I've been wanting to create something special to celebrate the next halving and the 7 years of bitcoin for a while. Something fun and intended for the broadest audience.

So here comes OXT Landscapes, an interactive 3D visualization displaying the blockchain as a point cloud (every block is displayed as a particle). The principle is straightforward: define a "scene" by selecting a metrics for each axis (size of block, #transactions in block, etc.), click on "Build" et voila ! You're ready for a 3-dimensional exploration of the scene.

Here's a short video capture of a scene built with the tool (x-axis = block height, y-axis = #txs in block (log scale), z-axis = size of block).

Extra bonus for the most adventurous among you: I've added basic support of VR for the Oculus Rift (DK2 or CV1 recommended). I wouldn't recommend it for data analysis but it seems quite promising in terms of psychedelic experimentations Wink

For the basic version, please visit this page.
For the extended version (providing additional metrics), please visit this page.

Requirements & Tips

Desktop version

You'll need a recent web browser supporting WebGL. It works fine with recent versions of Chrome (recommended for best performances) and Firefox and it should work with IE11.
It requires the download of a large dataset (stats for blocks 1 to 400,000). Do not try to use it on a mobile device.
Notes about the input controllers:
- Default input controller is a "trackball". It's really easy to use (mouse or trackpad) but it provides limited features (rotation of the scene and zoom).
- Recommanded controller is the "fly controller". It allows a 3-dimensional exploration of the scene.
- A tip if you want to use it with your mouse: the position of the mouse on the screen controls camera rotations. The center of the screen is the "rest position".
Control Panel at the bottom of the screen can be hidden/displayed thanks to the arrow on the right side.
The 4 icons on the left side will teleport you at 4 predefined locations (useful if you get lost)
If the scene seems desperately flat, try to regenerate the scene with a logarithmic scale for the "flat axis".
If you find a combination of parameters producing a nice scene, be kind and share it with the rest of us !

VR version

You'll need to install a web browser supporting WebVR (Firefox nightly build with Oculus Rift enabler installed or experimental build of Chrome).
- Go to this website for links & instructions
- Install the web browser
- Test your setup with this sample
When your setup for webvr is ok, launch Landscapes
Random tips:
- I wouldn't recommend the DK1 (low resolution) but if you want to give it a try, you'll need to use the Oculus runtime 0.5.0.1 + Chromium experimental build (04/21/2015)
- You can reset the orientation of your headset with key "I".
- All movements are controlled thanks to the keyboard (get comfortable with the commands in desktop mode before using them in VR...).
- If you use an AZERTY keyboard, hit key "P". Hit key "O" to select the QWERTY mode (default).
- Use the numeric keypad (1 to 7) to load a prebuilt scene. For now, it's not possible to build your own scene in VR mode.
- Key "T" allows to switch speed mode. I recommend to use the slow speed when you're moving inside the cloud.
- For fun: explore a scene, then rotate the camera 90° or 180° (the grid which was the ground becomes a wall or the roof) and start a new exploration...

oxt_btc

Posts

Merits