The best (so far) Netscape Live3D moving worlds

Live3D, as we discussed Wednesday, is Netscape Navigator's new plug-in that lets you experience interactive 3D spaces with text, images, animation, sound, music, and video.

Most of the Cool Worlds I tried are simple (VRML 1.0) 3D models. After you've seen a couple, it gets boring (and some of them take forever to load, even on my Pentium/T1 line). But I've found some really advanced ones. After you download Live3D (Windows 95/NT only for now--Mac, Win 3.1, and Unix coming) check out these worlds:

Fighter. This may be the first world to integrate Java. It's an arcade-type fight game where you control the action with keys. "This game demonstrates an entirely new category of 3D by integrating behaviors," Alex Edelstein, Netscape's Senior Product Manager for Netscape Navigator, told me.

VRML Weather World. My favorite -- shows a good use of 3D: visualizing complex data. You can spin the 3D globe around (use the right mouse button) and click on the continent to get the latest infrared weather map, which pops up in another frame.

Apollo 11. Lunar Module on the moon. The first 3D world to use RealAudio. "One small step..." and other historic Apollo messages. (Hint: rotate the lunar module and examine various objects.) "This world shows a cinematic use of Live3D, not just a world floating in space," as Paper Software's Greg Scallan, Senior Developer of WebFX, put it (WebFX is the basis of Live3D).

Animated Place. A Superman-style cube floating in space with Java-animated rotating cube inside, by artist Robert M. Free. Also check out his art gallery.

Okay, but what's Live3D really good for? Scallan again: "The best use of Live3D is for visualizing complex information. Most of the examples are static worlds. What we'll see next are multi-user collaborative worlds and worlds for navigating the Net in 3D, with streaming video and audio."

There are some interesting ones in the works. Construct is developing an advanced multi-user animated expo world for NTT Data (check Construct's site on Monday for URL). There's a worldwide "Fodor's Travel Guide" coming out. And Paper Software's Bill Roudy, who developed the Java code for Fighter, told me he created a prototype Live3D version of CNN, with video playing as you click various hot spots in the globe. That I'd like to see.

Bottom line: it's still in the early stages and authoring tools are still being developed, but stay tuned -- Live3D should get really interesting as it integrates multimedia and develops sophisticated Java scripts.

Discovered a new world? Tell me about it!

Feature: Manhattan's Silicon Alley