Virtual Worlds, where did they come from, how are they used, and how can they be used in design?

A presentation for:Art Center College of Design (1/23/2003)

I. Origins of the visual interfaceII. Uses of virtual worldsIII. Acknowledgements and ResourcesIV. Demo of environmentsV. Virtual worlds in design - discussion

I. Origins of the visual interface

Bush (Memex), NelsonEngelbart’s visionSRI - NLS1968 – Mother of all DemosE&S 60s–1970s

Visual Interfaces – Xerox PARC and elsewhere, 1970s-80s

3D interfaces - evolution

1970s wireframe to solid to ray traced - SIGGRAPHAlvy Ray Smith – PARC to PIXAREarly 80s SGIReal time renderingImmersive VRCommodity Virtual Worlds/Internet – 90s-2000s

II. Uses of Virtual WorldsEarly uses of 3D Interfaces

Simulation – weather, aerodynamics, cold warRender to film – Hollywood and TVExperimental informational interfacesArt/Experience - placeholder

II. Uses of Virtual WorldsGeographical Information Systems

GeoFusion textured 3D model of earth with real satellite imagery

II. Uses of Virtual WorldsGeographical Information Systems

Overlay of real time data – Salt Lake Winter Olympics locations

II. Uses of Virtual WorldsGeographical Information Systems

Progressive texturing – Swiss Alps

II. Uses of Virtual WorldsArtistic and Pedagogical uses

Art/Experience – Placeholder, Osmose, Ars Electronica, SIGGRAPH, KruegerExperimental Pedagogy – cyberfora @ ArtCenter

II. Uses of Virtual WorldsArtistic and Pedagogical uses

VLearn3D SIG and annual cyberconference

Far Frontiers of 3D environments

Evolutionary virtual worlds (Sims, Biota.org)Modeling the large and the small scale (cosmology, quantum dynamics)Tele-immersion

The “killer app” of 3D - Gaming

The original Maze War - ARPANET1970s-80s DOD simulation and training1990s – Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM2000s Massive Multiplayer Online Gaming

Killer App - GamesEverQuest

75,000 to 100,000 users online at any one time

Killer App - GamesThe Sims

Design and run your own “soap opera”, households, towns, businesses, in a sort of “puppet theater”

Projects of the Contact Consortium & Digital Space 1995-2002

Alphaworld cityscapeLearning spacesCollaboration spacesCyber-conferencesNASA mars mission simulationUniversal simulation platform

Alphaworld cityscape –a public building space on the net

300,000 users as “avatars”

1 Billion objects placed

since 1995

Learning SpacesVirtual walk on the moon with Apollo IX

astronaut Russell Schweickart

Learning SpacesVirtual walk on the moon with Apollo IX

astronaut Russell Schweickart

Collaboration Spaces –Datafusion “war room” for Monsanto

Collaboration Spaces –Datafusion “war room” for Monsanto

Cyber-conferences

Cyber-conferences – Avatars2001 a cyberspace odyssey

Cyber-conferences – Avatars2001 a cyberspace odyssey

Cyber-conferences – Avatars2002 a merry cyber party

Cyber-conferences – Avatars2002 a merry cyber party

NASA Mars Mission Simulation –Life aboard the FMARS habitat

NASA Mars Mission Simulation –Life aboard the FMARS habitat

NASA Mars Mission Simulation –Modeling mars from orbit

NASA Mars Mission Simulation –Modeling mars from orbit

MOLA and surface texture data creating a real time model of Mars surface that is “walkable”

NASA Mars Mission Simulation –Drive on Mars – MER rovers

III. Acknowledgements and Resources

Brenda Laurel and Rob TowDigiBarn Computer Museum, Computer History MuseumContact Consortium, Bonnie DeVarcoDatafusion Inc. Monsanto, Safety-KleenNASA Ames Research CenterActive Worlds Inc.Adobe Systems Inc.GeoFusionMike Heim

III. Acknowledgements and Resources

This presentation is at: http://www.digitalspace.com/presentations/artcenter/Contact: damer@digitalspace.com, 831.338.9400www.digitalspace.com The Digital Space Commonswww.ccon.org Contact Consortiumwww.vlearn3d.org VLearn3D Special Interest Groupwww.biota.org Digital Biology ProjectArt Center Cyberforum: http://www.mheim.com/cyberforum/Drive on Mars: www.driveonmars.com

III. Demo of Environments

V. Virtual worlds in design - discussion

V. Virtual worlds in design - discussion

Prototyping products, packagingOnline showrooms/storesCreating inclusive community experiences, memoryShared realities, political organizationNew medium of artistic expressionLearning spacesMore?

VI. Bonus!(This has been a vision of cyberspace for a long time)

“Escape” in Finite State Fantasies (1976) by Rich Didday

“Moral of the story”