3D desktop effects on Windows XP???

Where can I find something similar to Compiz??? Something that actually works just as well!

Take Ubuntu, for instance.
I played around with it for a day, but I eventually got bored. It’s honestly not as exciting as people make it out to be.

Windows Aero Flip 3D
http://winflip.stylekings.de/

Noah Miller6 said:Windows Aero Flip 3D
http://winflip.stylekings.de/

He's asking about Linux—not Windows Vista. 🙄

David Harris53
Cut the crap.

It asks for something pretty much identical to how it does on Linux.
Look at the headline!!!
3D desktops on XP?
And now, he’s looking the other way.

I’ve been spending some time looking into the 360-degree desktop effect lately. It’s one of those features that feels like pure magic when you first see it in action, much like that initial sense of wonder I felt years ago when I first experimented with Windows Aero Flip 3D on an old workstation. There is something inherently satisfying about being able to rotate your workspace through a three-dimensional space, providing a sense of depth that traditional flat windows just can't replicate. While modern interfaces seem to be moving toward flatter, more minimalist designs, I still find myself occasionally longing for that tactile, spatial feeling of navigating a cubed environment.

Check out this screenshot I put together: http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k2...360desktop.jpg

[Image Link]

I’ve attached a screenshot here for anyone interested in seeing how the interface looks in action.

Info:
The 360 Desktop is essentially a virtual workspace designed to function as a seamless, panoramic environment that stretches across several monitors. Think of it as a continuous, scrollable desktop where you can simply glide from one edge to the other without hitting a wall. Beyond just expanding your visual real estate, it allows you to embed various widgets directly into this expanded space—handy little tools that pull live content like RSS feeds or video streams straight from the web.

Picture a workspace that spans across several monitors as one continuous, panoramic canvas. You could have a single, sweeping wallpaper stretching across everything, paired with smooth scrolling and intuitive navigation that lets you glide through the interface. It’s an environment where you aren't tethered to rigid grids; instead, you have the freedom to scatter your icons and launch applications wherever they make sense to you.

The 360 Desktop concept attempts to hit this exact mark with varying degrees of success. It offers the sensation of an infinite canvas where smooth scrolling and intuitive navigation create a genuine sense of an expansive workspace—one that feels like it actually has room to breathe for all your windows, applications, and icons. That said, the pre-release beta we've been testing here still suffers from several significant growing pains that require refinement. At the top of my list is the support for embedded web widgets; it currently feels quite primitive, leaving me with the persistent desire to just toggle the whole thing off entirely. Here are a few additional observations regarding the software:

The performance is surprisingly robust; smooth scrolling and intuitive navigation make the whole experience feel quite seamless.
You have total freedom to scatter your icons wherever you like across this new desktop environment. If you happen to find the constant movement a bit distracting, there is an option to disable icon panning entirely, allowing them to stay anchored in place even while you scroll through the workspace. One minor gripe of mine, however, is that you can't toggle an "align to grid" feature—something I’ve always relied on to keep my workspace from looking like a cluttered mess. That said, if you use any standard icon-positioning utilities, they seem to handle everything just fine, provided the icons are actually visible on your screen at the moment you save the layout.
When it comes to managing app and folder windows, you have the freedom to place almost any window anywhere on this expansive new desktop workspace. I've found that clicking an application icon on the taskbar produces a rather satisfying effect; the panoramic desktop smoothly glides and carries you directly to the window's location. There are a few exceptions, though—certain floating widgets or desktop utilities tend to stay fixed in place, moving right along with you as you scroll through the various desktop areas.
Rearranging elements on the workspace—be it individual icons or open applications—currently requires a bit of a choreographed routine. You essentially have to nudge an item toward the edge of the screen, trigger a scroll to reveal the adjacent area, and then grab the object again to deposit it into the new space. I’ve found this process feels significantly more seamless with windows than with icons, which occasionally seem to lose their original arrangement once they've been picked up. It would be a welcome improvement if, alongside the existing workflow, we could implement a "send to next panel" option via a context menu or a keyboard shortcut, much like the functionality found in traditional virtual desktop environments. Ideally, such a feature would work universally for both windows and icons alike.
The 360-degree desktop navigation relies on a floating menu that expands upon clicking, offering a miniature bird's-eye view of the workspace populated by tiny icons representing active windows and apps. While I find the aesthetic quite striking, the functionality is where things get interesting. It’s undeniably impressive, yet I found myself wishing for a bit more tactile control—specifically, the ability to "flip" between screens rather than relying solely on movement, much like how one might miss the old Windows Aero Flip 3D experience. Additionally, having a dedicated "home" button or a quick keyboard shortcut to snap back to the starting point would be a welcome improvement over manually scrolling all the way back through the interface.
The 360 Desktop features several built-in themes; during my testing, the version I had came pre-loaded with two options, specifically "Fourth of July"—which you can see pictured above—and one called "Smokin." If those don't suit your taste, there are a few more available for download on the website, which you can browse via the preview image on the right. One minor limitation worth noting is that you can't currently upload your own panoramic wallpapers to build custom themes, though the developers have promised that functionality in a future update.
* Widgets: Theoretically, you have two options here: either embed an entire website—or just a specific section of one—directly onto your desktop, or simply take the existing widget code from a site and repurpose it locally. In the version I tested, I ran into a bit of a snag regarding resizing; there wasn't a way to adjust the widget's dimensions, which meant I often ended up seeing only a tiny sliver or the wrong portion of the content. While the pre-packaged themes include a selection of widgets that perform adequately, I did find myself wanting to disable certain ones, which unfortunately wasn't an option.
* Exiting 360 Desktop: Once you shut it down, the system immediately reverts to your standard desktop environment using your previous wallpaper. One minor quirk to note is that any icons moved to different areas of the extended desktop might disappear from view; however, you can easily bring them back by toggling the "auto arrange" setting (just right-click, select "arrange icons by," and flip "auto arrange" on and off), though you'll likely need to manually reposition them afterward.
* Memory usage: It sits at roughly 33 MB, which, frankly, is a bit lower than I anticipated given the nature of the software.

