Jekyll2022-06-10T10:41:18+00:00https://blockchain3d.info/feed.xmlA free Bitcoin Blockchain 3D Browser.2021-12-17T00:00:00+00:002021-12-17T00:00:00+00:00https://blockchain3d.info/blog/release-324<p>TL;DR: The app is now web-based only. Mobile and desktop versions are discontinued.</p> <p>A lot has happened since this app was first released:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/03/googles-vr-dreams-are-dead-google-cardboard-is-no-longer-for-sale/">Google have discontinued Cardboard</a> so cheap access to VR gear is no longer so easy.</li> <li>Unity’s WebGL has been steadily improving in stability and performance, whilst at the same time the maintenance of multiple desktop and mobile targets has become more time consuming.</li> <li>The data providers for the bitcoin transaction data have blocked this app’s API key whilst at the same time ignoring all support requests - so it’s bye bye to blockchain.info data. As a result the current mobile and desktop versions no longer work beyond the demo data.</li> </ul> <p>Given these changes, the decision has been made to focus on a <a href="http://blockchain3d.info/assets/webgl/index.html">web only app</a> and discontinue all mobile and desktop-native versions, which no longer work anyway.</p> <p>This means any efforts can focus on adding new features and fixing bugs, which can be released almost instantly, instead of platform-specific builds and app store shennanigans. The new <a href="http://blockchain3d.info/assets/webgl/index.html">web based version</a> is closed source because:</p> <ul> <li>It requires no plugins or add-ons to work, just a modern browser. As such, it is safely sandboxed from your OS and private data, so releasing source code to reassure people the app doesn’t steal secrets is less of a necessity.</li> <li>It relies on bespoke cloud services to provide bitcoin data, for which source won’t be released. Therefore any open source code released wouldn’t work anyway.</li> <li>Open source is great, but also requires effort to manage PRs and backwards compatibility. Closed source simplifies future development efforts.</li> <li>The open source code is <a href="https://github.com/KevinSmall/blockchain3d">still available</a>, and will remain so indefinitely. It won’t receive any further updates. It is about 90% the same as the current release as of today. If you get a valid API key from blockchain.info it’s easy to get it up and running again (open the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">World</code> scene, edit the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">B3dEngineAllInOne</code> game object and add the Api Key to the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">AdaptorBtcDotInfo</code> script object).</li> </ul>

TL;DR: The app is now web-based only. Mobile and desktop versions are discontinued. A lot has happened since this app was first released: Google have discontinued Cardboard so cheap access to VR gear is no longer so easy. Unity’s WebGL has been steadily improving in stability and performance, whilst at the same time the maintenance of multiple desktop and mobile targets has become more time consuming. The data providers for the bitcoin transaction data have blocked this app’s API key whilst at the same time ignoring all support requests - so it’s bye bye to blockchain.info data. As a result the current mobile and desktop versions no longer work beyond the demo data. Given these changes, the decision has been made to focus on a web only app and discontinue all mobile and desktop-native versions, which no longer work anyway. This means any efforts can focus on adding new features and fixing bugs, which can be released almost instantly, instead of platform-specific builds and app store shennanigans. The new web based version is closed source because: It requires no plugins or add-ons to work, just a modern browser. As such, it is safely sandboxed from your OS and private data, so releasing source code to reassure people the app doesn’t steal secrets is less of a necessity. It relies on bespoke cloud services to provide bitcoin data, for which source won’t be released. Therefore any open source code released wouldn’t work anyway. Open source is great, but also requires effort to manage PRs and backwards compatibility. Closed source simplifies future development efforts. The open source code is still available, and will remain so indefinitely. It won’t receive any further updates. It is about 90% the same as the current release as of today. If you get a valid API key from blockchain.info it’s easy to get it up and running again (open the World scene, edit the B3dEngineAllInOne game object and add the Api Key to the AdaptorBtcDotInfo script object).

2018-10-06T00:00:00+00:002018-10-06T00:00:00+00:00https://blockchain3d.info/blog/release-200<ul> <li>Release v2.00 is the open-source release matching the source code in <a href="https://github.com/KevinSmall/blockchain3d">GitHub</a>. No external dependencies anymore.</li> <li>Bug fixes: Many fixes with graph nodes and edges not appearing correctly.</li> <li>Feature: Select a <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">auto-grow</code> depth value on the initial screen. The graph will then automatically grow until all branches reach that specified depth from the start point.</li> <li>Upgraded to Unity 2018.1.0f2.</li> </ul>

Release v2.00 is the open-source release matching the source code in GitHub. No external dependencies anymore. Bug fixes: Many fixes with graph nodes and edges not appearing correctly. Feature: Select a auto-grow depth value on the initial screen. The graph will then automatically grow until all branches reach that specified depth from the start point. Upgraded to Unity 2018.1.0f2.

2018-03-16T00:00:00+00:002018-03-16T00:00:00+00:00https://blockchain3d.info/blog/release-132<p>iOS release for iPhone and iPad, identical functionality to v1.30.</p>

iOS release for iPhone and iPad, identical functionality to v1.30.

2018-01-06T00:00:00+00:002018-01-06T00:00:00+00:00https://blockchain3d.info/blog/release-130<p>A bug fix release. Thanks to everyone who gave valuable feedback for these improvements:</p> <ul> <li>Release v1.30 contains bug fixes, performance improvements, and lays the groundwork for open sourcing the project.</li> <li>Bug fix: If a specific transaction was chosen as the first node shown, only the first 8 links were recognised and displayed.</li> <li>Feature: The thickness of transaction links (the blue connecting lines) is proportional to the amount of bitcoin transferred.</li> <li>Upgraded to Unity 2017.3.0f3, Google VR 1.120.0</li> </ul>

A bug fix release. Thanks to everyone who gave valuable feedback for these improvements: Release v1.30 contains bug fixes, performance improvements, and lays the groundwork for open sourcing the project. Bug fix: If a specific transaction was chosen as the first node shown, only the first 8 links were recognised and displayed. Feature: The thickness of transaction links (the blue connecting lines) is proportional to the amount of bitcoin transferred. Upgraded to Unity 2017.3.0f3, Google VR 1.120.0

2017-08-03T00:00:00+00:002017-08-03T00:00:00+00:00https://blockchain3d.info/blog/mvp<p>Minimum viable product, first release, closed source, desktops only.</p>

Minimum viable product, first release, closed source, desktops only.