Sony has created a 3D system based on VRML 1.0 and Sony
Extensions (E-VRML) that allows you to build and animate 3D worlds. These
worlds contain not only animated 3d forms, but also sounds and videos. Along
with other companies, VRML 1.0 has been enhanced by supporting those features
that allow you to build interactive 3d worlds. The current system is based on
VRML 2.0.
It has been added in the VRML 2.0 browser to share the 3D
world with other users with whom it is possible to talk and see them move into
the environment.
VRML is a programming language that allows you to create 3D
virtual worlds. It is designed to be HTML equivalent. Template and material
data are put into ASCII text files so easily editable. A special browser
converts these files into 3d data (Rendering) to create the scene. Through the
browser you can move in this environment using mouse or keyboard. As in html
you can create Hyper-link texts, in Vrml you can create Hyper-link objects,
allowing for example to load another environment 3d or 2d data (html) simply by
clicking on the mouse.
Enhanced-VRML (E-VRML) is based on the improved VRML 2.0
standard with features that support multiuser interaction.
Community Place Browser
It's a software that lets you navigate 3d virtual worlds
over the Internet, with the ability to move, meet and interact with characters,
listen to music, watch a movie.
Community Place is a complete VRML97 browser with Java
support. There is the stand-alone version or the plug-in version for Netscape
version 2.01 / 3.0.
Sony expects to continue developing the helper application
even if the plug-in is already available because with the helper application,
developers have the ability to use the file system eg to read and write files
from VRML world to save state information, while in the plug-in version
Netscape's Java security restrictions do not allow this.
However, it is not necessary to write the local file system
to handle a 3D world in multi - user VRML or to create more user - shared
situations with Sony 's Java Aps vscp extension.
Community Place Conductor
Files created with the Community Place Conductor, which is a
tool for building virtual worlds shared with VRML97 and Java, are based on VRML
2.0 and can therefore be viewed with many VRML browsers. With the Conductor you
can create objects managed by Java so you must have a VRML 2.0 browser that
supports Java scripting.
Other modeling tools can be used to create 3d environments,
such as WaveFront, SoftImage, and 3D Studio Max.
The texture file format can be of various types: Bmp, Ras,
Gif, Jpeg. Multi-frame Bmp and gif are supported for moving texture. It is in
the process of supporting AVI and MPEG.
Audio is supported in WAV and MOD formats.
Community Place Bureau
It is a multi-user server that allows more users to share a
3D world. It lets you choose your own virtual representation, avatar, and use
that avatar to represent the user in shared worlds.
Once connected to the Community Place Bureau, the user
enters a shared world where he can see others, greet them, talk in groups, and
have private conversations.
The number of simultaneous users depends a lot on the type
of connection eg to have 300 users and it is reasonable to request a bandwidth
on a T1 line.
A Community Place Bureau (win95) demo version is available
that supports up to 12 competing connections. You can use the Community Place
helper application VRML 2.0 browser with Microsoft Internet Explorer, although
the links that are present in the VRML environment to access 2d web pages are
not recognized by IE, but this feature is supported by Netscape.
