Click here to visit several locations originally created in Second Life and OpenSim on your web browser. You don't need an SL/OS client to view them, and though they use Unity 3D to display, now you don't even need to download a Unity plug-in, because the latest version of Flash (standard to nearly all web browsers) has Unity's display code built in. This is the latest, nearly consumer-ready version of technology created by Tipodean, from ex-Linden Chris Collins, with the help of SL/RL architect Jon "Keystone" Brouchoud, which I wrote about earlier this month. Now the demo comes with a menu and many locations to select from. The one you're looking at above is a web-accessible version of NOAA, which was originally developed in Second Life for the US government branch. As I noted this week, OpenSim is not apparently growing its userbase. Unity, however, has been growing by leaps and bounds, with a user base in the tens of millions. So if OpenSim (and for that matter SL) wants to grow beyond the smaller market for client-based installs, something like what Tipodean is doing with Unity probably a fruitful way to go.
Related to this, Tipodean also just launched the Archtech Engine, which uses Unity to generate web-based 3D spaces with avatars -- and can do so with SL and OpenSim locations. Chris and Jon and I recently hung out in an early, military-themed demo, see below:
"So that NOAA example," Chris told me, as we stood around shooting each other in the face with M-16s, "you could then do whatever you wanted form the ArchTech Engine suite. Drop in a thunderstom, make people have avatars, etc."
Demo video below:
This is a bit deceptive... you are not exploring a region in SL, it is simply a copy of a region that is exported to Unity. You are *not* viewing SL with this browser!
Posted by: MV | Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 02:40 PM
So if I understand correctly... You were standing on NOAA's island shooting each other in the face with M-16s? Classic.
Posted by: Eric Hackathorn | Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 02:43 PM
I think Gojiyo has a Unity frontend to OpenSim. Never tried it though.
Posted by: Graham Mills | Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 02:49 PM
Eric: No, face-shooting in the military demo only. But now we can face-shoot in NOAA too!
Posted by: Hamlet Au | Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 03:01 PM
@Hamlet Disappointing really. Maybe we can get Chris to come up with some sort of weather-inducing portal-like gun. You know, that would be a great way to teach about high and low pressure systems. Ah, fond memories of the end of Portal 2.
Posted by: Eric Hackathorn | Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 03:15 PM
well, if you wanted the army guys you could face shoot in anything :> and being Unity3d it is like any modern gaming system and quality. But that is just for a demo.
The key to ArchTech Engine is that it is modular and the video that Hamlet links to is a real showcase of that capability.
What we (Archvirtual and Tipodean) wanted to create is something that can be wrapped around specific project requirements rather than the other way around.
@MV and @Graham correct this is a copy of the island, we do have a unity viewer that connects direct to SL and Opensim but the output is no were near as good and you still have the same OpenSim/SL issues for a large scale rollout, check out tipodean website for web viewer, that is old news and we do not do much with it. It is not part of Archtech engine. With Archtech we copy the entire island if you want content from OPensim OR we create from scratch OR take content that you have developed with other 3D modeling packages and make it realtime.
As a side note the Army demo is a great place to resolve disagreements if we get some interest we can fire it up so people can settle some scores with others watching. Let me know a time and we can do it! serious :>
Posted by: Chris Collins | Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 03:34 PM
@MV there is more than that, that is deceptive, Unity isn't a primary producer so the "userbase" of Unity in the 10's of millions is misleading. Unity being a technology used for all manor of primary producer products ( http://unity3d.com/ )isn't a service itself and has no userbase outside of the development houses, that I am aware of.
They also don't look like m16's to me, the part around the barrel isn't long enough, looks more like an m4 unless I'm mistaken there too.
"Devil in the details" as Unity itself advertises in one of their blog entries.
Posted by: Adromaw | Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 08:51 PM
@adromaw here are some unity stats http://unity3d.com/company/fast-facts BUT yes you are right about 'userbase' but you need to think about it in a very different way. Unity3d the application is a designer for immersive content much like Macromedia dreamweaver is a designer for web content. This means that you have a lot of flexibility which is why we built ArchTech Engine ensuring the same flexibility.