Minimum System Requirements

Windows XP/Windows Vista
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher
Adobe Flash Player
Pentium III 800MHz or faster processor
250MB hard disk space
512MB RAM
1024 x 768 monitor with 256 colors

To browse additional backgrounds for 360 Desktop, follow this link:
Code:

Download:
Code:

Here are a few of my personal favorites for the 360 Desktop Resizer:

Download:
Code:

I want to know how to set a 3D image on my desktop. I already downloaded some "3D images" (or so it says), but nothing shows up on the desktop. Where can I find them or how do I actually make a 3D image? I'm running Windows Vista.

@coppersailor38/">@@coppersailor38 - That 360 Desktop looks pretty slick, but I can't help feeling like it's hogging a massive amount of hard drive space. It seems way bulkier compared to something like Ubuntu, for instance.

Christian Reed said:I'm trying to figure out how to set up a 3D wallpaper on my desktop. I've already downloaded some files labeled as 3D images, but nothing happens when I try to apply them. Does anyone know where to find actual working ones or how to create them myself? I'm running Windows Vista.

You usually just need to unpack them using WinZip and the background should update automatically. I can't say for certain if that process holds up on Vista, though.

briskbison41 said:@coppersailor38/">@@coppersailor38 - That 360 Desktop looks solid, though I can't help but notice it seems to eat up quite a bit of disk space compared to something like Microsoft.

That’s a fair point. If you're running on less than 2 GB of RAM, I wouldn't recommend installing it, as the OS alone tends to gobble up about 500 MB of available memory. Personally, I’m running 2 GB of RAM, and everything runs smoothly enough on Windows XP.

I was trying to set a wallpaper of a polar bear where water droplets look like they're hitting the screen, but I can't get it to work. Do I need some specific software for that, or should I just find an image like that online? And if so, where?

Found a program that adds raindrops to the desktop, but it’s behind a paywall. Does anyone know of a free alternative that actually lasts? Thanks.

Christian Reed said:I stumbled upon this little app that puts raindrops on your desktop, but apparently, they want money for it. Does anyone know if there’s a free version out there—ideally one that won't disappear after a week? Thanks.

Honestly, sign me up too! I could use those digital droplets. 🙂

It seems like nobody knows if this is actually free, or maybe everyone is just being tight-lipped. And honestly, I’m kind of loving the mystery.

coppersailor38 said:Exactly. If you're running on less than 2 GB of RAM, I wouldn't recommend installing it because the OS alone eats up about 500 MB of free space. Personally, I’ve got 2 GB in my machine and Windows XP runs perfectly fine.

Wait, 500 MB?
heh... that’s basically my entire RAM capacity right there.
I don't even bother checking how much memory Desktop pulls anymore.