power and ease of the 3D Web through carefully sculpted Tutorials and advice on how to negotiate the confusing terrain of the 3D Web.

You may ask, “How does the 3DEZine hope to accomplish this noble feat of catalyzing 3D ubiquity?  Who says the 3DEZine is an authority to be trusted? After all, it’s not the first time the 3D Web community has been screwed over.”  It is a perfectly justifiable distrust to which our response is that YOU will be the ultimate authority.  It is high time that control of the 3D Web industry was taken away from corporations that lack the vision to see beyond quarterly profits, and relinquished by the individuals and companies that are driven by their passion for vision of 3D Web ubiquity.  Thus the content of the 3DEZine will be generated and edited through extensive polling and interaction with the readership.  There will be no pandering to corporate interests.  Only the interests of the 3D Web community will be served.  Make sure you visit our Polls

To facilitate the 3D Web evolution, the 3DEZine will offer valuable guidance and resources from some of the leading movers and shakers of the industry.  The content of the 3DEZine includes a weekly newsfeed from Dave Duberman’s Spectrum and Fourth Wave’s Wave-Report, personalized and updated tutorials and FAQ’s from 3D Web guru Bob Crispen, Feature Interviews with Web 3D Evangelists Neil Trevett and Don Brutzman, a powerful 3D search engine powered by the folks at 3Dup.com, as well as an insightful overview of the 3D Web market leading 3D Web industry analyst, Wanda Meloni.  However, the direction of future issues will be driven by you the reader.  So input- Let your voice be heard- Contribute to your own evolution!  There has never been a more ripe time to effect change than now- conditions are ripening- Let the 3D Web flourish in 2000!!!

Ready to Rock like Jimi at Monterey,

Tim Martin