SGI Cosmo Worlds. This was a VRML authoring tool that worked on a PC. The interface was like a cut down Maya in some respects but it was also 'better than Maya

SGI Cosmo Worlds. This was a VRML authoring tool that worked on a PC. The interface was like a cut down Maya in some respects but it was also 'better than Maya' if you wanted a real time scene graph with scripts to make it interactive with sounds and content updated in 'frames' outside the 3D window. This software was well ahead of its time and more fun than Lego. However, much like Lego, you did need to have a child-like level of creativity and ability to get absorbed in non-addictive play. Games can have you hooked for hours, for you to feel guilty for wasting time. Spending the same time creating virtual worlds in Cosmo Worlds was just as absorbing, however, you could feel quite proud of what you made at the end, much like childhood Lego experiences. Despite how brilliant Cosmo Worlds was and how sophisticated one's creations were, the problem was that the rest of the world were not on the same page. They were happy with faux 3D and a flat, 2D world, particularly when it came to the web. We are still stuck in the boring 'Windows' 2D world and do not appreciate what the people at SGI were trying to do.