Comments on: Pseudo-3D is a rising star, keeping barriers to adoption low

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 28 May 2010 02:54:13 +0000

Darius, you raise a good point, which is that accessibility is important. Accessibility is high when users don’t have to download any software to get into the immersive important. 3DXplorer fits this criterion, as long as the user has Java enabled on their machine.

A big difference between 3D environments and pseudo-3D is scalability. While we have seen the scalability of 3D environments increase in the past couple of years, the number of users who can be in the same virtual space at the same time (e.g., attending a keynote presentation) ranges from 20 to several hundred, depending on the particular technology. In contrast, pseudo-3D immersive environments can scale to thousands or even tens of thousands.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

By: Chris Brannigan

Chris Brannigan — Thu, 13 May 2010 12:26:15 +0000

From an Immersive Simulations perspective, I have seen some distinction by business sector – military, healthcare, utilities, manufacturing and Oil & Gas are more demanding of higher fidelity 3D whereas other sectors such as retail, FS, leisure, govt etc can live with 2.5d (P3D?).

Drilling down into that for rationale points to Darius’ distinction between accessibility and levels of presence/immersion. Where higher fidelity 3D is required is in the main because the 3D context itself is particularly important to the learning experience. When supporting a users ability to mentally practice an event, high fidelity 3D will be less important when it the user is mentally rehearsing completing a mortgage application, and more important when mentally rehearsing house to house searches in Iraq.

Those sectors maybe a bit more forgiving on browser delivery, but it is becoming more of a requirement, and I agree, its necessary for widespread adoption. It maybe ok to use VBS2 in a classroom of 16 marines, but clients want to make that experience open to whole battalions before they reach theatre.

By: Erica Driver

Erica Driver — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 08:54:52 +0000

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

By: Erica Driver

Erica Driver — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 08:46:50 +0000

The ProtonMedia team: I like the way you put that: it isn’t 3D or bust. The business decision makers we talk to want to solve a problem. They don’t care about the technology nitty gritty. It all cones down to use case. For large meetings and conferences and some forms of training, pseudo-3D works well. For other use cases (e.g., learning simulations, 3D data visualization, remote facility operation, 3D is more of a requirement.

By: Darius Lahoutifard

Darius Lahoutifard — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:37:27 +0000

Dear Erica, dear Sam,

Agreed with a stronger market demand for 3D accessible platforms, noticed in the past few months.

“ACCESSIBILITY” versus “LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT & SENSE OF PRESENCE” is an interesting debate.

As you know, 3DXplorer can be considered as:
1) The most accessible platform among the full 3D immersive solutions. (Almost none of the barriers on the left column of the above table apply to 3DXplorer, despite it’s a full 3D immersive platform)
OR
2) The most immersive and interactive solution among the easily accessible platforms

We can only confirm the growth of the Virtual Events market, and the fact that more customers come to us from pseudo-3D platforms, or from 2D platforms looking for more “engaging” events and more “sense of presence”.

Last month, during Virtual Edge Summit in Santa Clara, 3DXplorer was the only full 3D platform enabling the live broadcast of the event for remote attendees, just in a browser, with no download required. See
http://www.virtualedge.org/forum/topics/companies-launching-several

Last week, Cloud Slam 10, ( http://www.cloudslam10.com ) with thousands of attendees, was held on 3DXplorer, for the sponsors exhibition hall and the VIP networking lounge. Sponsors included IBM, BMC Software, Wipro,…

Nevertheless, we’ll continue hearing about the debate “ACCESSIBILITY” versus “LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT & SENSE OF PRESENCE”.

By: The ProtonMedia squadron

The ProtonMedia squadron — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 19:09:11 +0000

Erica and Sam – we appreciate your thoughtful analysis in this report. It very important for would-be buyers to realize that this market isn’t “3D or bust.” If it is, then early adopters won’t take the incremental steps to help them discover the value of Immersive Internet technologies in their respective companies.

Pseudo 3D is really hot right now, thanks to the need for lower-cost trade events and collaborations. In addition, we are pleased to see many major companies initiating full-3D pilots — with narrowly focused trials and short-term tangible goals.

By: Erica Driver

Erica Driver — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:56:14 +0000

I defined 3D and pseudo-3D immersive environments in the January 19, 2010 ThinkBalm report, “The Enterprise Immersive Software Decision-Making Guide.” Here’s the definition: “3D environments use three-dimensional representations of geometric data to create immersive environments and experiences in which avatars can move and interact. Pseudo-3D environments assemble 2D images of 3D scenes (typically using Adobe Flash) to create the illusion that the user is in a 3D environment. Users do not have avatars that can navigate through the environment. By limiting graphical rendering, pseudo-3D environments offer scalability orders of magnitude higher than 3D environments.”