Tony Parisi (software developer)

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Tony Parisi
Tony Parisi Casual SF 2022.jpg
Tony Parisi (2022)
Born
Anthony Parisi

(1962-12-01) December 1, 1962 (age 61)
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater University of Massachusetts
Occupation(s) Software developer, inventor, Entrepreneur [1] [2]
Years active1990-present
Known forInternational standards, 3D graphics, virtual reality [3]
Website tonyparisi.com

Tony Parisi, one of the early pioneers in virtual reality and the metaverse, is an entrepreneur, inventor and developer of 3D computer software. [4] [5] The co-creator of Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML), he has written [6] books and papers on the future of technology. He works on WebGL and WebVR and has written two books on the former, and an introductory book on virtual reality programming. He is the chief strategy officer at Lamina1. [7] Parisi is also a musician, composer and producer working on multiple projects. [8] [9] [10]

Contents

Career

Parisi has designed and developed several international 3D graphics standards. [11] Parisi worked with Mark Pesce to develop VRML, which Pesce presented to the world in 1994. The purpose of VRML was to allow for the creation of 3-D environments within the World Wide Web, accessible through a web browser. Parisi worked with such corporations as Microsoft, Netscape, Silicon Graphics, Sun Microsystems and Sony to gain industry acceptance of the new protocol as a standard for desktop virtual reality. [11] In his early career Parisi worked as a software engineer in Cambridge, MA. From 1987 to 1990 Parisi was at Bolt, Beranek and Newman, developing scientific and statistical analysis software and managing projects to port products to early graphical user interface systems. [12]

From 1990 to 1991 Parisi was a senior software engineer at spreadsheet pioneer Lotus Development Corporation, where he worked on X, Windows and Macintosh versions of Lotus 1-2-3. [13] In 1991 he co-founded Belmont Research with BBN alumni, where he created a scientific and statistical analysis software toolkit and wrote the compiler and runtime graphics and user interface libraries for BTL, the company’s domain-specific language for application developers. Parisi was a founding member of the Web3D Consortium, an organization focused on encouraging development and implementation of open standards for three-dimensional content and services. [14] He was one of the original designers and specification editors of X3D, an upgrade to VRML which extended its features and added format encodings in XML, compressed binary and JSON. [14]

Intervista Software 1995-1999

In 1995 Parisi founded Intervista Software, one of the first startups devoted to creating products for creating and viewing VRML content. [11] [12] Parisi developed WorldView, the first PC-based VRML web browser plugin for PCs. In 1997 Parisi licensed WorldView to Microsoft for distribution in the Internet Explorer web browser as its built-in VRML viewer solution, distributed to tens of millions of Windows users. Intervista was sold to Platinum Technology in 1999, where Parisi served as VP of Business Development through 2000. [11]

Media Machines/Vivaty 2003-2010

After a period of independent consulting, Parisi founded Media Machines in 2003 to focus on X3D-based software and products. The company developed the Flux Player browser plugin and Flux Editor for creating 3D scenes and experiences. In 2008 the company raised investment from Silicon Valley venture investors to create an in-browser virtual world platform with a player, server, and creation tools based on the Flux Player and Flux Editor, and rebranded the company as Vivaty. Vivaty was purchased by Microsoft in 2010. [15]

2012-2023

In 2012, Parisi joined the Khronos working group creating glTF, a JSON- and binary-encoded file format for three-dimensional scenes and models intended for web and mobile applications. [16] [17] He served as glTF specification co-editor from 2012 to 2017, and contributed technical features such as the design of the original animation system. Parisi also wrote the initial file loader for Three.js, and the first sample exporter to glTF from the Unity game-engine editor. Parisi coined the name “glTF” (Graphics Language Transmission Format) as an alternative to the generic working title “ATF” (Asset Transmission Format), which the working group accepted. Parisi was also instrumental in getting the format adopted by companies such as Oculus and Microsoft in 2016, which helped propel the format into wide use and industry acceptance. [17]

With the rise of consumer virtual reality and in the wake of Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus, Parisi advised several startup companies and became a public speaker and consultant. [12]

In 2016 Parisi joined San Francisco-based Unity Technologies as Global Head of VR/AR, and served in that position until early 2022. Over time his role shifted from overseeing all virtual and augmented reality strategy for the company to developing strategy and products that integrate virtual and augmented reality with advertising and e-commerce. While at Unity, Parisi filed and was granted a patent for an invention in augmented reality advertising. [17]

