ExitReality: another VRML world
ExitReality Launches With Carl’s Jr Deal, and it looks like another attempt to commercialize VRML, much like several of the other projects we have seen over the last couple of years.
The comment thread is interesting precisely because of its mix of reactions:
This is really nice! Really love to check it out. It can turn any web page into 3D space? How can this be done? Amazing stuff!
to
I’d like one double failburger to go.
One commenter makes the point that has to be made about any plug-in based approach to the problem: what about adoption of the plug-in? Most people simply say no to all plug-in install requests. This is a significant challenge across the web — it takes really compelling content to drive adoption.
In any case, ExitReality seems to have some nice features that seem to rapidly be becoming de rigueur: HTML on a polygon, video on a polygon, etc. Not sure how they did the Burger Time emulation — Flash on a poly? Most interesting is the “install and automatically make a 3d space from your webpage” thing that is hinted at. It’s not that hard to do, really — pass in the URL to the world, and have the world scrape the page for assets to use — but it potentially makes a page a bit more compelling.
Edit: Apparently there’s a MySpace app as well, which connects to the branded worlds.
15 Responses to “ExitReality: another VRML world”
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Funny, the first comment looks precisely what one of the PR droids would post about this project, and probably is. 🙂
It is said to be ‘cross-platform’ but I read only Windows + IE/Firefox.
Does anyone know about that?
Anyway, targeting social networks is really a good marketing strategy, in my opinion.
Thanks for the write up Raph, the platform is built to be format agnostic focussing on leading open standards, Collada, X3D and supports other formats such as vrml, obj and more.
@Bertrand, the plugin is Windows IE/FF only at this time but renderers for both Direct3D and OpenGL are built in, so performance on Windows on Mac under Parallels is hardware accelerated.
I can confirm we do have interactive Flash as a texture type too, along with many other formats.
The really neat part is the use of a 3D style sheet, which interprets any html tag as a 3D representation, you can build almost any type of derived environment using this method… a lot like css is used on webpages today.
I have seen several interactive games built on top of this platform and I think there could be a real synergy with MetaPlace and the ExitReality plugin as a client!
:Danny
Very nice.
Plugin adoption barriers are mostly a myth now. It is about the content.
The harsh reality for the generalized worlds is that compelling content and brands are perceived to be the same thing. The technology isn’t of much concern in the entertainment business.
Plugin adoption is really not a myth…! There’s quite current stats for worlds with content showing that it’s still a huge barrier for people. It’s been a subject of active discussion recently in the industry because of the rise of so many branded projects.
That said, I do think that content, the synch/asynch gap, whether microworlds are compelling, etc, is a huge huge question the industry is not yet answering. I was just on the phone with a conference organizer and was rattling off big unanswered questions. Hmm, maybe that’s a post in and of itself.
If it is, it is a self-perpetuating myth, Raph. The kids I know just hit the download button and move on.
OTOH, do you think it is download size, fear for security, lack of imagination, lack of broadband? The last was my barrier until I got broadband. Are there demographics in those stats that might suggest some will and some won’t download?
To me though, the interesting point is that despite all the noise about standards interoperability, at the grassroots, the language standards that be (eg, X3D, Collada, VRML) do fine. I think that is because as you have said, language agnosticism is the right way to go. Then it comes down to the IP barriers and the stability of the organization creating the standard. IOW, those listed above are no-brainers for the startups as long as the languages do a reasonable job when needed.
Now the question is if the rumored big announcement from Google will mean a thing to this market or if it will be just another competitor for Linden Labs. Unbranded worlds tend to be just 3D chat so far.
The plugin argument goes both ways. I know that whenever I am called upon to do family tech support they invariably have installed a couple of spyware supported toolbars etc. So things do get installed.
And you’re right the industry has a lot to work to do with the synch/asynch gap.
It does go both ways. Poisoning the well is one way to drive independents down to the river where they can be loaded onto the cattle barges.
The biggest mistake made by the early VRMLers was to adopt the plugin architectures of the browsers. While occasionally useful, the standalones were far richer and more robust. In fact, the HTML browser was a botch from day one. MAC86 had it right. The browser is a throwback.
What the X3D vendors do is maintain both a plugin for the embedded applications and the standalone for the rich immersive experience. The 2.5D systems are to the rich 3D systems what screen dumps are to glossy magazines.
