Google puts 3D on the web, and it's no joke

On April 1st, many of you read about the groundbreaking development of Google Chrome in 3D. The snazzy 3D glasses we got to wear for this project really upped the style quotient around here! Today, however, we're excited to announce a project that is more than just a fashion statement. The new O3D project has launched this week on Google Code. It's an open-source API that allows developers to put high-performance 3D in the browser.

There are a lot of folks who believe it is time to create a standardized, open, and general purpose way to put 3D graphics on the web. O3D is Google's contribution to that ongoing discussion. Our goal is to make the next generation of browsers support 3D "out of the box," and Google SketchUp's long term vision of "3D for Everyone" will be one step closer!

The SketchUp team is very excited about this launch. The possibilities for posting, sharing, and collaborating on the web in 3D are endless. If you're a developer, get the plugin implementation of the API and help us start exploring. You can read more about using SketchUp with O3D and utilize the Scene Viewer demo to post SketchUp models on your website. Even if you're not a developer, we invite you to join the discussion about what you think 3D on the web should be.

In the coming weeks, stay tuned for guided tours of SketchUp + O3D on the SketchUp Ruby API Blog. And, don't forget to wear your glasses!

Posted by Scott Lininger, Engineering Team