Author:: John Palmer Link:: https://darkblueheaven.com/spatialsoftware/ Tags:#media/article spatial software software design
- Summary::
- follow-up to Spatial Interactions - Essay
- notes::
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“Figma and Second Life are examples of spatial software. They contain worlds where the relationships between objects on a canvas, or bodies in an environment, respectively, are the organizing logic of the interface. WhatsApp is not spatial software. The organizing logic of its interface is recency of messages, not spatial relationships.”
- traditional interface of software vs. world of spatial software
- spatial software vs normal software interface
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as spatial software expands, what will the tools look like to create those kind of worlds?
- It seems like we’re now in the early days of the spatial web, and 3D design tools aren’t yet tailored to the specific goals we might have moving forward. Lots of 3D tools exist, depending on what you’re trying to make: Unity, Unreal, Blender, Maya, AutoDesk, etc. And there are also simpler options like the Roblox Studio, or just using Minecraft to design something. However, nothing has yet struck the right balance between ease-of-use and freedom for me.
- What will design tools look like in a world where instead of a static webpage, we all have, for example, our own virtual island?
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spatial software inherently gives more degrees of freedom than traditional software
- more degrees of freedom translate into more room for users to innovate just through using the software permanent
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Because spatial software comes with more degrees of freedom, whether to move around or view things differently, there are creative ways of using the software, not just designing it
- it’s why documents are so powerful because they inherently have lots of degrees of freedom
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