Number of clicks would be the first barrier. Asking the player to take action, instead of pushing the experience to them. Second barrier is that these days on modern browsers, plugins get blocked by default for security reasons, and you get a relatively unobtrusive and scary popup that suggests that you should not allow the plugin to install. Third barrier is then actually installing it, which in the tech-savvy does raise security questions.
I haven’t seen detailed demo stats on which groups are more or less likely to install plugins, but anecdotally, I have been in the “family tech” situation too. I think the completely unsavvy do tend to do it, because that’s whose computers I have to fix. 😉 Then again, they are also running IE6 still, and keep every program as a desktop icon, and probably don’t want to enter a VW in the first place.
I think that certainly COLLADA and X3D are no-brainers as far as 3d file formats, though COLLADA is unfortunately silly big.
I don’t think VRML is particularly good for a wide range of real-time stuff, which seems to me to be why the real-time stuff gets layered on top of it using other methods. The biggest problem with VRML, to my mind, is that it tries to solve too many things at once.
Standalone clients are definitely richer and more robust, but again have a higher barrier of adoption. That’s part of why everyone is rushing to the browser now, trading fidelity for accessibility. Once you get people in the door, then you can persuade them to upgrade.
Browser-based won’t be the poorer cousin forever — at some point the browser and the OS merge to some significant degree.
I agree browser based is the only way to go, even if it is with a plugin, which is how flash started.
Our plugin is only 3.5mb in size, a one time install.
If the technology provides access to compelling content and a critical mass of compelling content, then the barriers to adoption are reduced substantially. By giving all users, web site owners and businesses a stake in it day-one also helps drive adoption.
Ultimately all media-types should be represented in a casual browser context; text, images, audio, video and 3d. But most important are the experiences and these should be able to utilize any content type that works for them.
Raph, email me if you would like to explore integration with MetaPlace experiences.
:Danny
Errr Raph, X3D is just VRML 2.0 with XML markup and more features! Don’t jump on the VRML is crap meme! VRML was crap, then they did 2.0 but it was too late for perception and technology (rendering power and broadband) hadn’t yet caught up to the idea!
I like Collada but it IS silly big and doesn’t make sense for the web and in fact was never designed with that in mind. Hell the documentation practically says so!
In any case i think i shall be following these guys they seem to be quite open and non-restrictive. Which is what needs to happen for a 3D web thing to work in the long run!
To stay short and sweet,
Millenials I have talked with dont mind another plug-in that allows them to access cool content to experience with their friends,and definately if it serves more than one website. These aren’t raised gamers, just your average late teen early twenty females/males. One-click and then “POW” my site or other is in 3d? Wicked cool! The veteran pioneers have to remember that this is a new gen of Internet users now gents, heavy clients are one thing, plug-ins equal no problem for a high cool factor.
Hats off to the team at ExitReality for supporting standards and walking the talk of “interoperability”. Look forward to more, I will be participating! 🙂
As always,thanks Raph for the great coverage of this.
Being as I just experienced the transition in my last few years, there is a massive world of difference between “late teens/early twenties” and “late twenties” (and everything after). Yeah, you can get people to jump into things fairly easily until somewhere in that mid-20s area, after a few “wake-up” calls and the onset of “street smarts” begins and they show more and more outright distrust of “exciting new opportunities and all you have to do is press this button!”.
@danny: Would love to see more accessible documentation on this.
Raph said: “at some point the browser and the OS merge to some significant degree.”
Which is another trip through the Moebus warp because that is the Mac86 phenomenon. There was a small contingent of us who objected to HTML browsers as retrograde evolution. On the other hand, timing is everything. Browser-based programs were the only way any of us knew to bridge the huge chasm of the then multiple operating systems and network protocols of the early nineties. We just didn’t believe developers thought it was The Only Way for network applications to evolve. The politics of the standards game are not for the naive. So we are taking another trip around the strip.
VRML did try to be too many things, I agree. I tried to get the X3D specs to break these apart but didn’t have much luck. Namespaces weren’t there in XML yet and everyone was still taking hatchets to SGML. The compromises aren’t pretty in the profiles but it was a step forward.
The smart move was making the consortium the IP-keeper so we could keep it open for the startups and the kids. What would really help at this point would be an infusion of fresh blood and ideas for the next round of evolution. A lot of us old school guys are at the time when we need to so what we did in XML: turn it over to the young turks. If the consortium collapses, it will be open season on capturing the IP. We had to fight Microsoft, Intel, IBM you name ’em, because of the lust for capturing the IP and taking it off the market. Rumors are Google is about to try for that too. Vigilance and freedom, yadda yadda.