By Ian Hollidae, 2025/04/08

One issue with putting 3D worlds inside a 2D environment is integrating the app into the larger user experience. Given that 3D environments are rather expansive in terms of UX, it's easy to let 3D apps run out of control. My general approach in dealing with 3D is to keep things simple.

But in keeping things simple, I ran across an unexpected problem when it comes to animation. As it turns out, animation within a 3D world doesn't look all that different from animation in a 2D world if the viewer doesn't move or rotate the 3D app. It's the equivalent of a video that has no cuts or motion being no different from a static image. In fact, using a video would be rather pointless.

So what can be done to make 3D animation stand out?

I decided to experiment with one of my older full motion demos. It's a 3D maze where, in the original version, the viewer manually navigates through corridors like any standard maze. One idea was to rework the demo into a 3D non-gaming animation apps. Basically, an app that's more than standard SVG or CSS animation but something less than a full-blown game (I'm still not entirely sure what that looks like but OK).

At first, I automated the entire walk-thru experience. Just push a button and avatar would makes its own way through. This wound up having the feel of an extended animiated GIF.

Another idea was to leave the maze as it was and add a "Where Am I" button that lifted the avatar above the maze space so the viewer could see their location. But this really wasn't any better than a 2D birds-eye view map.

After a number of revisions, I broke the fully automated tour into several sections to try and make the UX more interactive. At the end of each guided section, the user is presented with a brief note about 3D Maze and an opportunity to continue the tour similar to how a setup wizard works on the web. Simple text signs are used for notes but anything, such as images, can be inserted. I left the original maze layout intact, dead-ends and all, but lowered the walls so you can see where everything is.

To move through the demo, press START to begin. Press CONTINUE, when presented, to move forward:

I tried to keep this demo as minimalist as possible. No texturing, no sounds, no distant visuals beyond the operating space. Just take a basic 3D mechanism and demonstrate a possible method of integration. I believe that motion, if done properly, can add the type of animation that standard HTML/Javascript/SVG can't provide.

I'm sure there are other ways to maximize the 3D experience on the web which I hope to post in the future. Maybe I'll have time to make a more complex example. For now, I'll continue to focus on simplicity.

By Ian Hollidae, 2025/04/04

A couple of days ago, I ran across an unexpected article in my newsreader. The post was about SMIL and the authors surprise that it was still around. To be honest, I was surprised it may still be around.

For those who don't know, SMIL stands for Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language. It was/is a way to create interactive presentations for the web (or whoever implemented the spec). One of the design purposes stated is:

Define an XML-based language that allows authors to write interactive multimedia presentations. Using SMIL 3.0, an author may describe the temporal behavior of a multimedia presentation, associate hyperlinks with media objects and describe the layout of the presentation on a screen.

For a myriad of reasons, SMIL never caught on. It's too bad because I thought it should have been a lot bigger. Bigger than Flash. Bigger than Silverlight. Maybe as big as SVG webwise (SMIL powers SVG animation). Like a lot of others, I thought SMIL had faded away living on only in spirit. I guess the question now is how alive is it?

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By Ian Hollidae, 2025/03/27

I realized Napster was still around. I had no idea that what still existed had any monetary value. I'm sure the Napster brand might fetch something. But is it worth $200 million? Obviously someone thinks so. Infinite Reality has agreed to buy Napster for $207 million:

"By acquiring Napster, we're paving a path to a brighter future for artists, fans, and the music industry at large. This strategic move aligns with Infinite Reality's vision to lead an internet industry shift from a flat 2D clickable web to a 3D conversational one - giving all creators modern tools to better engage, monetize, and measure their audiences. I firmly believe that the artist-fan relationship is evolving, with fans craving hyper-personalized, intimate access to their favorite artists, while artists are searching for innovative ways to deepen connections with fans, and access new streams of revenue. We're creating the ultimate music platform where artists can thrive in the next wave of digital disruption."

-- John Acunto, CEO Infinite Reality.

