See also, the future:
Basically for internal usage and probably biased in
some aspects ! Started on Feb 20 97, last major update in March 98 (!!!) - some cleaning in 2004
Lots of links are broken ... why the %&*** hell do they always
reorganize their sites ?? I think that once every 5 years is
enough and I really don't have time repairing this....
Will clean up this whole mess some day, whenever I have time :).
You can search this index. Though output is disgusting (since it
just spits back elements found in the source page version). So,
IGNORE identations! Provide a boolean keyword
expression or a Perl regular
expression as a search pattern.
Back
to the Entry Page
1. Pages TECFA (in french, for local Staf14/18/2x users)
This section (in french) contains the most important links for
local student users.
Cette section contient les liens les les plus importants pour les
cours STAF
14 et STAF 2x.
Attention il en existe plein d'autres !
Tutoriels
Guides on-line
Une copie des CD de ces 3 livres se trouve dans VRML guides directory (password protected).
- Staf 14: Hartman, J. et Wernecke, J. (1996).
The VRML 2.0 Handbook, Building Moving Worlds on the Web. Addison
Wesley, Reading (MA) + CD. Bon livre d'introduction à VRML
(discussion d'un exemple complet)
- Staf 14/2x: The Annotated VRML 97 Reference
Manual (La spécification VRML sous forme de livre avec
qq commentaires et exemples). Egalement disponible on-line,
même localement
- Staf 2x: "Late
Night VRML 2.0 with Java" by Bernie Roehl, Justin Couch, Cindy
Reed-Ballreich, Tim Rohaly, Geoff Brown. Pour programmeurs JAVA,
mais OUTDATED !
Browsers
- VRML sous Windows: Cosmo Player, Blaxxun Contact ou Cortona.
Editeurs de programmation pour le développement VRML
(nécessite une mise à jour / aug 2004)
- Dans une distribution Xemacs normale un mode Vrml est comprise,
(sinon compléter l'installation). Si vous utilisez Gnu/win
emacs il vous faut la librarie iv. Copie locale:
ftp://tecfa.unige.ch/pub/software/win95/bureautique/emacs/lisp-tecfa/
si vous ne l'avez pas déjà.
- VrmlPad de
ParallelGraphics, $US 50 (demo version available, 64K limit, 32K
copy/paste limit). Meilleur outil/editeur pas cher, version pour
evaluation disponible.
- Windows: SitePad est
un outil/editeur bon marché ($39, 15j évaluation)
pour faire du VRML/HTML/JAVA. Pour VRML ca insère des
templates.
Outils / Modéliseurs X3D / VRML
- VizX3D $300 USD (1 mois gratuit pour faire des essays). Bon outil complet pour dessiner et construire des mondes VRML et X3D.
(Successeur de Spazz 3D)
Retour à: VRML Pointers - Staf-14 - Staf-2x
Official Web3D (X3D/VRML) Sites
Official and non-official VRML Working Groups
For a full list of the official working groups,
check the Working
Groups page. Here are just a few:
Other VRML Indexes
All of these have interesting stuff
VR and virtual world indexes
Not very complete, but helps you to start ...
Back
to the Entry Page
3. Technical Manuals and Books
VRML 2 / VRML 97
Extensions
Recommended Books:
- For starters: Hartman, J. et Wernecke, J. (1996). The VRML 2.0
Handbook, Building Moving Worlds on the Web. Addison Wesley,
Reading (MA) + CD
- For the details (graphics): Ames, A. L., Nadeau, D. R., et
Moreland, J. L. (1996a). The VRML 2.0 Sourcebook. Wiley, New York.
+CD http://www.wiley.com/compbooks/vrml2sbk/cover/cover.htm.
Lot's of graphics "tricks", not much on animation and
scripting.
- For the details: The
Annotated VRML 97 Reference Manual (the spec as as book and
more)
- To move on: "Java for 3D and VRML Worlds" (New
Riders ISBN: 1-56205-689-1) by lead Sony ArchLab research
scientists Lea, Matsuda, and Miyashita. Teaches how to program
active VRML scenes with the internal JAVA API
(probably not enough).
