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From: Aaron McMahon
Sent: Monday, April 03, 1995 1:05PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: VRML questions
I've got a few questions regarding the implementation of VRML.
Will there need to be a VRML server as there is for HTML (ie, an HTTP
server)?
HTTP servers will do the basic job of serving simple VRML documents however there
are extentions to the HTTP server model that are being developed to deal with VRML.
(I know because our company is developing one of them.) VRML lends itself to a greater
level of interaction between server and client than HTML (you can "look at" things faster than
you can read them). Within the scope of VRML 1.0, a HTTP server and possible some CGI scripts
should provide all that you need to get started.
The answers to most of your other questions is "not yet", but this is where you should be to provide
input on these issues. It is importain to note that some VRML browsers may infact implement the
entire Open Inventer spec, in which case many of these "features" will be available, just not as
part of a the "VRML" standard.
What 3D object file formats are translatable to VRML format? (ie, DXF, 3D
Studio, etc)
As a soon-to-be developer of a VRML world, what features will I be able
to implement?
I'm assuming the VRML server will work like HTTP, where a browser
connects to it once, downloads all the pertinent data about a VRML room,
then disconnects from the server. If this is so, then I assume it won't
be possible for multi-user worlds where you can see other people moving
around?
Will it be possible to include information about animation paths of an
object? For example, let's say I want a spinning 3D logo. Would that be
possible? Or maybe an object that floats around a room on a preset path?
How about lighting and textures? Are they static or dynamic? In other
words, is it possible to have morphing and changing textures? And will
it be possible to have changing lighting effects, such as flickering
lights, moving spotlights, lights morphing through a range of colors, etc.
Any other things I should know about how VRML works? A friend and I are
working on a WWW project which is using 3D objects and renderings, but we
plan on converting the whole thing to VRML as soon as we can get our
hands on some details, a browser, and a 3D object/scene converter.
Whoever answers this, thank you immensely for your time. You have no
idea how much you will have helped us in our work.
- Aaron McMahon
--Eric
Eric Olinger
President
Tenet Networks
(619) 736-8473
FAX: 736-4572
[email protected]
ftp://www.cts.com/pub/eolinger/tenet.html
"Someday, someone will quote ME in thier .sig file!" -- Anon