Online 3D: Still Waiting After All These Years

everal years ago, online 3D technology was expected to change the face of the Web. Industry observers said the technology would transform the Web from a static two-dimensional world into a dynamic, interactive 3D world ideal for commercial applications. However, the technology never found a killer app, never caught on with many users, and thus never became commercially successful, outside of video games. “The industry has not yet defined a real need for 3D,” said Jeremy Schwartz, a senior analyst for Forrester Research, a market analysis firm. “The industry is mired in a slump right now, and there is no real surge of interest to utilize online 3D,” added Jackie Fenn, vice president and research director for advanced technologies at the Gartner Group, an IT market research firm. In addition, although many of the technology’s early shortcomings have been overcome, many users still face obstacles, such as bandwidth limitations and the high cost of authoring content. Also, some users say VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language), the open standard designed for use in creating online 3D content, has not been effective. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s attempt to develop a 3D technology called Chrome fizzled. Chrome was supposed to be an add-on Windows media enhancement that turned 3D interface elements into scripts requiring little programming or bandwidth. However, Microsoft reportedly shelved Chrome after potential users expressed little demand for it. Microsoft declined to comment.