The 3D Web
Over at Silverink Towers we sense a real buzz about the new 3D technologies emerging in Web design
Let's get it out there: we've always been nuts about 3D. From VU-3D on the ZX Spectrum, through MS-DOS 3D Studio to today's photo-realistic CGI, we've always been there. And now, as proud new owners of Oculus Rift Developer Kit 2, we feel we're about to complete a circle.
We've spoken before about how WebGL is finally bringing de facto 3D standards to Web design. We can now create photo-realistic 3D environments in your Web browser, interact with your mouse and kick-off pre-rendered sequences and interactions.
Futhermore, with the power of JavaScript libraries running on today's processors, we can do all this full-screen for added immersion. Pop on your Oculus Rift headset and you step into a different world - moving through these enviroments as though you were there. We're talking about bringing Virtual Reality to your desktop.
Sound is another key element in VR. Marriott Hotels recently added sonsory immersion to the Rift, creating a Teleporter. Add some means of tactile control - Microsoft's Kinect and Leap Motion are moving fast in this virtual space - and we finally get to be Tom Cruise in Minority Report.
I mentioned closing a circle. This isn't the end of a path: we are starting anew in fresh 3D environments. Whether developing immersive real-time-render Oculus installations using Unity 3D / Unreal Engine, or designing bleeding-edge WebGL CMS for Social websites, it feels we're running over brand new ground in comfortable old shoes.