If you're new to VRML/X3D and don't really know how to get started, I've compiled my current pick of resources to hopefully save you some time in trawling through the maze of stuff out there. Of course these are my personal, subjective picks only - I'm not trying to start a flame war about what products are better, so please don't email me with any evangelical rants ;-)
1. If you're a poor struggling student
2. If you're on a tight budget
3. If money's no object
Check below for relevant descriptions and links.
If you don't think VRML/X3D is your scene but you still want to get into Web3D then I'd suggest Macromedia Shockwave3D which is a proprietary format that is currently garnering a lot of industry support.
Blender3D UPDATE!
Blender3D is also extremely promising. Although the parent company NaN (Not
a Number) is no more, the software is being released as open source, which is
a huge plus for the Web3D community! www.blender3d.com
Floppy's Web3D Guide
Great up-to-date Web3D portal with an emphasis on VRML coding tutorials, workshops
and industry news, PHP & VRML integration. Highly recommended. web3d.vapourtech.com
Focus on Web3D @ About.com
Links to all things Web3D with an emphasis on VRML. Site contains news, resources,
commentary, regular weekly chat, tutorials, mailing list, examples etc. Less
frequently updated these days but plenty of great archived information. web3d.about.com
Bob Crispen’s VRML Works
Site contains tutorials, how-to guides, FAQs, VRML history and comprehensive
links to online examples, tutorials and tools. If the question’s been asked,
the answer is likely to be in Bob’s VRML FAQ! home.hiwaay.net/~crispen/vrmlworks
3DeZine
Web3D articles, resources and news. Profiles and interviews with top Web3D companies.
www.3dezine.com
MacWeb3D
A resource for Mac users wanting to view and develop VRML content. User gallery,
commentary and links to Mac authoring and viewing software. Highly recommended.
www.macweb3d.org
Web3D Consortium
The group responsible for overseeing the development and standardisation of
VRML and X3D. Membership is comprised of large and small companies and now also
individual professional members. Web site contains the full VRML and X3D specifications
and details of current working groups and task groups. Mailing lists are available
for those wishing to contribute to the process. www.web3d.org
See also www.hanim.org and
www.geovrml.org.
VR Source
Virtual reality news portal. Covers mostly high-end immersive VR www.vrsource.org
Viz-Sim.org
Virtual reality news portal. Covers mostly high-end immersive VR www.vis-sim.org
VREfresh.com
Electronic newsletter. All things VR. www.vrefresh.com
VRMLsuck
German VRML/X3D community site with Dreamweaver extensions, VrmlPad plug-ins,
tutorials, software downloads, examples etc. www.neeneenee.de/vrml
Web3D-fr
French Web3D portal with the works. Interviews, articles, news and links. www.web3d-fr.com
Holger Grahn's Best of VRML Links
Comprehensive list of links to old and new VRML content and resources. home.snafu.de/hg/worlds.htm
Web3D Roundup
The Web3D Roundup “Golden Lasso Awards” is held twice a year at the VRML and
SIGGRAPH conferences. Presenters have only 3 minutes to outdo each other and
impress an audience of their peers. On entry the audience is given noisemakers
and encouraged to “voice” their opinions. Awards are presented to the best new
technologies and content in a variety of categories. www.web3droundup.org
VRML4Linux
Links and resources for Linux VRML users. www.chromebob.com/vrml
ParallelGraphics Cortona
Current
version 4.0. My personal favourite! Constantly evolving and very fast. Available
for Windows 9x/2K/NT, Mac, OS X and Windows CE (the first VRML plug-in for handheld
computers!). Supports proprietary multi-texturing, keyboard sensors, joystick
navigation, NURBs, full-screen with stereo glasses, drag & drop, collision
detection, interactive Flash textures. www.parallelgraphics.com
Blaxxun Contact
Current
version 5.1. Windows 9x/2K/NT only. Very fast. The closest you'll get to the
latest 3D game engine with all the bells and whistles. Supports Blaxxun’s own
multi-user 3D communities, standard VRML plus proprietary extensions such as
Multi-Texturing, Particles, BSP-Trees, Cells, Portals, NURBS and Layer3D. Blaxxun
is currently experiencing some business difficulties - best of luck to the entire
Blaxxun team! www.blaxxun.com
Cosmo Player
Last
released version 2.1.1. Available for Windows 9x/NT, Mac(beta) and SGI IRIX.
