Stable VRML Viewer & Servers for Multi-Client Worlds Saught
P. Flavin
is probably Java3d with the Sun VRML Loader on Linux
and it should be stable on WindowsXP in Mozilla and
for connecting multiple clients from a Server there
are multiple solutions available using Java ( see below ).
The National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research
( University of California at San Diego ) created & uses
3d viewers using Java3d, as do Sun, and Nasa ( see below )
Nasa uses Java3d & VRML for WITS Mars Rover Simulator & Controler
----------------------------------------------------------------
|
| Using the Web Interface for Telescience (WITS) and
| the Multi-Mission Encrypted Communication System (MECS)
| for sequence planning, generation, command and data product
| recovery. A block diagram of FIDO-WITS operational structure
| is depicted below.
|
http://fido.jpl.nasa.gov/operations.html
( in reply to Richard Dannon's post ):
Most stable VRML browser ... ? Server Software ?
------------------------------
|
| I have been charged with finding a Web 3D solution
| for a client of ours, who is in the medical field
| and must have patient and medical data rendered in
| 3D in a rather mission critical environment
| (not life or death, but the application must be
| stable and have reasonably high "up time" and availability).
|
| I have considered using VRML (or X3D?) but have
| found the VRML plug-in that I'm using to be
| rather unstable (crashing and system freezes
| using blaxxun Contact 5 installed on my
| personal edition of Windows XP,
| which will probably be the OS used by the client).
|
| [ Are ] ... there are other good examples
| of shared multi-user spaces such as CyberTown.
|
| With thanks once more,
|
| Richard [ Richard Dannon, Jan 5, 2003 & Dec 15, 2002 ]
|
http://www.web3d.org/www-vrml/hypermail/2002/06/0973.html
http://www.web3d.org/www-vrml/hypermail/2002/06/1080.html
Java provides a safe, reliable, portable solution
for Animating VRML in a browser on Windows & Linux.
I've been using Java3d with Sun's VRML Loaders
and it works fine, animating VRML with Sound,
TouchSensors, and Gesture Animations.
For medical 3d applications Java3d is probably superior
to the VRML plug-ins as specialized medical imaging
applications are being optimized for Java3d using
new application specific formats whereas the old
style VRML plug-ins have been optimized for the
the 3d chat worlds such as CyberTown and don't have
portability to high end workstations including
SGI Irix, Solaris, and the increasing popular Linux,
a capability that Java3d does provide, along with
Object-Oriented Programming, and simplified networking
capabilities.
Nasa uses Java3d and the Sun VRML Loaders for WEB 3D
----------------------------------------------------
| FastScript3D lets you quickly harness the power of
| 3D web graphics by providing an extensible JavaScript
| interface to Java3D.
|
| With FastScript3D you can use JavaScript to quickly
| customize your web pages with interactive 3D applets.
| This site has examples and provides free download of
| the FastScript3D source code and documentation.
|
http://fastscript3d.jpl.nasa.gov
http://www.frontiernet.net/~imaging/sc_nasa_java3d_simple.jpg
http://www.frontiernet.net/~imaging/terrain_rendering.html
Distributed Interactive Simulation DIS-Java-VRML
------------------------------------------------
| The IEEE Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS)
| Protocol is used to communicate state information
| (such as position, orientation, velocities and
| accelerations) among multiple entities participating
| in a shared network environment. Java is a portable
| networked programming language that can interoperate
| on any computer that includes a Web browser.
|
| The Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML)
| enables platform-independent interactive
| three-dimensional (3D) graphics across the
| Internet, and can be used to compose sophisticated
| 3D virtual environments.
|
| The DIS-Java-VRML Working Group is developing a
| free software library, written in Java and
| interoperable with both DIS and VRML
|
http://www.web3d.org/WorkingGroups/vrtp/dis-java-vrml/dis-java-vrml.html
| Testing under Internet Explorer will resume when
| we work around cross-platform security inconsistencies.
|
| CosmoPlayer ... Ensure you have a Java-compliant
| ----------- VRML 97 browser installed in Netscape.
|
| * We currently support CosmoPlayer. ...
|
| http://web.nps.navy.mil/~brutzman/vrtp/vrtp/dis-java-vrml/download.html
|
| feedback:
|
| brut...@nps.navy.mil & mcg...@cs.nps.navy.mil
|
http://www.web3d.org/WorkingGroups/vrtp/dis-java-vrml/download.html
Multi-user 3d Chat Server Package ( Java )
----------------------------( free for education use )
|
| The DeepMatrix System is a multi-user VRML application.
|
| It enables several users to share a single VRML world
| and interact with it as it is possible with an ordinary
| VRML world. Users can jump between different worlds and
| these jumps can be triggered in any way.
