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Forum Index - General Chat - Advance Software presents a Christmas themed 3D website competition !

There are 21 replies to this topic

3 years ago

Hi everyone,

Advance Software is developing a 3D Internet browser which we've named Infinity.

For further details, please see our website, [Link to advance-software.com]

Now, having a 3D browser is great, but it's a little lonely out here in 3D cyberspace so we'd like to invite you all to join us by building your own 3D websites. Whilst we conclude our beta testing, software unlocks are available to members of this forum free of charge.

To kick off our Christmas 3D website competition, we thought we'd start with a speed challenge, so if you have a little time and some interest in experimenting with next-gen interweb technology, here's how to enter :-

Christmas Competition - Mini Challenge 1 - Speed Challenge

The first Infinity format 3D website online that fits the following criteria wins one of the following :-

Option 1 : A VIA PC 2500 motherboard and an S3 Chrome Graphics card.

Option 2: An Egg Photo 360 panoramic photo/video mirror adapter.

(The winner chooses the prize they prefer)

Create a 3D website consisting of two zones, connected by a hyperlink. One zone should be the entrance to your 3D website, which should promote you and your work. This zone should feature at least one piece from your portfolio (as embedded HTML pages, 3D models, renders and/or videos). The second zone should be your Christmas list. In this zone, display links or embedded webpages to gifts you'd really like to receive this Christmas. Links should hyperlink directly to that item’s page on a popular retail website. Decorate the site in a Christmas theme - lights, a tree, wrapped presents, garlands, wreaths etc.

In order to build this 3D website, work through the 3D website tutorial here :

[Link to advance-software.com]

... then customize to fit the requirements above.

When you think you're done, upload, then post a thread on our Competitions board

[Link to advance-software.com]

... in the following format :

Merry Christmas - [your name or nickname]

Comments, questions welcome, either here, or on our message board.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the administrators of this board for allowing us to promote this competition here - thanks, guys.

Best regards,
Steve Williams
Director
Advance Software Limited

+isaac
Moderator

3 years ago

Very cool stuff. I'm going to have to check that out.
Edit:
I wish this were a firefox pluggin.

Edit 2:
You should offer something to the forum owners in exchange for an art challenge involving this application!

-advance-software
Junior Member

3 years ago

Thanks.

We have plugins for all major browsers, so you can embed XSG content (our new 3D website file format) within pages in a standard html/desktop environment if you would like. Plugin mode does not currently support rendering of embedded interactive webpages. This technical restriction will be addressed soon.

Here's an example : [Link to advance-software.com]

We'd be happy to show our appreciation - we can offer an equivalent promotional opportunity within our 3D website if this is of interest. We also have eight spots on our startup carousel - therefore very high visibility - you are welcome to one for the time being, if this is of interest.

-cdballew
Moderator

3 years ago

I just hope some bonehead doesn't hide this thread!

Chris

-advance-software
Junior Member

3 years ago

There's nothing wrong with being careful, Chris !

-cdballew
Moderator

3 years ago

I appreciate that.

Chris

-advance-software
Junior Member

3 years ago

I just watched your utube link - not quite sure what the reference is as I'm new around here, but as you guys seem to like your utah teapots, I thought I'd contribute one.

Please see : [Link to advance-software.com]

in an XSG compatible browser, such as Infinity.

This example attaches a looped 3D positional sound effect to an animated teapot ... nothing fancy, it just gives you an idea of what's possible.

We're using the FMOD sound system for audio rendering.

Now seems like a good time to also say a big thank you to the guys at Firelight for their assistance.

To be clear - this speed challenge is exactly that - a race - it's not a timed challenge.

The first entry to meet the requirements wins !

If you would like to participate in the speed challenge , you'll need to install Infinity Professional and authorise the 3dsmax plugin (same procedure as the browser).

This is currently a manual process, so if you want a plugin authorization today, I need the request code in within the next hour (by 19:50 GMT). After this time, auth requests will not not be processed until tomorrow morning, British time.