Posted by: Chris Collins | Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 09:05 PM
Indeed Chris, that is exactly how I imagined it, though, more towards Unreal or Tech (n), personally; certainly not a slight on any work with ArchTech.
And yes I saw the facts page, web-plugin installs does not make a userbase still though. It’s not Unity providing the service, only the tool to deliver it. Hence why you said I was right about the userbase. Just the placement of that one sentence I guess, gives a slightly different perception, like a comparison between “Unity” and SL and Opensim.
Which I gather isn’t really what is truly being talked about, but instead considering different means of delivery to “reach a wider audience”.
Posted by: Adromaw | Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 11:53 PM
Or should we say, consider "again". I recall long ago a web viewer project?
Posted by: Adromaw | Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 11:57 PM
The ArchTech engine looks like it has a lot of key potential for landmarks, galleries and resort interactive advertisement.
Posted by: Adromaw | Friday, January 27, 2012 at 12:07 AM
So now it seems obvious to whom you are lobbying!
It becomes clear all the negativism about Second Life and Open sim, on your latest posts!
Posted by: foneco zuzu | Friday, January 27, 2012 at 05:51 AM
This is a wonderful tech development. It really is. And if a future grid is accessed primarily through web browsers, then the whole Copybot problem vanishes -- how do you steal primdata without a rewritten viewer?
You may have stumbled upon the solution to the rampant theft in Virtual Worlds. While textures are still grabbable (and I frankly see no way at all that such can be made theftproof), everything being viewed through a web browser makes capturing all the prim parameters a very difficult prospect.
Posted by: shockwave yareach | Friday, January 27, 2012 at 07:55 AM
@MV "This is a bit deceptive... you are not exploring a region in SL, it is simply a copy of a region that is exported to Unity. You are *not* viewing SL with this browser!"
Yes, I visited a spot in my Web browser then simultaneously went to the same spot with my SL avatar and the latter found herself alone. If my Web self was present there was no indication.
Posted by: Uccello | Friday, January 27, 2012 at 10:19 AM
- @Uccello. To be really clear. The content that is OpenSim based in THIS blog post has used our converter that takes the island and converts it to work with Unity3d. This no longer connects to a SL or Opensim server once that happens. e.g. host it on a web server and send the link to 1 million people and they will be able to see it. (see third bullet to see what you are looking for)
-Archtechengine.com is a product that we just released that is built as a modular solution with the ability to wrap itself around your specific project needs. The conversion tech is just one of money modules available.
-Where it could be confusing for people is that we ALSO have a Unity3d tool that CAN connect direct to SL and OpenSim called the webviewer that is SUPER, SUPER old news and has been available for people to use for over a year http://bit.ly/w7wlQI called www.builtbuy.me that will connect to SL and Opensim servers and you will see other avatars. We have not done any further development on that tech as we are focused on pure unity3d. The web viewer has nothing to do with converter or Archtech Engine.
Posted by: Chris Collins | Friday, January 27, 2012 at 12:00 PM
@Chris: then you are missing a boat here. Being able to get rid of a viewer and just tell people to click on a link and enter whatever virtual world they want, is a big money maker. Simply charge 2$ for 4 hours, give a link to the user to connect to your unity translator, and connect them up to SL. Or opensim, inworldz, whatever. They can even pick which UI to use, 1, 2 (blech) or 3. Create a bunch of guest accounts, and people who have never been in SL can then visit an SL event -- just click on the URL to get a temp account, pay the 2 bucks, click the next URL to enter the world, then the URL to the event you want to see. No account creation or installing viewers necessary.
Posted by: shockwave yareach | Friday, January 27, 2012 at 01:08 PM
@shockwave. go for it.
Posted by: Chris Collins | Friday, January 27, 2012 at 02:48 PM
Wow this is pretty impressive. For folks taht have put a lot of effort into creating a beautiful sim, it's a great way to introduce it to people who aren't in SL or OpenSim. And then get them to join up for the REAL experience.
Posted by: rikomatic | Monday, January 30, 2012 at 12:06 PM