VRML Browsers, Applications, and Related Projects

Browsers

- WebSpace, WebSpace & Intervista

Applications

- Organize Information, Simulated Environments, Communication

Related Technology

- preceding projects

[slide made 95.MAY.13]

VRML browsers, apps, projects [next].[previous].[index] slide 1

Intervista

The original VRML browser

This was the original VRML browser (nee Labyrinth) and should be available for Windows, Mac and UNIX. (URL is http://www.hyperion.com/intervista/)

VRML browsers, apps, projects[next].[previous].[index] slide 2

WebSpace

Joint development between SGI & Template

(URL is http://www.sgi.com/Products/WebFORCE/WebSpace/) and the TGS information - (URL is http://www.sd.tgs.com/~template/WebSpace/)

VRML browsers, apps, projects[next].[previous].[index] slide 3

Other Browsers

Geomview

From the maker's of WebOOGL, Geomview is currently a "Quasi-compliant" VRML viewer with some talk of making it more so. (URL is http://www.geom.umn.edu:80/software/geomview/)

NetPower

NetPower (VRML Studio?) ... demonstrated at Interactive 3D symposium. (URL is http://www.netpower.com/)

VRweb

GRAZ, Austria (26th April 1995) - IICM, home of Hyper-G, NCSA, home of Mosaic, and the University of Minnesota, home of Gopher, today jointly announced the development of VRweb, a new three-dimensional Internet browser based on the emerging VRML standard for 3D objects on the World-Wide Web.

The whole announcement is in the VRML archive: (URL is http://vrml.wired.com/arch/1739.html) NCSA VRML page: (URL is http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/VRML/VRMLHome.html) Information on Hyper-G: (URL is ftp://iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/pub/Hyper-G) They are planning a Linux version, as well as source availability for noncommercial use.

GopherVR

I'm not sure of the relationship of VRweb to GopherVR? Here is the GopherVR announcement: (URL is http://vrml.wired.com/arch/1647.html)

VRML browsers, apps, projects[next].[previous].[index] slide 4

Modelers that output VRML

Virtual Home Builder

This is a simple modeler from ParaGraph (URL is http://www.us.paragraph.com/) Available 15-MAY-95, Price $49.95, Platform PC

Ez3d

From Radiance, high-end, SGI only (URL is http://www.webcom.com/~radiance/vrml.html)

WalkThrough Pro

Virtus is working on a VRML compliant version of WalkThrough Pro. The product should be released in the third quarter of 95.

TriSpectives

High quality modeler for PC (Windows 95) from 3D/EYE, Ithaca, N.Y. Will ship one month after Win95. mawa@eye.com

VRML browsers, apps, projects[next].[previous].[index] slide 5

VRML converters

dxf2iv

This tool is available for SGI's from ftp.sgi.com.

InterChange for Windows

Syndesis makes InterChange for Windows, a program that translates between more than thirty 3D file formats such as AutoCAD DXF, Wavefront, 3D Studio, etc. For more info call (414) 674-5200 or fax (414) 674-6363.

wcvt2pov

This tool supports most file formats (DXF, 3DS, ...) found on the avalon 3D archive and will output VRML files. Wait until you see it say VRML before you grab the .zip file.

When the beta is available I will make it available via my homepage (URL is http://www.europa.com/~keithr)

Template Graphics

TGS (Template will be offering a DXF, 3D Studio & IGES to Inventor & VRML converter in July.

VRML browsers, apps, projects[next].[previous].[index] slide 6

Applications

.

Imagination is more important than knowledge - A. Einstein

VRML browsers, apps, projects [next].[previous].[index] slide 7

Related Projects

Dive

Dive is a multiuser VR system that have many of the features that will be issues in VRML 2, such as gateways/links, behaviours, interaction, multiuser support, etc. Dive focuses on replication, reliable multicast protocols, distributed locking methods and other technologies.

Both humans and applications can be participants. The software is available for noncommercial use. http://www.sics.se/dce/dive/dive.html

MERL

Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Cambridge, Mass. Goals, explore technology for a virtual environment using multimedia. Humans can interact; agents exist. Communicate through speech, hand gesture recognition, body position, etc. Physics based animation & 3D rendering.

C. Rich et al., ``Demonstration of an Interactive Multimedia Environment,'' IEEE Computer, Vol. 27, No. 12, Dec. 1994, pp. 15-22.) and `An Animated On-Line Community with Artificial Agents,'' in the Winter 1994 issue of IEEE MultiMedia. On the Web: http://www.merl.com/merle/Welcome.html

DIS

Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) is a virtual environment supporting interactive simulation connecting multiple sites over a network. It grew out of SIMNET and is mostly used to simulate battles. http://dis.pica.army.mil/index.html

OOGL

WebOOGL is an experiment in 3D distributed hypermedia. Simply put, it integrates 3D graphics and the World Wide Web. Just as you can associate a link (a URL) with text, images, movies, or sound in traditional Web browsers, WebOOGL allows you to associate URLs with 3D objects. You can build a 3D scene from multiple objects distributed in different locations throughout the Web through "inlining", and you can hyper-link a 3D object to any other document on the Web.

WebOOGL provides a general purpose tool for closely integrating 3D visualization with the Web, and has been used to visualize Webspace itself. An obvious future direction is to embed the the Webspace visualization in hyperbolic space, where there is an exponential "amount of room" a given distance from a point, rather than the quadratic "amount of room" we have at our disposal in Euclidean space. http://www.geom.umn.edu/software/weboogl/welcome.html

Tecate

Tecate is part of Project Sequoia 2000 at SDSC. It's goal is to allow researchers and lay people to browse and visualize complex interrelated datasets. For example, data can be coming from data bases, simulations and the Web simultaneously. Virtual Reality is used to assemble and examine the data. http://www.sdsc.edu/SDSC/Research/Visualization/Tecate/tecate.html Sequoia 2000

VRML browsers, apps, projects[next].[previous].[index] slide 8