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News VRML Gets Closer to Reality
-- by Serdar Yegulalp
VRML, the standardized language for creating 3-D worlds on the
Internet, hasn't just been revamped-it's been reborn.
The new spec, officially VRML 2.0, supports animated and linked
objects, richer multimedia capabilities (including sound) and
built-in extensions to su pport the presence of multiple users in a
single virtual world. Some of the biggest changes, predictably
enough, are clearly in response to the omnipresence of Java, which
VRML 2.0 relies on heavily for its most powerful feature: an
open-ended architecture that lets manufacturers add their own
extensions to the VRML spec.
No Longer Static
"VRML 2.0 is interactive and dynamic where 1.0 was passive and
static," said Mitra, chief network technology officer at Paragraph
International and a co-author of the 2.0 spec. "1.0 was fine for
looking at static 3-D objects, but we want to be able to do more
than that now.
"Also, VRML 2.0 lets manufacturers add their own extensions to
the language in the form of transportable Java code," he added.
"This way, the extensions can be transported to any browser that
supports Java." One example of this is the Image Worlds extension,
created by RealSpace, which adds panoramic viewing and sprite
rendering to the VRML spec.
I n contrast to version 1.0, vendors are beginning to show their
support for the new spec. Among the products already being offered
with VRML 2.0 support is Black Sun Interactive's CyberHub Client,
which lets users plug their own "avatars" into VRML 2.0 universes
and interact with each other in real- time. Virtus' 3-D Website
Builder and IDS V-Realm Builder 1.1 are also getting the 2.0
upgrade. Developers have the option of using Silicon Graphics' Cosmo
Suite to pull together conventional HTML, VRML and Java code.
On the hardware side, the 3Dlabs GLINT and Permedia chips are
being ramped up to support the increased demands VRML 2.0 will make
on any graphics processor. Plans are in place to ship boards that
support both Windows 95 and Windows NT, with the high-end 3-D chips
selling for less than $300.
Windows Magazine , February 1997, page
58.
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