Google take a stab at 3D browser content

Looks like google are entering the web 3D domain with their O3D api.

Gamasutra reports that they are attempting to put together "a standard" for 3D browser content, comparable to OpenGL/D3D.

So how many companies are there now trying to capture this market?

and what about all the existing pieces of kit that are out there?

VRML? Java3D? Flash/Director/Swift/Swish/Shockwave?

And most of the middleware vendors out there are desperately trying to port their frameworks to run in a browser via ActiveX or equivalent (torque, etc.)

It would be awesome to have some form of standard emerge, but I think just about everyone is pushing in different directions, right? I mean Adobe have some 3D content through Air (or equivalent) and I think Silverlight also supports some form of 3D embedded content.

Google O3D page is here: http://code.google.com/apis/o3d/

I’ll reserve judgment until someone puts together a playable 3D tron…

-B.