About Vrml Pointers & Search
Basically for internal usage and probably based in some aspects ! Started on Feb 20 97, last major update in March 98. Some links are broken ... why the %&*** hell do they
always reorganize their sites ?? I think that once every 5 years is enough.
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.
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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.
Tutoriels et Guides on-line
Attention il en existe plein d'autres !
Tutoriels
Guides on-line
Livres conseillés
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
http://vrml.sgi.com/handbook/index.html. 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.
Software
Browsers
Outils de développement VRML
- 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 30 (demo version available). Meilleur
outil pas cher, version pour evaluation disponible.
- Win 95: Site Pad est un outil
bon marché ($39, 15j évaluation) pour faire du VRML/HTML/JAVA.
Pour VRML ca insère des templates.
- Cybelius Authorizer de Cybelius. Une version test verouillée existe (très bien, mais coûte cher!)
- Win 95: Sony Community Place Conductor Outil VRML complet et gratuit pour le moment. (copie locale: /pub/software/win95/www/editeurs/sony-cp/).
- V-Realm de Ligos: Tecfa possède 10 licenses
- Voir les autres sections/autres indexes pour d'autres outils.
Java (Staf 2x)
Voir notre Page Java
Outils on-line et sous Unix
- vrmllint sous Unix: Vérification de vos fichiers
VRML .... utiliser cela pour trouver des erreurs. Dans un terminal: 'vrmllint votre-fichier.wrl'
- Color Applet (locally produced)
- Tiny3D-2 Applet (NS3/4, IE??, extraction de code avec Netscape 4 uniquement).
- Tiny3D-2 Applet JAVA 1.1.5 VERSION, seulement avec Netscape 4 modifie !!
- Degrees to Radian Converter
Projets et Objets VRML à TECFA
Retour à: VRML Pointers -
Staf-14 -
Staf-2x
Official VRML Sites and Working Groups
Official 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:
Frequently asked questions
VRML, VR and MUVE Indexes
Other VRML Indexes
All of these have interesting stuff
VR and virtual world indexes
Not very complete, but helps you to start ...
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Technical Manuals and Books
Manuals and standards on-line
VRML 2
- BlendoSony's proposal for VRMl '97 successor
- VRTP (Virtual Reality Transfer Protocol). being developed to provide client, server, multicast streaming & network-monitoring capabilities
in support of internetworked 3D graphics and large-scale virtual environments (LSVEs). (See also DIS-Java WG (including their good example)
- VRML200x-X3D (initial draft 11/99)
- Blaxxun3DBlaxxuns Java applet based on its proposal for X3D (9/99)
- Shout3D's version. Also Java based. Webreference has an article about it
- EAI Interface Proposal by the
EAI Authoring Interface Working Group.
Meant to talk to other applications, e.g. external Java applets. Works with Cosmo Beta3/WorldView. Note: this is different from the Java/Script node authoring interface (JSAI)
- See also: All the documents produced by the www.web3d.org Working Groups ! (e.g. Living Worlds, ngXXX whatever stuff ....
See also: the VRML Book List
VRML 2 Books
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 ?
3D File Formats (other) & APIs & Hardware
Indexes:
For conversion utilities: see other indexes (for now).
Other Formats
See also: Kaspar's Cyberspace pointers
- Magician OpenGL for Java. Fast and cool portable 3D Technology
Back to the Entry Page
VRML 2 Tutorials
Classification is somewhat arbitrary and may become wrong as tutorials evolve.
Indexes, General & Basic
Indexes
Simple VRML 2.0 Geometry
General Tutorials in Slide Format
(Good for teaching)
General Tutorials
General Advice on how to do a VRML project
Advanced / Specific static VRML
Assembling objects into a scene
- See: Tutorials that come with assembly tools (such as Community Place Conductor,
CosmoWorlds etc.)
VRML and HTML
Texture
- The HTML in VRML! Example on this page is a Pixel Perfect Texture, e.g. it shows at what viewpoint
you have to be given a resolution.
Dynamic VRML and Scripting
Moving VRML 2.0 without scripting
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
Javascript and the EAI
(Netscape 4 / Cosmo only I believe)
Other & unclassified
VRML generation with CGI
Multi-user Worlds
- Community Place Authoring Tutorials.
(list of topics growing with time). Note that Sony's Community Place is a life project and one can start work easily (and at no cost) with
the limited PC server version.
Databases, XML and VRML
Others and untested
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Software
Browsers and related
Note: Multi-user stuff is now in a separate section !
Important:
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).
VRML 97 Browsers
- Cortona (Latest 9/99) Win/NT browser, has good reviews.
- Cosmo 2.1 (for Win95 and Mac (beta). BEST choice as of Dec 98, check SGI's FTP archive for various versions. NOTE: Since Cosmo died it's not easy to find the player, try: http://www.cai.com/cosmo/ (1/2000)
- Cosmo Player for Irix (available since 2/99, IRIX 6.5 and ABOVE only)
- WorldView (Win95, Mac versions) by Intervista.
- Blaxxun Contact for Win/NT (full VRML97 browser with Blaxxun multi-user worlds extensions)
- Twirl Recent HTML & VRML stand alone browser for Power Mac, small and fast (9/99)
- Community Place (PC) Server, browser, plugin and CP tool from Sony JP. (Sony US mirror). Multi-user capable. Looks like a DEAD project now (3/99)
Partial VRML 97 Browers
(needs updating)
- RealSpace Viewer (Win95, Mac) by LivePicture (formerly RealVR Traveler by RealSpace). Partly VRML 2 compliant, with extensions.
