3D Stream

Avatars from Adobe?

Of course multiuser Web 3D has been around almost since the beginning of the Internet. But for that entire span of time, it has been a visual ghetto when compared to video games and other realtime 3D applications.

But Adobe seems poised to address this head-on by putting 3D tools in the hands of its gigantic army of professional graphic artists. And they have done their homework in providing a contemporary quality realtime 3D engine to show these 3D worlds.

An interesting fact that could shed light on why Adobe would be entering the world of multiuser 3D is that they have been collaborating with Bruce Damer's DigitalSpace Corporation. Damer has long been at the forefront of Web based multiuser collaboration in virtual worlds.

And while multiple waves of hype and derision have come and gone, a core group of users have continued to pioneer real uses of virtual avatars, like distance learning, e-commerce, and virtual conferences with thousands of attendees.

Naturally there are many factors that Adobe's succes will hinge upon here. Chief among them will be how these worlds and avatars will be authored. Adobe's authoring tool, Atmosphere Builder allows users to create simple 3D spaces out of parametric primitives that snap together.

After texturing these scenes, users can run Atmosphere Builder's built-in radiosity lighting. Animated 3D models can also be brought in from standard 3D modeling packages as well to make it a fairly flexible solution.

Well, that's all for this installment. Thanks for watching the 3DStream.