Editorial November 2000

by Timothy Martin, CEO and Editor-in-Chief

Greetings 3D Web Aficionados!

Welcome to the VirtuWorlds 3DEZine, THE place to find the best 3D Web content and everything you need to know about the 3D Web industry. Well, not quite everything yet- but we're getting there. Just recently in attending Internet World 2000 in New York City, the need for a forum such as the 3DeZine was made even more apparent, as the amount of new 3D Web companies popping up on the radar were a surprise to even the most avid 3D Web heads. Companies such as Oraios and Mendel 3D are coming out of the R&D woodwork with stunning and innovative approaches to 3D Web implementation. And that's just the tip of the iceberg: there are certainly dozens more just below the radar, ready to launch in the next six months. Look for the Web3D Symposium February, 2001 in Paderborn, Germany to provide the next stage for major 3D Web coalescence. The typical chaos that surrounds an emerging technology industry demands that there be a unifying force that covers all the "games". You can trust that force in 3D Web to be the VirtuWorlds 3DeZine.

The evolution demonstrated by 3D Web companies in this last half of 2000 has been quite inspiring. For the most part, significant progress is being made in three important categories: 1) Hot Applications, 2) Interoperability with high-end 3D Graphics software, and 3) Open Source initiatives. As far as hot applications goes, the newly merged Eyematic/Shout powerhouse clearly led the way with its impressive video-scanning technology enabling the user to simply sit at his computer in front of a video-camera while it converts real-time video of the user into a high-quality 3D bust which actually renders facial emotion extremely realistically. Other apps from such companies as Virtus (poised to rock the Online Travel industry), and Cycore (their recently acquired PuppetTime affords 3D programmers an invaluable tool in character-animation for short movies on the web), clearly demonstrate that the DEMAND for 3D Web technology will very shortly skyrocket. We were also very pleased to see the increase in interoperability between high-end 3D graphics software and the low-end 3D Web. Discreet certainly wins the prize in this regard, pairing itself with at least eight 3D Web companies such as Macromedia, Pulse, Brilliant Digital Entertainment, and Shout!!! For more on the latest Web 3D news, be sure to check out our news section powered by SPECTRUM NEWS and the omniscient Dave Duberman.

Finally, the quest towards making a viable universal standard in 3D Web delivery is alive and kicking as evidenced by the invigorated activities of the Web 3D Consortium and it's new Board of Directors. Although the spec for the highly anticipated X3D open standard is still not complete, the consortium has demonstrated significant inroads towards completion of the spec. As well, it is refreshing to see a rejuvenated effort by the new BOD to envelope the many 3D Web companies that have, to this date, not participated in the development of X3D. Their involvement is absolutely crucial to X3D acceptance and Web 3D ubiquity. We will certainly be watching to see how the Consortium fairs in its outreach. Be sure to check out our Web3D Consortium report by Nick Polys.

As we work towards taking this fast-growing community of 3D Webbers to the next level of content evolution, we are committed more than ever to delivering you the latest info and news relating to our blooming industry. Featured in the 3Dezine is some superb technical analysis by Nick Polys focusing on Shout Interactive's wonderful Shout 3D technology, as well as the slick Spazz 3D authoring tools. Also be sure to check out Steve "that Mac guy" Guynup's article on VRML gaming. If you're itchin' to get down and dirty with code, these articles will turn you on. Look for features on Parallel Graphics and Draw Computing in the near future. Check out some preliminary research in our market study based on a survey that the 3DEZine conducted at the Web3D/VRML 2000 Symposium in Monterey, CA. There will certainly be more extensive surveys and research at this February's Web3D Symposium in Paderborn, Germany.

Finally, I'd like to call your attention to our 3D Web job board featured in our Resources section. Whether you represent a 3D Web company or are an individual 3D hacker, this will be the place to find anyone offering or seeking a job in the 3D Web community. We are very excited about this service, as a functional 3D Web job board can really help to heal the fragmentation of the 3D Web community caused by our industry's rocky beginnings. Be sure to e-mail your postings to npolys@virtuworlds.com Looking forward to the 3D Web explosion of 2001,

Tim Martin