In October 2021, Parisi published a treatise titled “The Seven Rules of the Metaverse,” which went viral and has since become a de facto work in Metaverse canon. [18] Parisi is the co-host with Mark Pesce of the podcast “A Brief History of the Metaverse.” [4] In 2022 Parisi joined as Chief Strategy Officer at Seattle-based LAMINA1, a blockchain and Metaverse startup co-founded by author Neal Stephenson. [2]

2023-present

In July of 2023, Parisi founded Metatron Studio as a content studio for the Metaverse, focused on entertainment projects that integrate music, live theater, computer graphics, virtual and augmented reality and blockchain technology. [9] Parisi, also a Berklee College of Music alumnus, launched multiple NFT collections based on his original music. [10]

In May of 2023 he released the NFT for Cradle to Grave, a protest song about gun violence and reproductive rights in the US. In July of 2023, Parisi launched the NFT collection for Judgment Day, Parisi's original rock opera about the end of the world. [10] The cast recording was published on major streaming music services in late 2022. Parisi is using a portion of the proceeds from the Judgment Day NFT collection to fund development of the live show, and has publicly stated that he will remove the music for Judgment Day from streaming services once the collection sells out, offering access to the music to NFT and live show ticket holders. [10] [9]

Authorship

From 2011 through 2014, Parisi wrote books, created training courses and consulted to companies on WebGL, the standard JavaScript API for rendering interactive 2D and 3D graphics in web browsers. Parisi authored two O’Reilly Media books on WebGL programming. [19] Parisi authored an introductory book on virtual reality programming published by O’Reilly Media in 2015. [17] [19]

Bibliography

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VRML</span> File format for representing 3D interactive vector graphics

VRML is a standard file format for representing 3-dimensional (3D) interactive vector graphics, designed particularly with the World Wide Web in mind. It has been superseded by X3D.

X3D is a set of royalty-free ISO/IEC standards for declaratively representing 3D computer graphics. X3D includes multiple graphics file formats, programming-language API definitions, and run-time specifications for both delivery and integration of interactive network-capable 3D data. X3D version 4.0 has been approved by Web3D Consortium, and is under final review by ISO/IEC as a revised International Standard (IS).

The Khronos Group, Inc. is an open, non-profit, member-driven consortium of 170 organizations developing, publishing and maintaining royalty-free interoperability standards for 3D graphics, virtual reality, augmented reality, parallel computation, vision acceleration and machine learning. The open standards and associated conformance tests enable software applications and middleware to effectively harness authoring and accelerated playback of dynamic media across a wide variety of platforms and devices. The group is based in Beaverton, Oregon.

COLLADA is an interchange file format for interactive 3D applications. It is managed by the nonprofit technology consortium, the Khronos Group, and has been adopted by ISO as a publicly available specification, ISO/PAS 17506.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metaverse</span> Collective three-dimensional virtual shared space

The metaverse is a loosely defined term referring to three-dimensional virtual worlds in which users represented by avatars interact.

Humanoid Animation (HAnim) is an approved ISO and IEC standard for humanoid modeling and animation. HAnim defines a specification for defining interchangeable human figures so that those characters can be used across a variety of 3D games and simulation environments.

Demicron WireFusion an authoring tool for creating interactive Web3D presentations. A typical work flow consists of loading a 3D model, configuring/optimizing the 3D model and lastly adding widgets and logic to the presentation. The 3D model is created in a 3D modeling program, like 3DS Max, Maya or any other 3D modeling program that can export as X3D or VRML. The resulting presentations can run in browsers supporting Java 1.1+.

An image file format is a file format for a digital image. There are many formats that can be used, such as JPEG, PNG, and GIF. Most formats up until 2022 were for storing 2D images, not 3D ones. The data stored in an image file format may be compressed or uncompressed. If the data is compressed, it may be done so using lossy compression or lossless compression. For graphic design applications, vector formats are often used. Some image file formats support transparency.

Web3D Consortium is an international not-for-profit, member-funded industry consortium, originally founded in 1997. Web3D Consortium members from governmental, nonprofit and research organizations worldwide, including working alongside individual professional members to collaborate in a consensus process and encouraging development and implementation of open standards for 3D content and services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Pesce</span>

Mark D. Pesce is an American-Australian author, researcher, engineer, futurist and teacher.

Flux was a software suite released by Media Machines which consisted of Flux Player and Flux Studio.

Web3D, also called 3D Web, is a group of technologies to display and navigate websites using 3D computer graphics.

