Hi all it's me again, here to tell you something that will have your mind asploded...

Cap, what the @%# are you on about?

Google has an open source browser plugin called o3d. O3D uses graphic acceleration to display 3D in the browser using the browsers javascript to drive the content. The results are simply spectacular.

This plugin can use a relatively slow browser javascript engine (eg. Tracemonkey or V8) in an interactive way because it uses something called 'retained mode' to draw. In a nutshell, for interactivity, the javascript code need only tell the plugin how to change a scene rather than being responsible for redrawing the scene every frame. This means that the main program loops can be greatly simplified and do not require much computational muscle.

Because it's using a scripting engine at it's core, it's supposedly MUCH faster, and easier to prototype and develop 3D applications! One of the examples is a side scrolling game by an internet game company called large animal. The lead developer described creating the game first by drawing a bunch of boxes, then having the boxes arranged as to make a scene, then having a box move around in the scene. Eventually the boxes were replaced by in-game models. This gradual build-test approach to development means rapid prototyping and gradual improvement over time.


Ok I'm interested. Where can I download the plugin?

I urge you to visit http://code.google.com/apis/o3d/ and download and install the plugin (really easy for windows and mac -- not too difficult for debian linux). For more advanced users, you can obtain the source directly from the site.


Got it, now show me the money!

Here are some examples of the plugin in action... You have installed it, right? They won't work without it. Anyhoo, feast your eyes on the future:

1) http://o3d.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/...beachdemo.html
2) http://blog.largeanimal.com/demo/
3) http://www.patapom.com/O3D/AsteRocket.html
4) http://www.kylehayward.com/o3d/WaterScene.html

For those that can't install the plugin, fret not. Here are some videos so that you don't miss out on all the fun:

1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uofWf...layer_embedded
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAgug5D6Kdg
3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vUypUpwzQQ


How would we use this for Maemo?

Glad you asked.

1) A browser plugin. Quite simply, given the OMAP3, I suspect that this will run quite well on the N900. Remember, the plugin will run like a native app, and the main app javascript-loop will be quite light for a well designed project. All in all, I suspect the N900 will run o3d quite well.

2) A stand-alone player. Included in the player would be a javascript engine (V8 is supposedly somewhat easy to integrate). This would make it easy to develop 3D games, visualizations, widgets, et. al. in an extremely portable way. It would also yield faster development turnaround and easy code sharing and previewing using regular web pages.


But where's the glory?

The glory is in exposing 3d to a ton of new developers. The glory is in doing a world first on this wonderful new platform! The glory is in porting o3d on maemo before even google itself can have a release ready for android!

I think this would simplify the creation of 3D content quite dramatically, enabling the community to easily script games and engines that games could be built on top of. It would give Maemo an instant 'edge' over other mobile environment and a real point of distinction. It would also empower many new developers that were once closed off from 3D development to explore this brave new world.... only with a happier ending...


Whaddaya think?

}:^]~