Hi, all Processing heads out there,
I have been working on a 3D web page using Processing. It's coming along well and looks nothing like your typical 2D web page at all - actually it's sort of game-like. I have questions and such, but first let's have a look at the 3D web page itself:
Load it up in Google Chrome (preferred) or FireFox (works ok), but not Internet Explorer (does not work at all), and you will be treated to a blue page with white letters that are the instructions, plus a large black window that is the 3D web page. Read the instructions for info about navigating the world and then check it out!
I didn't know what to put in this 3D web page until a friend who is just completing a cancer survival effort (wow, like I have problems, right?) told me he was feeling sick and down, so I asked him if he wanted a planet. He said "yes", and Danger's Crystallized Gingerbread World was born. Soon other friends wanted worlds and I have just about filled up the first solar system. Pressing space bar warps you to the second solar system, in which my bestie Amber chose to own the Sun.
Each world has a name, a message, and a web link. If you see the web link on the screen that you like (which you see by being close to that world), then pressing either <enter> key will take you to the web site. Also there is an image of a digitized apple in gray floating around near the starting point. That's because I thought "what does a web page need at minimum?" Answer: Text, Images, and Links. Well, thanks to Processing and processing.js, we have all that.
My friend Lieven who is a web developer told me that the 3D Web was attempted about 10 years ago, and it failed. I asked him why and he said "Flash Plugin". Remember the days of plugins? Didn't you just grind your teeth at them? Yeah, plugins sucked (apologies to those who helped develop them, but yeah they sucked). They were sort of like a developmental phase that you are glad when it's over like your toddler's "Terrible Two's" stage or whateverr. Well we cut our teeth on Flash Plugins, the 3D web died, and now looking back we are coming to the realization that "Hey, with Processing we can do this and do it right this time!"
Well at least I hope that's what others are thinking 'cause I sure am. I doubt that anyone will be surprised to see metaverse core in action, just it's pleasant to see that it can be done. I figure we need a 3D Library for it, maybe someone wants to make a 3D browser (I'm told they exist, but require Flash), or whatever else. My friends and I also have fantasies of writing 3D frontends for things like google search engine and/or facebook.
You can of course just grab the javascript and start playing with it yourself (and please do so if you are in a hurry), but if you can spare a moment for a reply to this post or an email to me, I'd greatly appreciate it. Please note that the email to which I pay attention these days is:
and not the inventoralchemi@gmail.com that this account will offer you. Of course, I need not mention that my cutsey little UFO / Space theme is just one possibility. Urban Apocalypse, Undersea Adventure, Molecular Level, Heaven or Hell, take your pick of themes in which you could view the 3D web that (surely?) is about to emerge! With that I bid you peace...
Les Hall