The Third Dimension
The third dimension is important for LOB software because it provides the ability to model information and data in a visual, interactive way (for example, the blueprint of a house that you can “walk” through or an anatomical model for medical applications). Previous versions of Silverlight offered perspective transformations using projections, a form of 3D illusion using a 2D drawing surface (see Figure 4). Silverlight 5 introduces a full-blown API that is based on the popular XNA platform. This allows true three-dimensional rendering of vertices with texture-mapped surfaces, shading, lighting, backface culling, bump maps, and dynamic camera angles. This is provided through an immediate mode API.
Figure 4 A 3D scene rendered in Silverlight 5