Recently there have been many impressive web sites created with Papervision 3D. Some of these sites are not only used for 3D aesthetic purposes but also used as interactive pieces. One such site is: Absolut’s, “In An Absolut World” http://www.absolut.com/iaaw/. This site features interactive 3D cubes that may be stacked on top of each other to form different shapes. They may be grabbed with the mouse and thrown around on screen. They may be rotated and spun in different directions, where the speed changes depending on the speed at which the users’ mouse moves. It is a impressive site to play with, however it does have its pitfalls. One of its pitfalls is the camera movement and viewpoint. When looking around the site the camera follows the movements of the mouse which makes the user experience less enjoyable. It feels and seems somewhat awkward and annoying when you want to look at the cubes at a certain angle but you simply can’t, the camera moves and changes the view.

However, a 3D web interface which has excellent camera control is, “The Eco Zoo” http://ecodazoo.com/. The user may control the camera by grabbing inside the viewport and moving the mouse in any direction which in turn allows the camera great flexibility in its movements. Not only does this site have excellent camera control but the interface is very robust, it incorporates both 2D and 3D navigation formats. The main navigation is a cardboard 3D tree with characters making their home on or in it which may be interacted with or they may be selected via a 2D menu at the top of the screen. The interface was created very intuitively and makes navigation to the characters’ specific pop-up books very simple. “The Eco Zoo” is not only an excellent example of a 3D web interface, but is also educational and it handles some current problems with these types of interfaces very effectively.

Current problems with 3D interfaces deter users away from them for the following reasons: They don’t really use the third dimension in a way that is useful or convenient, computer resources demand is high, and displaying large amounts of data may become overwhelming. These may seem like significant problems with 3D interfaces but they may be worked out solved effectively. One site which has worked out a way to display large amounts of information in an intuitive 3D web interface is MSNBC’s “Spectra visual newsreader” http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24207533/. “Spectra” has been able to effectively meld a 2D web interface with a 3D web interface to make it much more useful, entertaining and aesthetically pleasing experience to the user.

In order to make 3D interfaces more useful and convenient we first need to develop simple applications and interactive environments which are intuitive to users. Despite everything we can do today with 3D interfaces we are more than likely able to accomplish the same things with 2D interfaces. However the 3D interfaces are much more entertaining and engaging to users. Such is the case with the White Voids web site: http://www.whitevoid.com/application. White Void could have created their site in a 2D space but decided to go 3D because of the spacial and aesthetic value 3D offered. Use of a 3D interface for their site made the user experience exponentially more enjoyable. It also separated them from the norm and made them nationally recognized and known through out the design world for creating one of the best 3D web interfaces.

However, many people are accustomed to a 2D desktop because that is what we see and use on a day to day basis. We place items on our desks and remember where they are using spatial memory. When we do this in a third dimension we also do the same thing, in both ways we are using spatial memory. Both 2D and 3D interfaces require certain amounts of persistence in that when you put something down you expect it to remain there till you get back to it. Persistence will also be required of the user; the user will need to be patient in order to develop efficient usage patterns, the interfaces themselves will need to entertain in order to maintain the user’s interest.

3D interfaces are mainly used for entertainment purposes such as video games or for presenting data which is naturally three dimensional, (CAD, Architecture, etc.) However we are slowly creating 3D web interfaces which are not only aesthetically pleasing and intuitive but are useful 3D web interfaces. Creating a third dimension on the web maintains a user’s interest, provides entertainment value and creates an intuitive experience. When a user picks up a wrench to tighten a bolt with the mouse or interacts with 3D folders in a tree structure they are becoming more accustomed to interacting with a 3D environment. Intuitive interactive 3D environments will pave the path for 3D interfaces. The more we expose ourselves to 3D elements on the web the easier it will be to implement 3D interfaces in an intuitive, entertaining and useful application. The World Wide Web is going in the direction of 3D web interfaces and we may only hope to take steps in the right direction to ensure its success.