No longer developed or supported but still widely used. Has become the de-facto
benchmark for all current and future VRML browsers. www.cosmosoftware.com, www.karmanaut.com/cosmo/player
(mirror site)
MacLookat
Mac only. Available from MacWeb3D www.macweb3d.com
FreeWRL
Linux only. www.crc.ca/FreeWRL
InterVista WorldView
Last released
version 2.1. Windows and Mac. A version of WorldView was also an optional component
(Microsoft VRML Viewer) when installing Windows 98. No longer developed or supported.
Available from www.cosmosoftware.com
GLView
GLView is a standalone VRML 1.0/2.0 Browser and 3D File Viewer for Windows NT/95/98. It
comes in DirectX and OpenGL flavours. Very limited support for animation and
other interactions. home.snafu.de/hg
OpenVRML
OpenVRML is a free cross-platform runtime for VRML available under the GNU Lesser
General Public License. The basic OpenVRML distribution includes libraries you
can use to add VRML support to an application, and Lookat, a simple stand-alone
VRML browser. www.openvrml.org
DRaW Computing OpenWorlds
A suite of browsers and APIs to add immersive VRML/X3D support to any software
application with extensions for shadows and reflections. www.drawcomp.com
and www.openworlds.com
SIM VRMLview
VRMLview is an award winning standalone viewer of AutoCAD, 3D Studio, VRML 1
and VRML 2 models, available for the SGI, Windows NT/95/98, Linux and BeOS platforms.
Very limited support for animation and other interactions. www.sim.no
- Systems In Motion
Cosmo Worlds
Still the best tool for VRML development IMHO. Available for SGI IRIX but hasn’t
been available for Windows since mid-1999 due to company acquisition by Computer
Associates (www.cai.com). Rumour is that it may resurface when
intellectual property and licensing issues are resolved. Check the comp.lang.vrml
mailing list or www.cosmosoftware.com
site for announcements from Computer Associates. Don't hold your breath though!
Internet Scene Assembler
Import models, assemble the scene and add interactivity using simple drag ‘n
drop behaviours. www.parallelgraphics.com
Internet Space Builder
VRML Modelling and texturing package. www.parallelgraphics.com
Internet Character Animator
Animate 3D avatars or characters. Exports standard VRML H-Anim compliant avatars.
Models must be created in a separate package. www.parallelgraphics.com
Internet Model Optimizer
Polygon reduction tool designed specifically for CAD models. Has the ability
to individually optimise parts of a larger model and see the results instantly
in VRML. www.parallelgraphics.com
VrmlPad ESSENTIAL!
New Version 2.0! Programmable text editor specifically for VRML. Supports syntax
colour highlighting of VRML and embedded JavaScript to enhance readability and
displays the VRML scene graph exactly as it looks in Cosmo Worlds’ Outline Editor.
Integrated script debugger. Very handy tool for those wanting to tweak or code
VRML manually. Free (64Kb filesize limited) trial available. www.parallelgraphics.com
Extrusion Editor for VrmlPad
Create highly optimised VRML Extrusion geometry with an easy to use graphical
interface. www.parallelgraphics.com
Spazz3D
Good value (USD$100) VRML modelling and animation tool that also exports movies
(AVIs), Shout3D content and NURBS. (NURBS are not yet part of the VRML specification
and only supported by ParallelGraphics Cortona and Blaxxun Contact VRML browsers).
www.spazz3d.com
Discreet (formerly Kinetix) 3D Studio MAX
Extremely popular mid-range 3D modelling, animation and rendering package that
has decent VRML options and exporting. www.discreet.com
Mark Callow's updated VRML Exporter for 3DSMAX
Mark has fixed most of the problems with MAX's default VRML exporter. www.edgewise-consulting.com/products/vrmlexp
Cebas finalRender plug-in for 3DSMAX
Radiosity/global illumination renderer with texture baking facility for generating
shadows for real-time 3D. www.finalrender.com
Rhinoceros 3D
NURBS based modelling program provides a great polygon reduction tool when exporting
NURBS to VRML. Reduction works best for organic shaped objects. www.rhino3d.com
Nendo by IZware (formerly Winged Edge Technologies and before that Nichimen
Graphics!)
