Is Mozilla Pushing a New 3D Standard?

This past week the web standards organization Khronos Group (the folks responsible for management of the OpenGL standards) announced a partnership with Mozilla that will aim to create a new open standard for ‘accelerated 3D on the web’.

The announcement generated quite a bit of buzz and commentary in the online graphics community. John Dowdell of Adobe wrote a highly critical blog post on the announcement titled "Standards for thee, but not for me". The crux of John's message seems to be that there are already open standards for Web3D (VRML, X3D) and several open and functional browser-based rendering engines. After reading this post, I could see John's point. What's a standard worth if it can be so easily disregarded? But further investigation into matter showed that what Mozilla is proposing is quite different from these existing standards.

While VRML and X3D provide a common vocabulary and standard schema for structuring Web3D data, the Khronos/Mozilla group will work to standardize the way in which this type of data is delivered via the Web. The current leading idea seems to be an interface based on JavaScript (plugin-less!) that would allow direct access to OpenGL rendering functions. This means that VRML and X3D would remain a viable way to organize and store your data and the new standard would provide a common method for the rendering side of the equation.

A CNet article provides a little more info and points out that Adobe is currently looking at incorporating 3D into their Flash-plugin as well....coincidence?

In the end, I think this partnership sounds like it has great promise. It remains to be seen if and when and results would be seen, but the ideas are solid. N Formation Design has long held that a plugin-less content delivery system is the only way to provide viable Web3D. A common, open, hardware-accelerated standard for this would be huge. We'll hope for the best!

3D Captcha

Most everyone these days who has participated any sort of web-service is familiar with the Captcha. It's the (usually) annoying little set of disfigured letters or words that you must decode and type into a box to assure that system that you are, indeed, a human being. Weeding out traffic from hackers and bots is a necessity so that the providers of these automated services can dedicate their time and resources to serving real users. While the current common Captcha system has helped in this respect, it has put an unnecessary additional load on users (Does it ever work right the first time?) and is not foolproof.

The conceptualization and implementation of a new 3D Captcha system promises both an easier and more reliable solution as well as highlighting a new niche for 3D on the web. Instead of identifying words or letters, users would have to choose images that match with a randomly generated view of a 3D object.

From the CNET article:

The challenge is a 3D image of an animal, say of a rabbit's face. The list of answers would display different common animals from different angles, including a photo of the rabbit, this time of its side. Only a human brain would be able to quickly see that the challenge image and the second image on the answer list are of the same animal. Now you just need to click on the correct second image to pass the challenge.

The system relies on the human brain's ability to easily identify different views of a complex 3D object as being the same object. An algorithm can be created to automatically process a text-based Captcha image and try to translate the symbols found into the finite set of available letter, number, and symbol characters. The more disfigured the symobls, the harder for the algorithm to process, but also harder for the human to process! This 3D solution greatly simplifies the ordeal for users while exponentially increasing the difficulty of automating a hack.

What a creative and elegant solution to a complex problem! Three cheers for evolution! :)

Make3D - From 2D to 3D in an Instant

Automated generation of 3D content is an interesting and noteworthy problem that seems to be getting more and more attention lately. With the boom of custom user-driven 3D content both online (virtual worlds, 3D chats, etc.) and off (video games) there is an increasing demand for better, cheaper, and more personalized models. Automating model creation, or at least an initial base model, would allow content producers to work faster and in higher volume without sacrificing quality.

Along with our previous reviews of PhotoSynth and VideoTrace we will now add Make3D as a promising example of automated 3D.

Make3D relies on a complex algorithm created by researchers at Stanford University. As users upload images to the Make3D site, algorithm increases it's efficacy by 'learning' more about constructing 3D scenes based on the new 2D information it has. From the site:

The algorithm models both image depth cues as well as the relationships between different parts of the image. Other than assuming that the environment is made up of a number of small planes, our model makes no explicit assumptions about the structure of the scene; this enables the algorithm to generalize well to scenes that were not seen before in the training set.

