The gap between the physical object and the 3D representation, at the resolution seen by the observer, is immaterial. Recognizable objects do not necessarily have to be those seen or experienced in everyday life. Recognizable can also be a meter on quality. Real emulation would mean that the most devout car fan could recognize a model of a 1999 Viper, but recognizable may imply that a sports car could be differentiated from a sports utility vehicle. In gaming most of the content falls into the recognizable category.
Artificial environments span content including representations of abstract or financial data.
This is an area of considerable potential, but one which has remained largely undeveloped. As can be seen from the table , this class of environment significantly shifts the traditional 3D barriers to entry. That is, as we have discussed earlier, the major barrier to creating environments is the lack of 3D data and thus models. Here in the artificial class there is typically an abundance of data, and often it exists in more than three dimensions. Thus, the problem of creating useful 3D applications shifts from the objects themselves to the process of deciding just what is useful to display.