The “3D Wiki”: Blending virtual worlds and Web architecture for remote collaboration

While a lot of technical data is available on the Web, conveying information about detailed procedures for the assembly and repair of complex machinery has so far been limited mostly to 2D drawings and textual content. In this paper we describe the technology behind our 3D Wiki, a system meant to address this problem. By blending the functionality of virtual worlds (3D visualization and navigation) with the benefits of social software (editability, traceability, and hyperlinking), the 3D Wiki can help users tasked with the remote maintenance and repair of technical equipment. Our environment provides a kind of “living technical manual”, seamlessly blending spatial and textual content.