Despite all the usual press release fluff, I have my doubts about the great new vision that's just over the horizon. But never say never, right?

However, it is nice to see another musical blast from the past make some noise.

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By Ian Hollidae, 2025/03/24

Now that GIMP 3.0 is truly final, the question now is will the supposed UX improvements translate into a wider adoption. Does it really matter at this point? Outside the usual places where you'd expect this to be news, there really hasn't been much buzz. I realize I'm someone who would eventually upgrade to the next version, regardless of whether it was the brand new 3.0 version or merely a 2.11 update, so maybe I'm not the best person to ask the question. But I'm still curious.

For now, here are some reviews by people more qualified at graphics than me:

• I use GIMP every day and I'm loving its 3.0 release (ZDNET)
• Freeware image editor GIMP 3.0 arrives after seven years of incubation (Tom's Hardware)
• GIMP 3.0 is Finally Out (How-To Geek)

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By Ian Hollidae, 2025/03/17

The inventor of the web, Tim Berners-Lee, wrote an interesting article in the Financial Times (via archive today) about the walled garden nature of social media:

Now let us talk about the opportunity to build new systems that are better for society and for individuals. When the web started, you could make your own website so long as you had a computer and an internet connection (admittedly back then this was a big proviso). You could get a domain name like abc.com and put whatever you liked there. You could blog, and link to other blogs. You were part of an incredibly valuable thing from which you seemed to contribute a tiny bit and gain a great deal.

That feeling of personal empowerment we sometimes call digital sovereignty has since been lost.

Ironically, the original article is sitting behind a paywall.

I admit the article was somewhat of a self promotion piece for his Open Data Institute but that's beside the point. As far as I can tell, he's long been a critic of walled gardens. However, it seems like some of the critism is starting gain more and more of an audience. Is there a real turning point near by?

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By Ian Hollidae, 2025/03/01

I was on my way to a local rose garden to take pictures and I needed to stop at the store for something. This was spotted in the parking lot. While not a candidate for classic minimalism, a small box on a large open wall seemed like a photographic opportunity.

I took several shots from different angles trying to frame the box (whatever it is) in the best composition. It wasn't until I tilted the camera did things get interesting.

The irony of this shot is that I planned to visit the gardens a week in advance and this was really the only photo that came out of all my effort.

This post is a continuation of the Beginners Photography Project.

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By Ian Hollidae, 2025/02/18

Throughout my texturing project, I've been able to capture a decent number of textures. Most have come from places I expected such as floor and wall tiles, facades and natural settings. In this case, I found a texture in an unlikely spot: a vending machine. It wasn't something that stood out or overwhelmed your senses. It was the subtleness that drew me to it. The upper left image is the original:

I was somewhat surprised to capture anything in this particular case. The machine was outside during the day and sitting on a white concrete sidewalk. Fortunately, it was located under a large canopy but it was still quite bright. I was able to find a small area that was workable (low reflective light, no highlights). However, I couldn't quite tell if there was a backlight turned on inside the machine. During editing, it appears there was one but it made little difference. It may have even added something to the overall capture.

Download the Plastic Shock texture set under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0).

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By Ian Hollidae, 2025/02/07

At the start of my photography project, I thought it might be a good idea to do some research into what the best platforms for sharing photos were. I searched through Google, Reddit, Youtube and various photo-related sites to find as many answers I could. At the time, I wasn't entirely sure what my own criteria for photosharing was. I eventually boiled it down to photo quality, ability to get feedback as a newbie and whether the service had a free tier (since I was new, I didn't want to get stuck with a monthly charge for something I no longer used). It seemed like a good place to start.

However, there was something else I ran across during my research. Articles, comments and forum posts about one platform or another no longer being optimal for sharing pictures.

I didn't know what to make of it initially. Given all the noise you find on the internet, it was easy to label these posts as minor. Photosharing can mean different things to different people and no platform stays the same over time. I decided none of it was important because, in the end, I'd have to start somewhere.