|
| VRML events are distributed between the several
| instances of the VRML world on the different users
| computers.
|
| The system is split into a server program running
| on the web server where the VRML worlds and supporting
| HTML files are stored.
|
| The client is realised as a Java applet which uses
| the EAI to communicate with a VRML browser plugin such
| as Blaxxun Contact or ParallelGraphics Cortona [ and Cosmo ]
|
http://geometrek.com/products/deepmatrix.html
http://geometrek.com/products/download/index.html
National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research
| ---------------------------------------------------------
| ( University of CA, San Diego )
|
| JViewer is a simple 3D viewer.
|
| Currently, it can read and display data from
| XVoxtrace and Microbrightfield's Neurolucida
| V3 ASCII file formats.
|
| Under active development is the ability to
| read and display Synu, Suprim, and Analyze formats.
|
| Features
|
| * Web accessible using Java, Java 3D and Java Web Start technologies
| * Read and display Xvoxtrace 3D contour trace files
| * Read and display Neurolucida V3 ASCII files : contours ...
| * 3D manipulation of rotation, translation and zoom
| * Load files from local disk and over Web via the URL mechanism
|
http://ncmir.ucsd.edu/doc/JViewer/
http://ncmir.ucsd.edu/us.html#personnel
Sun / Netbeans VRML Viewer and Scene Graph Editor
-----------------------------------------------
| This module provides Java 3D support in the Netbeans IDE.
|
| The main focus of the module is to allow users to visually
| inspect and update a ___ Java 3D ___ Scene Graph ___.
|
| While the user is building the scenegraph by
| visually manipulating icons in a graph they can see
| the effects of their actions in a running Java 3D universe.
|
| The module consists on 3 software modules Java 3D
| Netbeans Integration , Java 3D Fly Through and
| Java 3D Scene Graph Editor .
|
| Java 3D Fly Through and the Java 3D Scene Graph Editor
| can also be run as standalone applications, idependent
| of the Netbeans IDE.
|
| The tools can import data from a large range of
| 3D formats, including
|
| 3ds, mdl, obj,
| vrml97, dem, dxf and many others.
|
http://java3d.netbeans.org/j3deditor_intro.html
http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/3D/flythrough.html
Java3d animates NIST VRML Models in a Web Browser
-------------------------------------------------
| Computer Integrated Manufacturing increases manufacturing
| productivity, research on human modeling in the workplace
| is funded by our tax dollars and done by the
| NIST's Visualization and Virtual Reality for Manufacturing
| division.
|
| The NIST's VRML model ( with animation ) can be animated
| with Java3d using Web3d's VRML Loaders from Sun
| ( as shown above, on Linux ) or with the older,
| more restrictive method the government's researchers use.
|
| The more modern, efficient, and portable technology of
| using portable Java with Web3d's H-Anim Avatars is
| not used by the NIST.
|
| The interactive Chess Player (above) can reach for,
| lift, and move the chess pieces for you,
| interactively on the web.
|
http://www.frontiernet.net/~imaging/games_with_java3d.html
http://www.frontiernet.net/~imaging/java3d_and_vrml.html
Old Plug-in VRML Viewers Crash Unpredicatably
---------------------------------------------
| Although VRML in theory is portable across all
| computers the implementations vary greatly.
|
| One model works well with one browser/platform
| combination but poorly with another. Texture maps
| and transparency are handled very differently from
| a SGI to a PC implementation (i.e., the SGI workstation
| has specialized graphics hardware that is not present on PCs).
| Some models such as a large Milky Way Galaxy with over
| 50,000 stars tend to be either too slow to navigate or
| take up too much memory and crash the VRML viewer upon
| display. Also, having too many viewpoints (e.g., >50)
| in a model can crash some viewers.
|
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nssdc_news/december97/04_j_mathews_1297.html
NIST "Smart Spaces" Server for linking Multiple Clients
-------------------------------------------------------
| NIST has developed an integrating platform designed
| to promote interoperability, data transport, and
| distributed processing that should make it easier to
| bring these many products together. ...
|
| Smart Spaces' aim is for easier computing,
| available everywhere it's needed. They support
| stationary and mobile information environments
| that may be connected to the Internet. ...
|
| We have defined a set of interface objects,
| and a transport mechanism implemented for
| the Linux Operating System. ... Clients are
| linked to servers and communicate with each
| other through the data flow structure.
|
| This software was developed at the
| National Institute of Standards and Technology
| ... and is in the public domain. [ It's Free. ]
|
| Source Code 1.0 NSFS_source-1.0.tgz
|
http://www.nist.gov/smartspace/smartSpaces/
For portability across Windows & Linux use Java & VRML.
-- Paul, Java Developer & Web Animator
---------------------------------------
"Imaging the Imagined: Modeling with Math & a Keyboard"