[WEB4LIB] Re: 3D (VRML) Interface to IRCAM's Multimedia Library Catalog

[Rhyno Art]

> The question isn't whether it works today but can you imagine a future
> with something like it in it? I can. I want to see version 2 which
> probably means that a group of folks on something like web4lib have to get
> together and play.
> 
> Thoughts?
>
VRML occupies a rather peculiar position in the web world and it can bring
mixed blessings when included in an institution's web services. At its
best, VRML is an alternative to the page metaphor of the web and can let us
experience information as conveyed by the physical objects and layouts that
are part of our existence. VRML is too often used for simply offering a 3D
version of an existing interface, making the process of interacting with a
site much slower and more of a chore to manoeuvre around.  Yahoo tried this
with Yahoo!3D, a VRML-based access point to its directory structure that
probably slowed down the access time for anyone over 30 by a factor of 10.

Still, I agree with Thom, VRML does have potential for activities where a 
spatial structure offers advantages for working with information. The 
University of New Brunswick, for example, offers a tour of the campus using 
VRML which could be useful for new students and visitors to get a sense of 
where the buildings are located when they arrive. Learning Sites makes good 
use of VRML for providing educational applications, supplying reconstructions 
of worlds from ancient times. VRML also offers a way to control lighting
conditions when displaying images and objects, which can be invaluable for
many kinds of art. One area that VRML might someday be useful for in the
OPAC is with shelf-browsing, a somewhat difficult activity to successfully
mimic in an online 2D environment. We have mapped virtual shelves from call
number displays with VRML and have found that it is still too slow to be
practical but there may be solutions to speeding up the process. One of the
issues with VRML is that the authoring software typically used to create a
VRML world often produces a hefty file that then must be delivered to a web
browser. The trick for a VRML world that will be downloaded often or will
be updated dynamically is probably to do the same thing we do with HTML
files that come out of packages like Front Page and change or rewrite the
code by hand. Improved file formats, streaming techniques, middleware and
other approaches may also make VRML as easy and as fast to deliver to a
browser as an HTML page.  Like any technology, VRML needs to be deployed
where it makes sense, but humans are hard-wired for 3D layouts and, in
moderation, VRML may turn out to be a useful addition to our toolkit
for delivering information to the desktop.

art 
---
Art Rhyno, Systems Librarian
Leddy Library, University of Windsor
Internet: arhyno at uwindsor.ca
Tel: (519) 253-4232, EXT. 3163
FAX: (519) 973-7076
WWW: <http://www.uwindsor.ca/library/leddy/people/art.html>