So why am I writing this?

Because years later, I'm still seeing the same types of posts (via Fstoppers) and comments but this time against the backdrop of an emerging video dominance.

Right now, it's clear that video is pulling the cart. I think it's perfectly logical for people to ask what this means for photography. What seems lost in that question is the downstream effect of what does this mean for photosharing. After all, if photography is being diminished, then all photography related items would have to be diminished as well. And it's easy for everyone to come up with their own answers given that point of view.

So for now, my response is based on taking the current problem and pointing out the positive. We live in an age where there are more photgraphs shot, produced and published than at any point in human history. In that context, it's next to impossible to contain photography. And photosharing. If the main issue is that you have to do what you've been doing somewhere else, then I don't see a problem.

In other words, there is no crisis.

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By Ian Hollidae, 2025/02/05

During my first stint in tech (started in 2000), I was eager to get into everything. The web was still wide open and there were plenty of areas to get involved. For me, it seemed the most logical approach to all of this was to be a jack-of-all-trades. And why not. Wordpress wasn't around yet. Dreamweaver hadn't taken over HTML development. Early versions of Linux were experiencing real growth and streaming media was still relatively new. However, there was one area where I completely ran into a brick wall and that was in graphic design.

The First Time Around

At the time, I attributed my struggle to a lack of artistic talent. Don't get me wrong, I never thought it would be easy. Looking back though, it was probably due to the fact that I wasn't really involved in a lot of projects that required it. And it never occurred to me the same focus and hardwork I used in programming/scripting/etc could also be applied to graphics. Regardless of my thought process, I had a full plate and decided to let my efforts on the graphics front fade away. During the rest of my stint in tech (left in 2012), there were a number of occasions where that decision came back to bite me.

Now three years into my second stint in tech, I decided I would make more of an effort on the graphic design front. The biggest reason is I'll clearly need it more this time around. Developed software will need icons and online documentation. Hosted websites will need layouts, logos, etc. Part of my preparation was reading through a couple of highly recommended design books (The Non-Designers Design Book in particular). Additionally, I went through a drawing book which was something I've been meaning to do for a while anyway. I even went as far as creating a private mac app that mimics the basic functionality of ColorHexa and Canva Color Wheel just for the purpose of immersing myself in color concepts.

The process has been interesting.

What Did I Learn?

What it's shown me is how much I didn't know, or failed to learn, in my first stint. The thing stands out most is the question of how to quantify good graphics. Or maybe I should say, how do you answer the question of whether something is wrong. Let me give you some examples.

The first issue would be in dealing with code (software, javascript, etc). You can tell when a bug is present or if your application is running too slow. There are specific things you can do to fix the problem.

Another example would be in HTML/SVG. You can see if things within the layout script aren't aligned and take steps to correct it.

In graphic design, there is no "make it look better" or "this lacks something" tool. So what do you do? This is where I've gained quite a bit of respect for people who answer the question successfully. Fortunately for me, all my graphic design projects are completely under my control so I can use the "I don't like this, I'm doing something else" button. Works everytime.

A Path Adjustment

In any case, the learning process has made me appreciate what I missed out years ago and I've enjoyed alot of it to this point. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm a guru. I doubt I'll be doing graphic design for customers. What it does mean is that I'm no longer looking at brick walls when I approach a graphics problem in the future.

That alone has made the effort worthwhile.

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By Ian Hollidae, 2025/01/27

This is a wall facade taken at an office building lobby. The tiles had a marble-like pattern that didn't have a reflection so I decided this might make a pretty good texture.

Since photo textures rarely get used without some post-processing, simple coloring seemed like a good idea for this particular image. It also adds to the reusability of the image.

Here's a preview of the texture set:

The upper left thumbnail is the original photo.

So far this texture has only been used in the Tour Of Shapes project but I can see several other uses for the original photo in the future. Whether I stick with coloring or try something new remains to be seen.

Download the Marble-ish texture set under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0).

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