ha! thank you very much for that instructive post. I will have to check these links out.
On 12/18/06, Jim Davis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Dana [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Sunday, December 17, 2006 4:19 PM > > To: CF-Community > > Subject: Re: 3-D User Interface Design? > > > > I actually took a drafting class once and don't remember much either. > > What I was boggling at was how exactly you would implement such an > > interface... > > There have actually been a lot of work in this area - although the job > posting isn't clear if the interface is supposed to be 3D or if the > interface controls 3D elements. > > For example "Google Earth" has a "3D Interface" in the sense that it > provides control over a 3D map. > > But true 3D interfaces and OSes have been played with for a very long time - > the only release product that I recall was actually "Microsoft Bob". It > used a physical metaphor (a house with rooms) as its primary interaction > layer - you "walked" between rooms, took programs "off the desk" or "down > from the shelf" and so on. > > It's rightly mocked but it was also pretty neat in a lot of academic ways. > > Lately a lot of work has been done on "data-scapes" - file systems > represented as 3D objects. In these models you "fly" throught files: bigger > files are bigger than smaller ones, protected files might sprout spikes as > you approach, etc. The Unix in "Jurassic Park" was actually a real > product): > > http://www.sgi.com/fun/freeware/3d_navigator.html > > Size, distance, position, etc are all possible indicators of file > properties, status, etc. > > Another (only semi-serious) attempt hooked Unix admin functions into "Doom". > I always thought this was SOOOO neat - programs are represented as monsters > - the more important the process the more powerful the monster. This would > link game skills directly with the ability to manage your system. > > http://www.cs.unm.edu/~dlchao/flake/doom/ > > Windows Vista is actually a "3D Interface" - each program actually exists on > a 3D plane that can be moved around, stacked, etc (prior systems used a > simpler "2.5D" method where each pane could be given a z-order but didn't > really exist in 3D space). > > MS has been playing with this for years. Here's an early (1999) attempt: > http://research.microsoft.com/adapt/TaskGallery/ > > In Vista however things are more subtle. Vista looks and acts almost > exactly like a 2.5D interface, but since the panes are actually true 3D > objects some nice touches can be added. For example the new "alt-tab" in > Vista shows your Windows from the side like a "riffle bar": > > http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&arti > cleId=9004929 > > Here's a (rather silly) 3D RSS reader using the same tech: > > http://www.microsoft.com/emea/msdn/thepanel/featured/universs.aspx > > My guess is that Google's posting is (at least partly) in reaction to all of > this new stuff in Windows - building any Windows UI in Vista is essentially > building a 3D interface. > > I expect to see a lot of "because it's there" application (like that silly > RSS reader) but I also think that once things die down and get serious it > will be one of the most important interface shifts since multi-tasking. > > Jim Davis > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Create robust enterprise, web RIAs. Upgrade & integrate Adobe Coldfusion MX7 with Flex 2 http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;56760587;14748456;a?http://www.adobe.com/products/coldfusion/flex2/?sdid=LVNU Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/message.cfm/messageid:222424 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5
