BGPlay3D is a variant of BGPlay, which in turn is based on the BGPlay.js JavaScript open-source framework, and offers a 3D (technically a 2.5D) alternative visualization with respect to the traditional 2D visualization of BGPlay (see the snapshot of BGPlay3D interface on the right). The functionalities of BGPlay3D are analogous to those of BGPlay: providing a graphical and intuitive representation of a portion of the inter-domain routing and its evolution over time.

BGPlay3D visualization is based on the Ribbon Representation of flows in a network. This visualization metaphor consists of replacing each node of the network with a post and to represent a flow traversing several nodes as a ribbon winding around the corresponding posts. Posts are distributed on a flat surface (yielding a 2.5D representation rather than a pure 3D one). BGPlay3D is the first tool that uses the Ribbon Representation metaphor.

Taking advantage of the flexibility of the BGPlay.js framework, BGPlay3D is a prototype that shows the potentialities (and limitations) of the Ribbon Representation.

BGPlay3D is a variant of BGPlay, obtained by replacing one of BGPlay's 11 modules. Namely, module GraphView has been replaced with GraphView3D (and consequently submodules NodeView and PathView have been replaced with NodeView3D and PathView3D, respectively).

Module GraphView3D exploits the three.js lightweight cross-browser JavaScript API to create and display animated 3D computer graphics on a Web browser. This, in turn, relies on WebGL (Web Graphics Library) JavaScript API for rendering interactive 3D graphics.

BGPlay3D was created by the Computer Networks Research Group at Roma Tre University (Italy). In particolar, it is the result of the Master Theses of Lorenzo Antonetti Clarucci (who studied the potentialities of the Ribbon Representation itself) and of Roberto Sepe (who realized the prototype). Patrizio Angelini, Massimo Candela, Maurizio Patrignani, and Massimo Rimondini were also involved as advisors.

You can try BGPlay3D right now, but be aware that the demo version may be unstable on some platforms and that the code is not optimized with respect to cpu and memory usage.