A group of Stanford computer scientists has designed a program that could help users create a more realistic virtual environment in which to interact.
The Stanford Virtual Worlds group announced this week that they have created Dryad, a program in which users can easily “construct” trees in a virtual space.
Using the wealth of information about trees already collect by botanists, Dryad populates the virtual space with trees created from 100 different variables. Users navigate the space and pick their desired tree from thousands of possibilities. A social-networking component refines the software by “nudging” users to trees with popular characteristics.
This, in effect, allows users to pick an item they want without having to go through a complicated creation process, or being able to shape a realistic-looking object manually.
The purpose, apparently, is to eventually allow people to interact in virtual worlds more effectively by proliferating realistic-looking 3-D objects. This has positive implications for the future of online interaction and uplifting discourse, since users could be engaged in a more realistic virtual space. And, like most things in the online world, there’s always the potential for more prurient uses. —Hurley Goodall
