Sumea.com was an experimental website showcasing real-time 3-D java applet programmed by Sami. Five different versions were made during 1999–2001 before it evolved to a company making mobile games. Weird s#$t happens sometimes.

During those first years the website gathered lots of attention and was featured in publications and design books.

Wallpaper* / June 2000 / Media_web, page 96

ALTER IMAGE

The best-ever Web chindogu (Japanese for ‘un-useless invention’) has strangely surfaced on a Finnish website. Rendered in restful turquoise it’s a calming picture of a sea turtle, which can be rotated through 360 by holding down your mouse button, accompanied by a suitably soothing aquatic soundtrack. Great for stress-busting and examining turtle acrobatics. Sumea’s Java-based, triangle-rendering engine allows its designers to map an environment that gives depth of field resembling camera focus, and permits the animations to morph gently from one position to another without the usual Web-crafted jerkiness. It also powers other installations on the site such as the sinuous Halo where you can happily manipulate a silvery cyberbabe floating on screen in amniotic ecstasy. If you’re trying this furtively at work you can switch the soundtracks on or off and if you’re an MP3 junkie, Sumea also helps you beautify your Winamp player with Skin and a simple, elegant Alt-S. Those Finns think of everything and Wallpaper* heartily approves – we know a thing of beauty is a joy for ever.

I.D. / Jan-Feb 2000 / Web Watch, page 118

SUMEA

How’s a “Java-based, real-time, native 3-D polygon engine” for a mouthful? Whether you ignore or relish the techie lingo behind Sumea, you are certain to be impressed with its stunning interactive 3-D movies, which, for example, take you to the ocean’s depths in the company of a giant sea turtle. Light filters down through the water, bubbles rise slowly and soothing ambient music plays as your mouse helps you glide with and watch the turtle from any angle. The Helsinki-based designers behind Sumea have crafted a powerful online experience with special effects such as depth-of-field camera focus that likens it to an animated feature film outtake. TIM HYDE

data: FUCKING AWESOME!!!!! 

data: You guys ROCK!

data: Jumalauta!

data: I really enjoyed both the turtle and flower applets.  Do you license the 3d engine? We might be interested in looking at it. 

****@ea.com

Subject: Hi From Kanada

data: Transmission from *** ******** :: Blast Radius ::

From: ***** ******** <*****@uploading.com>

data: Well hey kids! You seem to be saturated with experimental projects now. =]

data: Wow, looks great!

I work at ea.com, and Im their sole 3d artist, alwasy interested in new tech.

data: wow

I’m so impressed

how great it is

I really wanna know how~ ^_^

plz contact me

thanks

email: ******.******@satama.com

data: Reeaally creative stuff! Keep rockin

data: hello reader, the URL of your site was mentioned in a dutch paper so i became curious.

email: *******@leland.stanford.edu

data: Hi, The design on your website is really awesome, in fact, it’s so cool I was using it as an example in a small design seminar presentation I’m giving here

realname: ***** ***

email: ***@imaginaryforces.com

data: Hello, We’re all so impressed by your work with real-time 3D in Java. It’s amazing.

data: I love the turtle. =)

From: ***_*******@sonymusic.com

Cc: ****_*******@sonymusic.com

Subject: Sumea.Com / Sony Music [resent]

Hello Sami and Jarkko, I will be in Helsinki the week of May 8 and was hoping that we could meet.

email: *****@praystation.com

data: thanks for the winamp skin – It’s the best I’ve seen yet.

From: ******* ******** <*******@supershapes.com>

data: My name is ******* and I have just started compiling a book about Scandinavian Graphic Design