- Casus Presenter (looks like a good solution for old Sun's, but needs
OpenInventor and other stuff (??) installed)
- Open Worlds VRML support for C++ and Java, customizable (commercial) VRML browsers and libraries. Industrial strength.
- Free WRL an open-source(R) VRML browser written by Tuomas J. Lukka and others, placed under the Gnu Library General Public License. (still alpha state, but getting there)
Indexes / Comparisons of browsers
VRML 2 libraries (for your own application)
- Open Worlds
"OpenWorlds is a library and execution environment that will help you to bring VRML 2.0
compatibility to your applications."
Graphics Libraries
- Open Inventor from SGI is an object-oriented toolkit for developing interactive, 3D graphics
applications. It also defines a standard file format for exchanging 3D data among applications. Open Inventor serves as the basis for the VRML. For non-SGI platforms, see: Open Inventor from TGS.. Open Inventor is implemented in OpenGL
Authoring Tools, Converters, etc.
(needs updating, see the VRML Indexes section instead)
On-line VRML Tools
VRML Tools
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)
- Cyber Koganei Serveral Tools (libraries for C++ and Java, plus CyberToolBox authoring tools for Java3D and VRML (not tested yet 4/2000)
- Sony Community Place Conductor A free beta version of a complete VRML editing/creation tool. Ideal
for interactive moving stuff. (DEAD link, but the project seems to survive some place).
- SCED is a modelling program that makes use of geometric constraints to edit objects in a virtual world. The scenes created can be exported to a variety of rendering programs. Runs under Unix.
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). Is this
a dead project now (DKS 2/99) ??
- JVerge, A Free VRML 2.0 Node Java Class Library
- VermelTrap, VermelTrap, A GNU VRML Scenegraph Debugger In Java
- Cyber Kokeahei Virtual
Reality or 3D graphics programming Programs, e.g. a VRML library for Java
Cheap Tools
Check these companies (but maybe there are others):
- Home Space Designer
(formerly by Paragraph)
- Spazz3D is a Windows95/NT Animation Editor (VERY good for non technical people, trial version available)
- V-REALM Builder quite good, but more expensive, that's we used at Tecfa for Win95 (seems to be dead now)
High-end Tools
maybe more, check the indexes ...
- Cosmo Worlds from Platinium (I don't like it because you can't hand-edit code, anyhow it's dead now 4/2000)
- Cybelius Authorizer from Cybelius.
(The new kewl tool on 3/99). Locked version available for testing (not tested so far)
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 de ParallelGraphics, $US 30 (demo version available)
VRML code verification
Converters, Generators and other massage tools
- vrml1to2 (vrml 1 to vrml2 converter, installed at Tecfa)
Other tools
- DView Fast Script 3D
Dview Fast Script 3D is a text string 3D graphics language for creation and real time control of articulated
3D models
Hardware
Here are some pointers to PC graphics cards information:
- Dimensions 3D Home Page
Has useful information on graphics cards (among other things)
- Currently (98) 3Dfx Voodoo based cards
seem to be a cheap way to get good 3D performance for doing simple VRML.
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Multi-user VRML
(will add more stuff here soon, DKS April 98,
see also Object Libraries for Avatars.)
MUVE Indexes
VRML Servers/multi-user worlds)
- 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)
Related stuff
- 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.
Texts on Multi-user / Virtual worlds
(needs updating!)
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VRML Code & Object Libraries
See also: General Index Pages. There
are many worlds/object indexes and I can't keep track of them !
Indexes & General stuff
(sometimes translated 3-D drawings and textures)
Prototypes (see also other categories, e.g. widgets):
Textures:
Widgets:
JAVA Classes
Avatars
Fonts
- Less Than Six, Less Than Six uses less than six (at most five) triangles per character (for browsers that support TrueType Fonts
Not classified (yet):
Back to the Entry Page
Examples
WARNING: Badly needs updating (last real update sometimes in 97) !!
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.
The EAI Interface
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
Experiments
To be processed
Examples with Java/VrmlScript or Java Scripting
Sites containing examples
Animals
Navigation
Visualization
Various
These are complete worlds.
Local password protected copies of some very good examples
Javascript Code Generation Examples
(Warning: examples will load VRML)
Other nice "Worlds" (Scenes)
this needs work (or will be killed some day)... sorry
Other/ Various
Back to the Entry Page
Good on-line texts
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.
Bibliographies
General Texts on VRML and VRML-based VR
On-line Journals & Zines
Monitor these (especially if don't want to hire the VRML mailing list)!
- 3DEZine New (2/2000) ok, but unreadable $MSoft Fonts.
- 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)
- The VRML UpDate
Newsletter is issued biweekly to help keep the 3D
modeling and VRML community updated on what's new.
- VRML Review (still updated ?)
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Other things / Junk
This section will probably remain unfinished forever :)
AI / automata etc
AI pointeurs (to move out from this list at some point)
Courses that teach/use VRML
.. needs more work!
Institutions
This section might never become serious :)
Research & Development Pages
Mailinglists and Forums
"VRML" People
Bookmarks (sites not yet examined)
FAQ:
(1) Why my pages white ? Simply because I can't read some of these
fancy VRML pages on my old Sun (don't know if YOU know that most
Suns only have 256 Colors).
(2) Do you believe in VRML's place in education ? Somewhat, let's see what we can do beyond visualization.
(3) And what about multi-user 3D worlds ? I can see potential, but right now
"Text-based" (or social) VR is way more operational, see also one of my position papers on that matter.
(4) What's your level of VRML expertise ? LOW (so far), see
my VRML Primer and le
Tutoriel VRML-Java.
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D.K.S.