animating sphere

Question

I want to create an animating sphere representing the earth but here is the catch i want the users to be able to spin it round in real time, any suggestions what tools will do the trick?

Answer 1

I'd suggest that you download Processing, start at this learning resource, and work your way through the 3D examples that come with Processing.

Answer 2

I would suggest taking a look at PaperVision3D. It has the built-in functionality to create a sphere.

Answer 3

If it helps, there's an example of a flash-based spinning earth here, with notes.

(However, that's only half your task, since you want the spinning to be user-controlled...)