The World Expo in Shanghai next year will include a 3D virtual world that will act as both a gateway and a companion experience to the physical event. The world is being built in partnership with Dassault Systems and 3DVIA (which also partnered to create Microsoft’s Virtual Earth-3DVIA) and is based on Virtools. According to the Dassault press release:
“World Expo Shanghai Online is a revolutionary creation. It is not a simple copy of the physical Expo, but an introductory channel, extension and supplement to the Expo. Through the 3D lifelike experience technology, we are able to comprehensively present World Expo,” said Wang Liping, Chief Operation Officer of Expo Website Management Office and Deputy Director of Expo Communication & Promotion Dept. “As the host of 2010 World Expo, our responsibility is to carry its innovative spirit and extend it to every corner of the world. Thanks to the diversity, interactivity and broad coverage brought by the Internet in the era of Web 2.0, in conjunction with Dassault Systèmes’ 3D lifelike experience technology, Expo Online will bring more people to participate in and benefit from this special event of human civilization. The valuable cultural legacy from Shanghai World Expo will also be preserved forever in the virtual world.”
A video outlines the initiative, noting that the virtual Expo will include both informational browsing, and the ability to enter ‘experience pavilions’ where your avatar can walk around and explore (jump to 1:46 for the demo).
An early sample of three virtual environments can be viewed on-line at a numbered URL (click photo):
This initial demo lacks avatars as shown in the video, which also hints at mixed reality events.
Individual countries at the Expo develop their own virtual pavilions. The organizers released detailed information on the development of the 3D space and requirements for applying to participate.
Mobinode also reported that Ogilvy Shanghai, Tencent and multi-media service provider Crystal CG Ltd are also involved in the project.
(Hat tip to Peter Finn for background info).
the “live” demos were using a “QTVR” type interface. surprising since Virtools was a fully 3d engine, and had been used for a number of games online that worked quite well in the past.
QTVR is not very “immersive” and like the 2d flash based batch of “new” virtual conference software sellers/providers offerings , I still cant feel like I ‘at” any of these events, and at best ,all i can seem to be doing is “zooming in and out of focus” on a photograph of a room.
will be/ would be much more interesting event if truly immersive and 3d. A well designed and presented virtual worlds fair..unlike the SL6B monster of glowy nothings… would be a great way to truly bring the next 10 million into a virtual 3d immmersive web.
as i keep saying and have said before, the way to get virtuality to work and be a civil commons media is to appraoch it like it was 1939. not 1969 as the northern CA set keeps on doing and doing..
No matter how immersive, virtual or successful it turns out to be, I really enjoyed and resonate with the vision they portray – especially the part around 2:15 into the video.
Someday…
As the US gained influence in the past, movies controlled the general culture releasing American memes into the world culture.
As China gains power, they will do this with virtual worlds. The world that comes after SL will almost certainly be Chinese. And this will be done with the short sighted cooperation of Western Companies. All in the name of Free Trade. Already companies in the US are wild to send off all our tech knowledge to Asia. We are in the midst of a technological, trade, information and cultural war. But its already too late to stop it.
What do these worlds have in mind? I doubt they share an interest in The Burning Man, Snowcrash or Dark City. I suppose I should get used to the translators since the SL killer will not have English as the default language.
Which leads to another question, what country are these worlds. I know most people think they are beyond borders. But that isn’t the case. SL is being assiduously colonized by the US military etc. Can other countries have military bases in SL? I see a fracturing as, you have already noted, a passport system will most likely be implemented.
Its going to be an interesting 10 years.