3DMLW is a discontinued open-source project, and a XML-based Markup Language for representing interactive 3D and 2D content on the World Wide Web.

Improbable Worlds Limited is a multinational technology company founded in 2012 and headquartered in London, England. It makes metaverse infrastructure and applications, as well as simulation software for video games and corporate use. It reported revenues of £78m in fiscal 2022, up 260% over 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blaxxun</span> Defunct dotcom bubble VR company

Blaxxun Interactive, originally named "Black Sun Interactive", was one of the first companies to develop a 3D community platform designed for the Internet using VRML and highly scalable multi-user server environments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WebGL</span> JavaScript bindings for OpenGL in web browsers

WebGL is a JavaScript API for rendering interactive 2D and 3D graphics within any compatible web browser without the use of plug-ins. WebGL is fully integrated with other web standards, allowing GPU-accelerated usage of physics, image processing, and effects in the HTML canvas. WebGL elements can be mixed with other HTML elements and composited with other parts of the page or page background.

VREAM, Inc. was a US technology company that functioned between 1991 and 1996. It was one of the first companies to develop PC-based software for authoring and viewing virtual reality (VR) environments.

WebXR Device API is a Web application programming interface (API) that describes support for accessing augmented reality and virtual reality devices, such as the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, Google Cardboard, HoloLens, Magic Leap or Open Source Virtual Reality (OSVR), in a web browser. The WebXR Device API and related APIs are standards defined by W3C groups, the Immersive Web Community Group and Immersive Web Working Group. While the Community Group works on the proposals in the incubation period, the Working Group defines the final web specifications to be implemented by the browsers.

glTF 3D scene and model file format

glTF is a standard file format for three-dimensional scenes and models. A glTF file uses one of two possible file extensions: .gltf (JSON/ASCII) or .glb (binary). Both .gltf and .glb files may reference external binary and texture resources. Alternatively, both formats may be self-contained by directly embedding binary data buffers. An open standard developed and maintained by the Khronos Group, it supports 3D model geometry, appearance, scene graph hierarchy, and animation. It is intended to be a streamlined, interoperable format for the delivery of 3D assets, while minimizing file size and runtime processing by apps. As such, its creators have described it as the "JPEG of 3D."

Spatial is an Unity-powered UGC gaming platform that enables developers to publish and monetize multiplayer games across web, mobile, and VR. Spatial focuses on games developed using the Unity game engine and the C# programming language. The company is headquartered in New York.

References

  1. ↑ "Web3 Veteran Tony Parisi Joins ME Ventures". XR Today. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  2. 1 2 ""Father of Metaverse" Launches Blockchain". Business Cloud. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  3. ↑ "Virtual Meets Reality". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Mark Pesce And Tony Parisi Take A Dive Into The Metaverse With New Podcast Series". B&T. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  5. ↑ "This Is the Simplest Way to Explain the Metaverse". Inside Hook. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  6. ↑ Media Machines Management
  7. ↑ "Leading Standards Organizations and Companies Unite to Drive Open Metaverse Interoperability". Robotics Tomorrow. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  8. ↑ "Burning passion". Forbes. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 "Presence Over Proximity: How Tony Parisi's Metaverse Will Vaporize Distance". Tech Times. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Broadway on the Blockchain? Meet the Metaverse Pioneer Leading Theater to a New Era". LA Weekly (sponsored). Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Flashback: Tony Parisi on Co-Creating the Virtual Reality Markup Language". UploadVR. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  12. 1 2 3 "From VRML to the Metaverse: Tony Parisi's Journey to Build the Virtual World of the Future". Tech Times. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  13. ↑ "Meta vs. The Open Metaverse: Which Vision Will Prevail?". Innotechtoday. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  14. 1 2 "X3D Built to Make Web 3D Easier, More Accessible". Tech Monitor. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  15. ↑ "Microsoft buys performance-monitoring vendor AviCode". ZDNet. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  16. ↑ "Tech pioneer Tony Parisi wants VR to change the world". VentureBeat. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  17. 1 2 3 4 "VR Pioneer Tony Parisi: Real-Time Technology Is Helping People Get the Job Done". Variety. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  18. ↑ "What parents need to know about the coming metaverse". Quartz. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  19. 1 2 "On the Hunt for VR's Killer App with Unity's Head of VR & AR, Tony Parisi". Road to VR. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  20. ↑ "Croquet Adds Tony Parisi, Metaverse Pioneer and 3D Standards Co-creator, to Technical Advisory Group". MarTech Series. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
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