+Steve Martin
Moderator

3 years ago

I got a 403 forbidden. Anyone else having problems?

[Link to www.3dprevis.com]
2nd Place: Absurd Plants Challenge

+isaac
Moderator

3 years ago

The link in that last post is a 403

-advance-software
Junior Member

3 years ago

Hi guys,

The reason you're getting a 403 is because the link above was only accessible by an xsg (eXtensible Scene Graph) compatible browser. The directory contained no index.html file, it did however contain an index.xsg file which can be detected by xsg compatible browsers such as Infinity. In order to access the content from within an html browser, an html index page is required, including a plugin window to display the 3D website content. I've added an html file to the directory so the link should now resolve properly in legacy browsers. As with all new formats, you need to install a plugin capable of interpreting the content (the 'mime' type is 'xsg'). Installing Infinity is currently the only way of achieving this, though the format is open so others may implement xsg renderers at their convenience.

Thanks for the feeback.

Best regards,
Steve.

+Steve Martin
Moderator

3 years ago

I got to the plugin install page, but firefox couldn't find a suitable plugin. So I installed infinity but I need an authorization code. Is there a cost involved for this?

[Link to www.3dprevis.com]
2nd Place: Absurd Plants Challenge

-Altopais
Member

3 years ago

i installed it too, there's no cost, you need to request activation code via e-mail.

The secret of creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.
-Albert Einstein
2nd Place: Teapot Challenge

-advance-software
Junior Member

3 years ago

As Altopais says, there's no cost associated with authorisation codes whilst we're in beta. Once beta testing is complete, we're looking at a free browser/plugin, a commerical browser (maybe around 25 euros, with more features), a commercial 3dsmax plugin - maybe around 300 euros per seat per year, and a student version, 30 euros per seat per year, or thereabouts.

We are considering our price structure at the moment, so if anyone has any input, it'd be good to hear. We need revenue to enable us to fund R&D for future enhancements/ports to other platforms and I'd quite like a salary again sometime ...

We're not hooked into the automatic plugin lookup for any of the other browsers yet, so it's just a case of installing Infinity from our site.

Sorry the graphics are very scrappy at the moment (prototype art).

We will address this as soon as possible, but funding is difficult to obtain for blue sky R&D projects like this. Need to find a bank manager who understands software ...

We'll also be licensing the browser to interested third parties, who will need customised user interfaces to fit their brand/corporate image. The entire user interface is built in 3D (modeled in max), so as things come together, if anyone is interested in this work, we might be able to put some work your way (+ corporates who want 3D websites building), but first, we have to prove it works and iron out any remaining bugs. It's pretty solid, but there's lots to do in the future in order to enhance the feature set, graphical capabilities, optimisations, etc.

+isaac
Moderator

3 years ago

Note that I'm not going to exaggerate at all here...
No one's going to use a 3d browser that only works on a thousandth of a percent of the webpages on this planet. No one is going to buy a 3d browser SDK for max when no one uses the browser. Reread that.
(Note: I know we're getting to use it for free right now.)
VRML did the exact thing you're doing. And the reason they ALMOST made it big, was because all the development software was free, and it's plugin worked on your browser. Anyone with max can make a VRML website. [Link to en.wikipedia.org]

You've made it even harder for your self! You're not only trying to compete with shockwave and vrml. But also with Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Netscape.
And only free browsers make it big, in this day and age. It costs me 0 to write a webpage in a text editor. With your browser I would someday HAVE TO PAY to produce with it. This isn't Sparta. It's madness.

Here's why I think you could do better than VRML.
The following is hypothetical: Imagine everything was free. The plugin, the browser: Free. How would you make money?!? The same way google and firefox does it. For you to succeed, that's the business model you need to study. </hypothetical'ness>

I would love web browsers to go "3d," because that would give guys like me so many more job options... In a perfect world, firefox buys your plugin. Then I would pay for the 3dsmax upgrade. Eventually Autodesk would buy your plugin.