- To move on further: "Late
Night VRML 2.0 with Java" by Bernie Roehl, Justin Couch, Cindy
Reed-Ballreich, Tim Rohaly, Geoff Brown. (If you want to buy just
one single book and you are keen on interactive stuff, I recommend
this one. Note that some EAI code is outdated, but you can recover
from reading the specs).
- Question: Is there a hot book on JavaScripting VRML ?
Indexes:
For conversion utilities: see other indexes (for now).
Back
to the Entry Page
4. VRML 2 Tutorials
Classification is somewhat arbitrary and may become wrong as
tutorials evolve. See also general index pages.
General Tutorials in Slide Format
(Good for teaching)
General Tutorials
General Advice on how to do a VRML project
Javascript Scripting with the Script node
JAVA and VRML - Setting it up - General Issues
JAVA Scripting with the Script node
VRML Scripting/Generation with the external JAVA/EAI API
(Warning: all these links are dead, will hunt replacements - 2004)
VRML generation with CGI
Multi-user Worlds
5. Software
Note: See X3D Pages for X3D !!
VRML 97 Browsers
Be careful when you install 2 plugins/browser on the same (Win/NT)
machine. Not only you need a plug-in chooser (e.g. Sony's), but if you want
things to work correctly consult Bob Crispen's Index (the
"Viewing VRML Worlds) section).
- Cortona
(alive 2004) Win/NT VRML 97 browser, has good reviews.
- http://www.cai.com/cosmo/ The Home
of Cosmo Player (1/2000). Dead project, but still a
popular VRML 97 browser for Win/Mac
- Cosmo Player for
Irix (available since 2/99, IRIX 6.5 and ABOVE only)
- WorldView (Win, Mac versions) by Intervista.
Dead project.
- Blaxxun
Contact for Win/NT (full VRML97 browser with Blaxxun multi-user
worlds extensions). DEAD Project (2002) alive again in 2004. See also BS Contact below !
- BS Contact (derived from Blaxxun I believe). Available from
BitManagement (2004) and also X3D capable.
- Twirl
Recent HTML & VRML stand alone browser for Power Mac, small and
fast (9/99), DEAD project ??
Partial VRML 97 Browers
(needs updating)
- OPEN
VRML Win & Posix open source browser.
- Casus
Presenter (looks like a good solution for old Sun's, but needs
OpenInventor and other stuff (??) installed)
- Open Worlds VRML and X3D
support for C++ and Java, customizable (commercial) VRML browsers
and libraries. Industrial strength.
Indexes / Comparisons of browsers
Rather look at general VRML/X3D indexes.
(needs updating, see the VRML Indexes section
instead or check out Crispen's site
or Tools at VapourTech
On-line VRML Tools
VRML Tools
- Index at Web3D
- Cosmo Worlds from Platinium This is a long dead program, but some copies seem to fload around. I didn't like it much (you could not hand edit)
Free VRML Tools
- Dune3D modelling and
animation tool for the authoring of VRML (win/unix/mac planned).
Tried version 0.13 for Solaris, works incredibly well for an early
release (4/2000). DEAD now (2004) ?
- Need more ...
Free Java Classes for VRML
- Cool Java Tools from the The Virtual Light Company: VermelGen. A Free VRML 2.0
Modelling Editor. Platform independant (works with Java and the
External Authoring Interface).... a bit difficult to install (I
failed for Cosmo/Irix). (dead project now (DKS 2/99) * JVerge, A
Free VRML 2.0 Node Java Class Library (dead project now)
Tools to hand-edit VRML
- Various emacs modes, (VRML support is installed in xemacs as vrml-mode.el
,for gnu-emacs get inventor mode, iv.el).
- Modelworks sells SitePad for Win95, a
VRML/HMTL/Javascript editor. Very useful if don't want to install
emacs.
- VrmlPad
of ParallelGraphics, $US 150 (demo version available). High end tool
VRML code verification
- Vorlon (formerly
vrmllint) from Trapezium (FREE software, needs JDK or JRE 1.1.x
/ Installed at Tecfa). The original link is dead :(
Converters, Generators and other massage tools
- vrml1to2 (vrml 1 to
vrml2 converter, installed at Tecfa)
Back
to the Entry Page
6. Multi-user VRML
(badly needs updating - last was YEARS ago / DKS -2004)
- blaxxun interactive Free
Browser and free limited server (working, but expensive
technology). See also: german
site and the Blaxxun
Web Ring.
