Google is giving 3d on the web another go (after their failed Lively initiative) with O3D. O3D is an open-source web API for creating rich, interactive 3D applications in the browser. 3D delivery on the web is nothing new. Years ago you may remember VRML markup and technology, but it was short lived. Flash bridged the gap between client hardware and browsers, ensuring visually rich delivery of 3d worlds and content. Flash though, is also limited and Google is looking to take advantage of the end user hardware more.
It will be interesting to see what Google can come up with, especially since the launch of iD Software’s Quake Live this year. Quake Live is a new service that lets players run Quake 3 in their web browser of choice and play against other people in the world, for free. It’s quite remarkable. So lets see what Google does.
For more information, head on over to Google Code page for O3D.
