1. 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 interface II. Uses of virtual worlds III. Acknowledgements and Resources IV. Demo of environments V. Virtual worlds in design - discussion

2. I.Origins of the visual interface Bush (Memex), Nelson Engelbart’s vision SRI - NLS 1968 – Mother of all Demos E&S 60s–1970s

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

4. 3D interfaces - evolution 1970s wireframe to solid to ray traced - SIGGRAPH Alvy Ray Smith – PARC to PIXAR Early 80s SGI Real time rendering Immersive VR Commodity Virtual Worlds/Internet – 90s-2000s

5. II. Uses of Virtual Worlds Early uses of 3D Interfaces Simulation – weather, aerodynamics, cold war Render to film – Hollywood and TV Experimental informational interfaces Art/Experience - placeholder

6. II. Uses of Virtual Worlds Geographical Information Systems GeoFusion textured 3D model of earth with real satellite imagery

7. II. Uses of Virtual Worlds Geographical Information Systems Overlay of real time data – Salt Lake Winter Olympics locations

8. II. Uses of Virtual Worlds Geographical Information Systems Progressive texturing – Swiss Alps

9. II. Uses of Virtual Worlds Artistic and Pedagogical uses Art/Experience – Placeholder, Osmose, Ars Electronica, SIGGRAPH, Krueger Experimental Pedagogy – cyberfora @ ArtCenter

10. II. Uses of Virtual Worlds Artistic and Pedagogical uses VLearn3D SIG and annual cyberconference

11. Far Frontiers of 3D environments Evolutionary virtual worlds (Sims, Biota.org) Modeling the large and the small scale (cosmology, quantum dynamics) Tele-immersion

12. The “killer app” of 3D - Gaming The original Maze War - ARPANET 1970s-80s DOD simulation and training 1990s – Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM 2000s Massive Multiplayer Online Gaming

13. Killer App - Games EverQuest 75,000 to 100,000 users online at any one time

14. Killer App - Games The Sims Design and run your own “soap opera”, households, towns, businesses, in a sort of “puppet theater”

15. Projects of the Contact Consortium & Digital Space 1995-2002 Alphaworld cityscape Learning spaces Collaboration spaces Cyber-conferences NASA mars mission simulation Universal simulation platform

16. Alphaworld cityscape – a public building space on the net 300,000 users as “avatars” 1 Billion objects placed since 1995

17. Learning Spaces Virtual walk on the moon with Apollo IX astronaut Russell Schweickart

19. Collaboration Spaces – Datafusion “war room” for Monsanto

21. Cyber-conferences

22. Cyber-conferences – Avatars2001 a cyberspace odyssey

24. Cyber-conferences – Avatars2002 a merry cyber party

26. NASA Mars Mission Simulation – Life aboard the FMARS habitat

28. NASA Mars Mission Simulation – Modeling mars from orbit

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

30. NASA Mars Mission Simulation – Drive on Mars – MER rovers

31. III. Acknowledgements and Resources Brenda Laurel and Rob Tow DigiBarn Computer Museum, Computer History Museum Contact Consortium, Bonnie DeVarco Datafusion Inc. Monsanto, Safety-Kleen NASA Ames Research Center Active Worlds Inc. Adobe Systems Inc. GeoFusion Mike Heim

32. III. Acknowledgements and Resources This presentation is at: http://www.digitalspace.com/presentations/artcenter/ http://www.digitalspace.com/presentations/artcenter/ Contact: damer@digitalspace.com, 831.338.9400damer@digitalspace.com www.digitalspace.comwww.digitalspace.com The Digital Space Commons www.ccon.orgwww.ccon.org Contact Consortium www.vlearn3d.orgwww.vlearn3d.org VLearn3D Special Interest Group www.biota.orgwww.biota.org Digital Biology Project Art Center Cyberforum: http://www.mheim.com/cyberforum/ http://www.mheim.com/cyberforum/ Drive on Mars: www.driveonmars.comwww.driveonmars.com

33. III. Demo of Environments V. Virtual worlds in design - discussion

34. V. Virtual worlds in design - discussion Prototyping products, packaging Online showrooms/stores Creating inclusive community experiences, memory Shared realities, political organization New medium of artistic expression Learning spaces More?

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

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

44. “Moral of the story”