In my last entry I ended with this question: “At what point do non-monetary motivational factors – reputation and empowerment – overwhelm the barriers to entry for average people?” It’s an especially timely question because the interface barriers are dropping so rapidly.

Minority Report technology no longer seems like science fiction; in fact, YouTube is filling with it. And once-daunting 3D application tasks are routinely simplified into “I can do that” activities (e.g. ILoveSketch).

Consequently, it may not be long before increasingly sophisticated users reach the proverbial tipping point where mere apprehension of using a 3D application is no longer an issue preventing them from attempting to learn. And of course, when the barrier to entry lowers, so does the necessary motivation.
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In Parts 1-6, I mostly covered hardware; starting off with an entry which showcased a low-cost augmented reality demonstration video as a pointer to the future, and then covering fabrication processes which included a video showing how electronically “captured” movements could be converted into tangible objects.
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In my last entry I touched upon how the opportunity to improve one’s social reputation would encourage some people to learn 3D modeling; especially as new, task-specific interfaces such as Spore‘s “Creature Creator” make traditionally difficult applications easier for novices. Social reputation – especially within the framework of the videogame community or popular online social networking sites – is one non-monetary incentive for learning 3D CAD. Personal empowerment – particularly within one’s “real” world community – is another.
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In my previous post I made the assertion that besides monetary reward, everyday people would increasingly endeavor to acquire 3D modeling skills as a consequence of two non-monetary incentives: social reputation and personal empowerment. I’ll briefly touch on the first in this entry.
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In Parts 7 and 8, I applied a “Web 2.0” filter to software in general, and then CAD in particular. With that filter in place, I’ve been primarily focusing on tools. At this point it’s time to pan the view and focus on people; especially the up-and-coming generations who will use and primarily benefit from these tools.

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