Tony Parisi (software developer)

Tony Parisi, one of the early pioneers in virtual reality and the metaverse, is an entrepreneur, inventor and developer of 3D computer software.[4][5] The co-creator of Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML), he has written[6] books and papers on the future of technology. He works on WebGL and WebVR and has written two books on the former, and an introductory book on virtual reality programming. He is the chief strategy officer at Lamina1.[7] Parisi is also a musician, composer and producer currently working on multiple projects.[8]

Not to be confused with Tony Parisi (wrestler).
Tony Parisi
Tony Parisi (2022)
Born
Anthony Parisi

(1962-12-01) December 1, 1962
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Massachusetts
Occupation(s)Software developer, inventor, Entrepreneur[1][2]
Years active1990-present
Known forInternational standards, 3D graphics, virtual reality[3]
Websitetonyparisi.com

Career

Parisi has designed and developed several international 3D graphics standards.[9] Parisi worked with Mark Pesce to develop VRML, which Pesce presented to the world in 1994. The purpose of VRML was to allow for the creation of 3-D environments within the World Wide Web, accessible through a web browser. Parisi worked with such corporations as Microsoft, Netscape, Silicon Graphics, Sun Microsystems and Sony to gain industry acceptance of the new protocol as a standard for desktop virtual reality.[9]

Parisi was a founding member of the Web3D Consortium, an organization focused on encouraging development and implementation of open standards for three-dimensional content and services.[10] He was one of the original designers and specification editors of X3D, an upgrade to VRML which extended its features and added format encodings in XML, compressed binary and JSON.[10]

In 2012, Parisi joined the Khronos working group creating glTF, a JSON- and binary-encoded file format for three-dimensional scenes and models intended for web and mobile applications.[11][12] He served as glTF specification co-editor from 2012 to 2017, and contributed technical features such as the design of the original animation system. Parisi also wrote the initial file loader for Three.js, and the first sample exporter to glTF from the Unity game-engine editor. Parisi coined the name “glTF” (Graphics Language Transmission Format) as an alternative to the generic working title “ATF” (Asset Transmission Format), which the working group accepted. Parisi was also instrumental in getting the format adopted by companies such as Oculus and Microsoft in 2016, which helped propel the format into wide use and industry acceptance.[12]

With the rise of consumer virtual reality and in the wake of Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus, Parisi advised several startup companies and became a public speaker and consultant.

In 2016 Parisi joined San Francisco-based Unity Technologies as Global Head of VR/AR, and served in that position until early 2022. Over time his role shifted from overseeing all virtual and augmented reality strategy for the company to developing strategy and products that integrate virtual and augmented reality with advertising and e-commerce. While at Unity, Parisi filed and was granted a patent for an invention in augmented reality advertising.[12]

In October 2021, Parisi published a treatise titled “The Seven Rules of the Metaverse,” which went viral and has since become a de facto work in Metaverse canon.[13] Parisi is the co-host with Mark Pesce of the podcast “A Brief History of the Metaverse.”[4]

In 2022 Parisi joined as Chief Strategy Officer at Seattle-based LAMINA1, a blockchain and Metaverse startup co-founded by author Neal Stephenson.[2]

Authorship

From 2011 through 2014, Parisi wrote books, created training courses and consulted to companies on WebGL, the standard JavaScript API for rendering interactive 2D and 3D graphics in web browsers. Parisi authored two O’Reilly Media books on WebGL programming.[14] Parisi authored an introductory book on virtual reality programming published by O’Reilly Media in 2015.[12][14]

Bibliography
  • WebGL: Up and Running (O'Reilly Media, 2012)[15]
  • Programming 3D Applications with HTML5 and WebGL: 3D Animation and Visualization for Web Pages (O'Reilly Media, 2014)
  • Learning Virtual Reality (O'Reilly Media, 2015)

See also

References
  1. "Web3 Veteran Tony Parisi Joins ME Ventures". XR Today. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  2. ""Father of Metaverse" Launches Blockchain". Business Cloud. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  3. "Virtual Meets Reality". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  4. "Mark Pesce And Tony Parisi Take A Dive Into The Metaverse With New Podcast Series". B&T. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  5. "This Is the Simplest Way to Explain the Metaverse". Inside Hook. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  6. Media Machines Management
  7. "Leading Standards Organizations and Companies Unite to Drive Open Metaverse Interoperability". Robotics Tomorrow. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  8. "Burning passion". Forbes. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  9. "Flashback: Tony Parisi on Co-Creating the Virtual Reality Markup Language". UploadVR. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  10. "X3D Built to Make Web 3D Easier, More Accessible". Tech Monitor. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  11. "Tech pioneer Tony Parisi wants VR to change the world". VentureBeat. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  12. "VR Pioneer Tony Parisi: Real-Time Technology Is Helping People Get the Job Done". Variety. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  13. "What parents need to know about the coming metaverse". Quartz. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  14. "On the Hunt for VR's Killer App with Unity's Head of VR & AR, Tony Parisi". Road to VR. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  15. "Croquet Adds Tony Parisi, Metaverse Pioneer and 3D Standards Co-creator, to Technical Advisory Group". MarTech Series. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
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