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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

II. Uses of Virtual Worlds Artistic 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 - ARPANET 1970s-80s DOD simulation and training 1990s – Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM 2000s Massive Multiplayer Online Gaming

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

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

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

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

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

Collaboration Spaces – Datafusion “war room” for Monsanto

Cyber-conferences

Cyber-conferences – Avatars2001 a cyberspace odyssey

Cyber-conferences – Avatars2002 a merry cyber party

NASA Mars Mission Simulation – Life aboard the FMARS habitat

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 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

III. Acknowledgements and Resources This presentation is at: Contact: The Digital Space Commons Contact Consortium VLearn3D Special Interest Group Digital Biology Project Art Center Cyberforum: Drive on Mars:

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

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?

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”