Greg Peczkowicz

Greg is an Interface Engineer at StudioNorth. He designs and develops highly complex and usable Web applications for all ranges of StudioNorth’s clientèle. When Greg isn’t programming ActionScript or creating smooth exponentially eased tweens you can find him snowboarding in Wisconsin or kayaking on the Des Plaines river.

Web distribution of video is certainly nothing new. For as long as I’ve had an email account, people have been forwarding me videos that I, in turn, share with others. The creation of sites like YouTube didn’t introduce us to web video, it simply relocated it. Now almost anybody — from major studios looking to repurpose their content, amateur filmmakers looking to be discovered, or teenagers with a camera phone recording their friend playing Guitar Hero — has the opportunity to not only distribute their content, but to receive feedback through metrics, user ratings and viewer comments. But even access that’s this easy to come by hasn’t drastically altered viewer behavior and media consumption. People have always talked about television shows, commercials, and movies around the office water cooler, only now they sit at their desks and post their thoughts in the comments section under the video they just watched online.

So why “snacking”? Snacking is a term that is being used to refer to the consumption of media in small snippets. Instead of people sitting down for an hour or two at a time to watch television, they are turning on their computers and watching 4 minutes of online video, jumping over to read a different blog, watching another 5 minutes of online video, finding a link to a similar 3-minute video and watching that one as well. Thus, the snack session goes throughout the day. People still sit down at the media dinner table to enjoy the latest episode of Lost, but the trend is beginning to show that people are becoming much more likely to dip into the cookie jar instead.

A recent survey from IDC found that people spend an average of 33 hours each week online — roughly twice as much time as they spend watching TV (about 16 ½ hours). ComScore recently found that about half of all online video is being viewed between 7 am and 5 pm on weekdays. So, how would the average person have time to spend 33 hours each week online and account for half of their online video consumption? That’s right — at the office.

This is where content creators and B2B marketing have the opportunity to join forces. The advertising and consumer sides of marketing have been setting out an online video buffet for a couple of years now, either in branding user-generated content (Stride gum) or creating their own form of branded entertainment (Anheuser-Busch). With so many people logging on looking for “safe for work” content, and marketing firms looking to reach an audience at work with their messages, the table may have been set for a new menu of B2B marketing initiatives.

Eric Pound

As an Executive Producer, Eric is responsible for the direction and development of StudioNorth’s audio and video solutions. With experience ranging from news broadcasting to national advertising, Eric brings the ability to deliver high-end media experiences with the urgency and attention to detail that clients demand. In addition to broadcast work, Eric also has credits in several documentaries and award-winning short films. Since joining the StudioNorth team in 2005, Eric has played a leading role in understanding current and developing trends in viral marketing, social networking and user-created content, and how they impact B2B marketing initiatives.

Not a website? What does that even mean? You can classify www.studionorth.com revision 5 as two things, and neither of them count as “website” in my book. First and foremost, it’s an environment. It’s built on a true 3D engine. It’s defined and exists in an x, y, and z Cartesian coordinate system. It has a moving camera and lights. You don’t just go to www.studionorth.com, you go into www.studionorth.com.

Second this is a web application. It runs inside a virtual machine (Flash 9). It has both heavy client and heavy server components. Things like the Brand Focus Calculator run almost exclusivly inside the client and do all their processing there. They share data and processing with the server only when necessary for longer persistence or data storage.

Yeah, this isn’t a website. This is something different. This is something breakthrough.

-Andy

Andy leads the interactive offerings and staff engineers at StudioNorth. He consults with clients on strategic technology direction and personally oversees the key phases of the iterative development cycle for many large technology projects. Whether for public web sites, private extranets, or custom applications, Andy uses his rich experience to provide results-driven solutions to our clients. He’s known for being a visionary and for coining the phrase, “conservative wow” in reference to StudioNorth’s ability to create high-impact projects for some of our more conventional audiences. If you want to bring your brand beyond “2.0″, Andy is your connection.

Want to track Andy a little closer? You can follow him on Twitter.