-advance-software
Junior Member

3 years ago

I hear you, but we are out of funds, so if you want this to go forwards, we need to generate revenue from somewhere. Autodesk might license the plugin later, it's a possiblility, meaning that you would then get it in effect for free. Also, the format's open, so others could write free plugins if the mood takes them.

VRML failed for many reasons, the key one being that it was an alternative to the standard web environment, not a superset.

If you start using our tech to build 3D sites for others, and that makes you money, is it not a good idea that you channel some of that (not much!) back to us so that we can make the tools that you are using better, so you can make even more money ?

We are using "Firefox technology" - the Mozilla/Gecko webpage renderer at present to render live, interactive webpages into our 3D web environments (can't do that in VRML). If we sold up to Mozilla, we'd have to continue down that path.

I'd quite like to experiment with WebKit (the HTML engine used by Chrome and Safari), as I'm very impressed with it. If we sold up to Mozilla, I can't see them going for that ...

> Anyone with max can make a VRML website

You have to pay to use 3dsmax. It is commercial software.

There are free alternatives. You don't have to work with commercial software.

> It costs me 0 to write a webpage in a text editor.

It would cost you zero to author a 3D site in a text editor too, but you might find entering the coordinate values for a 1000 poly model a little time consuming.

You don't have to define geometry in xsg files, you can reference in existing models, so when you're doing this, it's a lot easier to build in a text editor, but still a little fiddly.

+isaac
Moderator

3 years ago

So you might get a few freelancers to go along with you. I got that part.
What I meant to say was, no corporation is going to spend 30,000 dollars in licensing a plugin that guarantees them less than 1% compatibility with their users. VRML is no extra cost.
It sounds like you know what you're doing but I'm getting déjà vu..

You're in an uphill battle unless you change your client base. This software (Infinity browser) seems to have a lot of potential and can preform tasks most browsers can't. I see Infinity as a tool used for businesses that require specialized communications. The medical and geology field come to mind. With that being said I would first see what tools they use for their 3d work. Sonograms and cat scans could use Infinity. If the necessary steps for compatibility were taken to a specific client, I see this browser becoming a necessary tool.

edit:
Sorry to be so critical, but I do hope this works out.

edit2:
how long does it take to get the authorization code?

edit3:
Is everyone going to have to wait this long to just activate the browser? Why do you even have to activate it? If that's not free to use there's no way this is going to take off.

-advance-software
Junior Member

3 years ago

The authorisation process is in place whilst we are in beta to limit the audience to those who need to see the product. It's currently a manual process, so requests are only processed during office hours UK time. We'll move to an automated, billing based system soon - probably softwrap, with maybe a 15 day trial period on the tools.

Re-large corporates - site/volume licensing packages are available - details on request.

Infinity is more than just a plugin - it is a complete 3D browser that can also plug into older browsers for backwards compatibility.

Deja vu - yes, we've been here before, and it didn't work. That happens a lot with difficult R&D. It often takes several attempts before some advances work out.

Crits are most welcome - sincere thanks for the feedback.

We are executing a deliberate soft launch strategy to make sure we do this right.

There are many applications for 3D browsers - you've hightlighted some of them.

We don't have support for volume textures yet (which would be useful for many medical applications), but this it can be added in due course. There's no block, other than funding requirements for the technical enhancement.

+isaac
Moderator

3 years ago

Sounds good. I'll be waiting.

-advance-software
Junior Member

3 years ago

Issac - I've got one outstanding auth code request to process and it isn't from you, so please could you send it again. No idea why it didn't come through ...

+isaac
Moderator

3 years ago

That's weird. I sent mine about 5 times.

edit:
sent another one.

-advance-software
Junior Member

3 years ago

Yes, very weird. It's come through now. Please check your inbox.

There's a couple of others that didn't come through too.

If anyone else is missing a code, please resend.

+Steve Martin
Moderator

3 years ago

Just sent mine.

[Link to www.3dprevis.com]
2nd Place: Absurd Plants Challenge

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