This Simpsons avatar thing is really catching on. At first I portrayed myself in fun. I was disappointed in how generic the result was, so I picked Shaan Hurley because he had glasses and facial hair - something distinct. The default body type was that of Homer's and I couldn't resist. It is amazing how easy it is to make friends by trying this. Chris Blocher loved what I had done for Shaan and submitted one of himself. Several other CAD bloggers did something similar:
- Humor: Scott Sheppard Simpson
- Shaan Hurley Simpson'ized
- Autodesk University Blog: Joseph Wurcher Simpson
- BLAUGI: Mike Perry Simpson (weekend fun)
- Mistress of the Dorkness: Melanie Stone Perry Simpson
- RobiNZ CAD Blog: Robin Capper Simpson
- Through the Interface: Kean Walmsley Simpson
Some bloggers were like me and did it for fun. Others figured they had better portray themselves before someone else did it for them. :-)
If you think about it, most bloggers are not professional cartoonists. Okay - Scott Adams is an exception. Many of us do not even know how to draw. Despite this, we were all able to create characters in the Simpsons style. Not all characters are as accurate as my rendition of Shaan Hurley :-), but they all certainly reflect the Simpsons style and an approximation of the person being avatar'd. This is made possible by allowing us to mix and match from a set of predefined alternatives.
Mixing and matching is exactly what Project Showroom is doing. Instead of a Simpsons avatar, you wind up with a bathroom that is comprised of real upgrades and additions that you can buy. Most customers are not professional bathroom designers. Web services are all about giving users choices and using computing power to bring them together.
Even when we're having silly fun, we're recognizing new interface approaches in the lab. So what do you think about Project Showroom? Please tell us: Labs.showroom@autodesk.com.
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