Creating Objects (was: Re: WWWInline; include non-VRML data?)

Linas Vepstas ([email protected])
Tue, 18 Oct 1994 14:01:15 -0500


>Date: Tue, 18 Oct 94 13:15:07 EDT
>From: [email protected] (Mike Roberts)
>
>On Oct 17, 6:00pm, Gavin Bell wrote:
>
>> What happens if a WWWButton that Embed's a URL is picked twice?
>>
>> Adding the same set of children again doesn't seem very useful; maybe
>> it should become "dead" and ignore picks after the first one?
>
>I don't think this is what you want to do in all situations, though I do think
>that in most cases it will be. I have run across may educational apps in which
>creating a number of objects for sorting, playing with, etc is exactly what is
>required, with no clear limit on the number of objects which may be created in
>some cases, and in others, a fixed limit on the # of objects.

Interesting point. I like it. But we are walking a thin line between
"browsing" (walking around and looking) capabilites and "authoring/edting"
capabilities. Obviously, children's games have noted that authoring can be
fun. But I ask -- are you sure vrml needs to support this?

Note that no one else can see the result of creating multiple instances of stuff.
Suppose I owned a vrml site with a toy chest, out of which you could pull
a whole bunch of toys. Some kid finds it and plays; leaves toys all
over the room. You think I'm going to let him write that back onto my disk?

We have yet to solve the more general problem of multi-player interaction,
intelligent agents, etc. Also, animation. I'd like to lump the above
discussion into that discussion. Maybe we can start that discussion soon as
the current Inline debate is clarified?

>So I guess I think there should be one form of linking behaviour which adds a
>number of sets of children, then becomes dead - ie, it has a numeric limit on
>the number of children sets to add to a scene before becomming dead.

$$$ This is called accounting. Ya pay yer $$$ to toys-r-us and you get a
vrml spray can. Every time you spray, out pops a new vrml toy. After a while,
the spray can goes dead, and you have to get another. (Idea courtesy of
jeff wilkinson).

--linas