Check out the gallery for some very cool interactive examples of Make3D's output. Though the site has recently suspended automated new user registration, a note on the site indicates that you can still get access by emailing the webmaster.

As a bonus for researchers and ambitious tinkerers the code is available for download as well!

Digital Preservation in China

The Bureau of Surveying and mapping in China has announced that they are nearly finished measuring and digitizing the last surviving portions of the Great Wall. The digital models are being created from detailed photographic mappings of nine provinces in the northern region of the country.

Furthermore, the traditionally Internet-unfriendly Chinese government will make the models available online.

This is a great example of the preservation benefits of 3D digitizing and modeling. Even though the wall is significantly degraded, future generations will be able to view and reproduce this "Wonder of the World" as it stands at this time.

Maybe Google can convince them to allow the inclusion of these models into their recent efforts to catalog history?

Project Launch: 3D Pendant Configurator

We are happy to announce the successful launch of our latest interactive web project, a 3d configurator and sales application for custom made pendants. Commisioned by Austin & Warburton Jewelers of Ann Arbor, MI, the application was launched at TheParentAndChild.com shortly before the busy holiday shopping season.

From the project page:

We designed a set of customized 3d configurators that independently focused on each of the detailed and unique pendants. Users can load one of the three pieces and configure it to their own specifications. Choices include pendant size and several metal types and colors. A wide cariety of gemstones can also be selected and placed in specific locations. Each configuration choice is updated instantly on the 3d model without a page reload.

The application was fully integrated with the client's existing shopping cart system and provided a significant upgrade from their previous set of static 2D images. The previous month of heavy use has shown the application to be a great success as described in the message below from Craig Warburton, owner and manager of Austin & Warburton Jewelry:

"It is difficult to describe just how much the product configurator has meant to our online business. Cart abandonment has dropped by 50%, returns for selecting undersized birthstones has all but disappeared and sales have grown 50% faster than I ever imagined possible. The 3D format allows the user to see just how thick and heavy the item is, removing the "cheap and flimsy" fear so much online jewelry formats invoke. The service we received was world class in scope, depth and timing. The seamless integration into our shopping cart software is amazing. In one keystroke, the user can place as many as 10 items into the cart, and we gained control otherwise only provided by written warnings when you established "rules" for application of stone sizes and locations. I always felt our website was superior to many others in our product field, but the configurator you created is the new engine of sales and unmatched by anything in the marketplace. I will call on N Formation Design again and again. The value provided far exceeded my every expectation."

Googling the Future

For a great example of the benefits of 3d and virtual environments, take a look at the new addition to Google Earth recently reported in an article by a Bay Area ABC affiliate.

Google Earth has become a great tool for interactively viewing existing structures and topology, but the truly novel step comes in integrating future structures with the existing world. Google has done just that by adding models (provided by Caltrans) of the yet-to-be-completed Bay Bridge over the existing virtual San Francisco Bay.

From the article:

Until now, Google Earth had a policy of showing only completed structures, for an accurate picture of the earth. But along with adding 3D images, Google has decided to go into the fourth dimension -- time. The bridge is the future, Ancient Rome is in the past.

"I would like to do more of the past, more of the future, to make Google Earth not just everywhere, but every when. A time travel machine for people to understand their heritage, and their future," said [Google CTO Michael] Jones.

I hope this is not just an idle PR statement. Google Earth over time (Google History?) would be an amazing and unprecedented educational tool. The amount of data that could be incorporated is almost unfathomable. The movement of land masses, industrialization, perhaps even battle re-enactments. If anybody can do it, I believe it will be these guys. Fingers crossed!

Desktop 3D Scanning

The RealView 3D company has announced a new desktop 3D scanner that will be unveiled at the recently opened CES 2009. It's great to see more competition in this market. Hopefully the prices of these systems will begin to come down! NextEngine seems to have the most popular 'low cost' version which still comes in at $2995 for the bare-bones package. Though we don't have one in house, I have seen demos of the NextEngine system and the quality is very good for the price. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any price or quality info currently available for the RealView scanner. It will be interesting to compare the too once more details are released. A recent Wired article is already predicting a loss for RealView...

