Google Debuts Infinite 3D Bookcase Built with WebGL and Based on Google Books

Everyone is talking about WebGL these days and, while it's still mostly just talk, things are finally moving in the right direction. Google recently showcased the rather impressive WebGL-powered MapsGL, a hardware accelerated version of Google Maps.

Now though, it's back with yet another experiment, albeit one that is a functional, if rather flashy, product, a infinite bookcase done in WebGL.

"We designed a digital bookcase that’s an infinite 3D helix. You can spin it side-to-side and up and down with your mouse. It holds 3D models of more than 10,000 titles from Google Books," Aaron Koblin, Data Arts Team and Bill Schilit, Research wrote.

You'll need a fairly powerful computer and graphics card to run the experiment smoothly and, of course, a modern web browser, Chrome, Firefox, or the alpha version of Opera 12.