Google Brings 3D To Web With Open Source Plugin 191
maxheadroom writes "Google has released an open source browser plugin that provides a JavaScript API for displaying 3D graphics in web content. Google hopes that the project will promote experimentation and help advance a collaborative effort with the Khronos Group and Mozilla to create open standards for 3D on the web. Google's plugin offers its own retained-mode graphics API, called O3D, which takes a different approach from a similar browser plugin created by Mozilla. Google's plugin is cross-platform compatible and works with several browsers. In an interview with Ars Technica, Google product manager Henry Bridge and engineering director Matt Papakipos say that Google's API will eventually converge with Mozilla's as the technology matures. The search giant hopes to bring programs like SketchUp and Google Earth to the browser space."
Re:vrml (Score:2, Informative)
I once saw a 3D model of the Dopefish [dopefish.com]. It was neat. 3D graphics on my computer on the Internet! What'll they think of next?
Jumping ahead decade and a half... looks like it's just a competitor to Flash. Something else to make my computer run slower than my 486 did as I tried to execute Java applets back in '96...
Re:Ugh. Again. (Score:5, Informative)
The 3d web doesn't work. What "problem" are they trying to fix? That's the main reason it keeps failing.
-- incubus
I know that this is slashdot but did you not read the summary? This could allow for Google Earth to function in a similar way to how Microsoft virtual earth 3D does within IE without need for a fat client on the desktop. The main difference would be that it would be more open and cross platform/browser compatible.
Re:Show some respect (Score:3, Informative)
THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH VRML (Score:4, Informative)
ffs!
Javascript. API. OpenGL.
Re:Ugh. Again. (Score:3, Informative)
That plugin does not work on Linux. The point is not to implement Google Earth as a plugin. It is to implement it using Web standards (VRML, HTML, JavaScript, etc.). It's the same as using SVG + JavaScript + SMIL instead of Flash, or Google Maps which doesn't use any plugins. If they manage to pull it off, it's going to be interesting.
Re:vrml (Score:3, Informative)
Because you can embed the images in another webpage - just like youtube videos.
You don't have to bother about with unpacking zip files, rpm's, tar's, .run files, especially when you don't have admin permissions on the host machine.
Also, you won't start up your application one day, and read the message "This version is no longer supported. Please exit and upgrade to uber-version X.Y.Z".
Re:vrml (Score:5, Informative)
So that I don't have to make my multivariable calculus students download and install new applications on their computers, so that I don't have to convince the IT folks at our school to install bunch of new applications that only a handful of students will use in the labs and classrooms, and I don't have to find an application that would run on all of my students' computers, whichever OS they use, the labs that mostly run windows, and my linux laptop.
Re:vrml (Score:5, Informative)
OK, why would any of those be better in the browser instead of as a native application?
No install, cross-platform.
Re:Seems like people are missing the point. (Score:3, Informative)
Because it's performance blows on non-standard platforms? Because it's lack of support for 64-bit (well, last I checked) is a pain in the ass? Because it's a constant source of memory leaks and segfaults?
The day I can get rid of that stupid plugin will be a day I celebrate a lot.
Re:Seems like people are missing the point. (Score:2, Informative)
Why would you want to kill Flash? Flash is great:
* Easy streaming of HD video to the browser.
Sure thing... except that one can't use Flash to play back smooth fullscreen HD video on my desktop system when it's running Windows. Moreover, decoding that HD stream uses ~95% CPU when in "windowed mode".
My system specs and software load for Windows (or Linux):
* Windows Server 2k3 (or Unstable Gentoo Linux)
* Firefox 3.0.1 (or Firefox 3.0.8)
* Flash 10.0 r22 [installed just a minute ago] (or Flash 10.0.22.87)
* AGP R400 [AKA Radeon x850] with Catalyst 8.something (or xf86-video-ati 6.12.2)
* 2GB DDR1 @ 400Mhz [AKA PC3200 RAM]
* A single Athlon XP 2800+ [@ 2.1Ghz]
FWIW, The Linux Flash 10 plugin WILL NOT play the HD stream in windowed mode on this hardware. You can fucking forget about playing it in fullscreen... it's skip city. :/
I ripped the stream (a 1280x720 MP4 clocking in at ~2Mbit/s) quite some time ago.
My CPU usage when playing it with SMplayer 0.6.6 (using either the ATI OGL or DirectX renderers and postprocessing disabled) under Windows is ~65%.
When playing under Linux with SMplayer 0.6.7 (with the Xvideo renderer and a postprocessing level of 3) it is ~55%.
Hell... with the X11 renderer, a PP level of 3 and the video fullscreened, the CPU usage is only ~75%. (In case you don't know what that means... unaccelerated, postprocessed, fullscreen HD video playback through mplayer on Linux is faster than windowed HD playback through Flash on Windows.)
Here's the stream that I tested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pXfHLUlZf4 [youtube.com]
Be sure to press the "HD" button.