Well, it was just a matter of time: Steven D of BLITZ Agency has posted a new experiment on the BLITZ Labs where he uses PaperVision3D to mimic iTunes’ 3d covers interface in Flash.

Granted, one of the reasons I’m excited to post about it here is that he also happens to use Tweener to help on the visual transitions when moving the 3d covers on the screen (thanks for the kind words, Steven!). However, regardless of the libraries used on its implementation, it’s a pretty interesting example, and a good glimpse on the kind of 3d interface patterns we’ll see more and more on Flash from now on – it’s 3d, but not the in-your-face!, disruptive kind of 3d. It’s 3d done with the user experience in mind; cognitive amplification, not obfuscation.

I guess it’s one of those things that we will barely notice as it’ll take some time to register with developers and the public, and of course not every type of interface will benefit from it, but it’s definitely the next step for rich web interface design. Welcome to the future.