- Open Community (ex
Universal Worlds) from Mitsubishi.
- VNet, a
multi-user VRML space running with any VRML 2 compliant browser
(either EAI or script node). Some VNET worlds: Vnet (home site) Entry
* Adriadne
(includes enhancements) * Electra City *
- DeepMatrix, Opensource
Multiuser VRML client/server. Working technology !
- Parrallel
Graphics - Islands multi-user VRML client (server will be
available in early 2000)
- bangis a cyberspace community
client. Client for lambdamoo, written in java 2 and java3d, vrml97
support, vnet and deepmatix support and more. A cool new project
born in Island (Jan/99).
- Pueblo Originally a
2D MUD client/server architure, it does VRML.
- Improv Project at
NYU's Media Research Lab.
- HOLODESK, Communicator
Multi-User 3D chat environment based on Standard Web3D
Technologies, commercial product, beta testing available
(12/98)
- Pantheon (description
needed) (Entry for
testers)
- OZ Interactive. Server and
plugin (both 2D and 3D VRML 2.0). Both products are free. (alternative URL Dead project ???
11/99)).
- Community Place. Server,
browser, plugin and CP tool from Sony JP. (Sony US mirror). This seems to be a
dead project (11/99)
- See also Sony's Starship trooper's game
(direct link)
- Digital-Project.net, also
http://mageos.ifrance.com/semiosis/
- Escape 3D On-line
"cities"
- JackMOOThe JackMOO
research project is designed to study the use of a language-based
interface to guide and instruct avatars or other agents in a
virtual world. The integration of LambdaMOO and Jack6 provides a
persistent environment for multiple users and their avatars. See
the papers
and About
Jack.
(needs updating!)
Back
to the Entry Page
7. VRML Code & Object Libraries
(badly needs updating - last was YEARS ago / DKS -2004)
See also: General Index Pages.
There are many worlds/object indexes and I can't keep track of them
!
(sometimes translated 3-D drawings and textures)
- Less Than
Six, Less Than Six uses less than six (at most five) triangles
per character (for browsers that support TrueType Fonts
Back
to the Entry Page
8. Examples
(badly needs updating - last was YEARS ago / DKS -2004)
See also: General Index Pages.
There are many worlds/object indexes and I can't keep track of them
! Also note that classification is somewhat arbitrary.
For documentation, see also the manuals and tutorials section.
Below are just the few absolutely necessary pointers:
Larger Worlds
Those worlds may or may not work with a typical setup. Make sure to
read the instructions and be patient while they load !
Navigation
Visualization
Authoring
Games
Education
needs more here ...
- Tomaz Amon's VRML Biology
Page. State of the art visualization ! (well alive in
9/2000)
Experiments
To be processed
Sites containing examples
Animals
Navigation
Visualization
Various
These are complete worlds.
Local
password protected copies of some very good examples
(Warning: examples will load VRML)
this needs work (or will be killed some day)... sorry
Back
to the Entry Page
9. Good on-line texts
WARNING: Badly needs updating (last real update sometimes in 97,
but some new additions were made in the mean time) !!
Under construction, see also: VRML 2 Tutorials . I should/might
also kill entries for texts and put the stuff in my on-line
bibliography See also the multi-user VRML section.
Monitor these (especially if don't want to hire the VRML mailing
list)!
- e3D News (monthly). See also
the weekly blog (2004 ok)
- 3DEZine New
(2/2000) ok, may need some font tuning in your browser :( Includes a portal
for 3D sites
- Focus on VRML has
regular updates of VRML News (in addition to other stuff)
- VRMLSite Home Page of
VRMLSite Magazine. Includes a nice JAVA+Vrml Tutorial (feb/march
97). See the full index of
articles.
- ZDNet's VRML page, e.g.
articles by Pesce, Parisi and Martineau) DEAD links, up to you to
find it again ..... Not only ZDNET is Krosoft biased, they also
reorganize a lot
Back
to the Entry Page
D.K.S.
About VrmlPointers & Search