In the meantime, why not try out a do-it-yourself solution! The DAVID scanner requires only a handheld laser ( < $30 USD), a webcam (< $50 USD), and a license for the DAVID-laserscanner software (trial version - FREE, pro version, ~$275 USD). There are some demos and production videos on the site that are definitely worth checking out. Pretty amazing for the investment! If this sort of project is up your alley, why not add on a DIY 3D printer for a full-blown homemade prduction pipeline!

Though all this solutions will inevitably require some patching and smoothing by a 3D artist for production quality models, the increasing availability and accessibility of these machines will no doubt decrease the workload for developers and allow us to produce high-quality content faster and more cost-effectively.

3D Nature! - Interactive Vizualization Hits the Big Time

Nature, the preeminent journal of scientific research, has boosted the credibility of interactive 3d for scientific visualization by publishing their first 3d interactive figure. The January 1st issue contains 3d figures of molecular clouds in a paper first-authored by Alyssa A. Goodman, astronomy professor at Harvard University.

Nature makes use of '3d PDF' technology which allows 3d applets to be embedded in PDF document pages, much like we currently embed them in traditional web pages. Try out the published models (and others) for yourself at this page on the site of Goodman's Initiative in Innovative Computing group. Note: You'll need Adobe Reader 8.1.2 or better to view and interact with the 3d modules.

Screenshot:


We won't pretend to comprehend exactly what is going on in this figure, but one thing we do know is 3d - and the fidelity of this model is fantastic. There a few awkward interaction elements that could be smoothed out, but nothing due to limitations of the technology. The most exciting about this publication for us is that the backing of Nature is sure to increase the exposure and enthusiasm for interactive 3d technologies. Many fields that already make use of 3d technologies to visualize data in their labs will greatly benefit from this expanded ability to communicate their findings to readers.

Anyone interested in using 3d PDF technology for their own work should contact us for more detail.

3D Arlington - Leading the Way

A recent article in the Washington Post highlights efforts by Arlington County government to bring the region into the flourishing world of interactive 3d. Resident John Feather is volunteering his time to get these advanced technology initiatives off the ground and making sure they get the attention they deserve.

Much of the article is devoted to area presences in Second Life. Feather (avatar name: Theatre Magic) leads reporters and other interested parties on guided tours of some of these spaces, making sure to show the power and flexibility of the environment:

One recent evening, Theatre was shepherding a reporter toward the county's online office space for a tour when he sent a text message suggesting a detour. "Want to go swimming?" he wrote. He then teleported to a lake surrounded by Japanese maples and did a summersault from a cliff with an animated Buddha nearby. It was a long way from the Arlington office, but what better place to ponder the future of government?

We need more people like John! It's great to see people in previously untapped areas of life getting the interest and enthusiasm for interactive 3d that us pros have been shouting about for years. I found the following note most interesting:

In November, he started working on a 3D map of Arlington's major buildings. Touching images on the map calls up Web pages about them, and he and his colleagues want to add real-time rent data and detailed visuals from architects and developers so that "when you click on that building, you go in the door."

This sounds like a great idea that even non-techies can see the benefit of. Incorporating spatial data (buildings and locations) with other info (rent data, etc.) will allow people to explore data in a new and relevant way while helping them to answer important questions (where should I live?).

Keep it up John! We applaud your enthusiasm and hope that it inspires others. Let us know if there is anything we can do to help!

Ringing in the New Year

N Formation Design had a great 2008 with many exciting interactive 3d projects. We look forward to new adventures in the coming year and hope for continued adoption of interactive 3d technologies.

Stay tuned to the N Formation Design Blog for more (and hopefully more frequent!) news, tips, and technology reviews in the coming year.

Happy New Year and best wishes for business in 2009!