Lateral Visions 3D Web Technology - Overview

"The Internet is on the cusp of its next major evolution: Web3D... Web3D is inevitable - the only question is when?"

Web3D: The Next Major Internet Wave by Erica Driver (Forrester Research - April 2008)

Having created offline 3D technology, used for projects delivered on CD-ROM or download, Lateral Visions' client feedback indicated an expectation that similar projects should be delivered over the Web through a browser. The clients requesting this were not aware that it would represent a considerable technical challenge. Nevertheless, this was the initial goal for Lateral Visions next generation 3D technology: to efficiently use the Web as the primary means of delivering interactive 3D content.

However, as design and development advanced, it became clear that there was a wider opportunity, to fully integrate 3D into the very structure of the World Wide Web. There are other 3D technologies that can be delivered through a browser, but almost all are pre-existing 3D software shoehorned into a browser, not a platform designed from the outset to be as dynamic, flexible and open as the Web itself.

The result of Lateral Visions' development effort is a world-leading 3D platform, with unique features not available in any other technology. The close integration of the Web with interactive 3D leads to entirely new applications, and has the potential to revolutionise the way we all interact with the Web itself.

The flexibility and ease of development inherent in the new system make it a perfect platform for a whole range of 3D Web, serious games and virtual world applications. The technology allows any website to be redesigned as an interactive 3D world, providing a richer, more engaging experience than is possible with flat 2D pages.

Drawing on our experience with previous projects, as well as conversations with potential clients, it became clear that such 3D websites would, far from being gimmicky or awkward, in fact be extremely valuable to many if not most organisations with a Web presence.

To experience the 3D Web, visit our 3D Web home world at http://lv3dweb.net