Here's what I've discovered about which of my favorite old 3D programs will run in Windows 7 64 bit so far. I will qualify this list with the fact that I still play with VRML & X3D 1. Blaxxun Contact 5.3...... Runs Fine 2 BS Contact 7.2.................Runs Fine Internet Space Builder........Runs Fine Vivaty Studio.......................Runs Fine Cosmo Worlds.....................Runs Fine (Believe it or not) AC3D...................................Won't run, working on it. Haxagon..............................Runs Fine Cinema 4D...........................Runs Fine VRML Pad.............................Runs Fine ABNet works in IE 8 No problems with viewing/connecting in Outside Of course you have to have the Pro level or above to pull it... Continue reading

This from Virtual Worlds News. "Yesterday Vivaty announced that it will be closing down its virtual world and social network 3D scenes services on April 16. The company says it is giving the two weeks' notice to allow users to try and capture as much of their creations as possible through screenshots and videos, but, ultimately, Vivaty was just not sustainable". The rooms and environments in Vivaty were great looking and fun to work with. It was a great place to visit and interact with others. Unfortunately, we are seeing technological evolution in action here. So far the latest ones... Continue reading

This is sad news. Inevitably virtual worlds come and go, but I thought this particular platform would be a survivor. It was a fun place, with paint ball games places you could drive dune buggys and ride air boards. There were good groups to belong to and it wasn't too hard on your machine to use. But There.com is going away. To quote from http://www.prod.there.com/info/announcement "There.com is closing on March 9th, 2010 In 2003, There.com was launched as a 3D Immersive Virtual World for everyone. Unlike other products, There was designed from the beginning to be a welcoming and comfortable... Continue reading

With all the new virtual platforms that have come into being over the last few years, it is easy to forget that VR on the web has been viable for over a decade. Back then the major platform was VRML, which has evolved today into X3D. Fortunately, there are still a few out there that play with it and create amazing worlds and places. There is a friend and associate I have had the privilege and pleasure know that goes by the nickname "X". I have always considered him to be a visionary and an artist and, fortunately for us,... Continue reading

My biases come from an artistic standpoint, as I use 3D modeling and virtual platforms as a means to create and display my creations. Some people paint, some write, and some sculpture. I do most of these within the confines of 3D modeling. Continue reading

I personally noticed this trend towards a hybrid of Facebook/Myspace and Virtual Worlds when I first tried IMVU, and then with Kaneva, Utherverse, etc. I am not sure why this particular model has taken hold, but it seems to work. Second Life and some others haven’t felt the need to push the social networking end as hard, but it hasn’t hurt them either, as far as I can tell. Continue reading

There is something that appeals to myself and other creators I know about not only creating scenes, but being able to walk around in them and experience the creations in a real-time/real-world atmosphere. Continue reading

There are quite a few websites available where you can sell or give away the 3D models you create. There are also sites such as Renderosity where you can share renders, etc of your work. But, the most interesting variant of these, in my opinion, is 3DVIA. 3DVIA enjoys a kind of dual personality. To start with, Dassault Systemes, the company that provides this site, has an impressive line of software, some of which is focused on producing virtual experiences on and off line. And the website provides a platform to upload, view and download 3D models. The 3DVIA site... Continue reading