Cheap polygon modeller with an incredibly intuitive interface that exports to
VRML. Also supports colour per vertex. Highly recommeded. www.izware.com/nendo
AC3D
AC3D is a popular 3D object/scene modeller available for Linux, Windows 95/NT,
and SGI. It's very easy to use and powerful. It outputs POV-Ray, VRML (1 and
2), RenderMan, Dive, Massive and other formats. www.ac3d.org
MilkShape 3D
MilkShape 3D is a low-polygon modeler, which was initially designed for Half-Life.
During the development, many file formats have been added. VRML97 export is
provided via Roland Smeenk's plug-in. www.swissquake.ch/chumbalum-soft/ms3d
& www.smeenk.com (under
articles)
Canoma (owned by Adobe, formerley MetaCreations)
Create VRML scenes relatively easily from a few static photographs. Available
for Mac and Windows. www.canoma.com
Eovia Carrara Studio (formerley owned by MetaCreations) NEW
VERSION 2!
Complete 3D modelling, animation, shading and rendering package available for
Mac and Windows that exports to VRML and VET. A synthesis of the older products
MetaCreations Infini-D and Ray Dream Studio. www.eovia.com
Eovia Amapi3D
NURBS and polygon modelling available for Mac and Windows that exports to VRML
and VET. www.eovia.com
Trapezium Chisel
Utility to validate, optimise and compress VRML files. Can dramatically reduce
the overall filesize and increase performance of the scene. www.trapezium.com (much of what can be done
with Chisel can now be accomplished with VrmlPad)
Robert Lipman’s VRML browser detection script
Free, constantly updated script that VRML authors can use in their websites
to detect if visitors have a VRML plug-in installed, and if so then which one.
Can be customised to suit your requirements. cic.nist.gov/vrml/vbdetect.html
Blaxxun/Canal+ Avatar Studio
Fun program for creating your own fully customised humanoid avatars with animated
gestures. Exported avatars are designed for use in Blaxxun’s own multi-user
3D communities. Windows only. www.avatarstudio.com
(Version 2.0 is in french only. English version available from ftp://ftp.blaxxun.de/pub
- ASUS20.zip)
3D Reducer NEW!
Sergei Zawelsky has released this very simple to use and free Windows polygon
reduction tool for VRML. Simply load the high detail VRML model, decide on a
percentage reduction, process and save. www.3dreducer.com
There is also a commercial product called Optimal Pilot available with more
features at www.optimalpilot.com
LODestar
Freeware DOS utility for creating multiple levels of detail (LODs) from VRML1
models. Takes one model and exports a group of models with progressively fewer
polygons. Many command line options. www.cg.tuwien.ac.at/research/vr/lodestar
3DEM
Shareware terrain visualisation software. Takes DEM (Digital Elevation Model)
files and converts them to 3D movie flybys or VRML files. www.monumental.com/rshorne/3dem.html
Curious Labs (formerly MetaCreations) Poser
Create realistic people easily and export to VRML's H-Anim specification. Wonderfully
intuitive interface. www.curiouslabs.com
Corel (formerly MetaCreations) Bryce
Terrain and environment creation. Great for rendering realistic background images.
www.corel.com then follow
the links to Bryce.
Adobe PhotoShop
Texture creation. Conversion and export to PNG, JPEG, GIF etc. www.adobe.com
Macromedia Fireworks
Personal favourite! Texture and web graphic creation. Good options for PNG and
GIF export for transparent textures. www.macromedia.com
Macromedia Dreamweaver
Web design, layout and interaction. Great for adding an appealing web framework
and documentation to your VRML worlds. www.macromedia.com
Right Hemisphere Deep Exploration
View & convert between many different 3D & 2D file formats. Also converts
texture file formats and exports to VRML. www.righthemisphere.com
Okino PolyTrans
3D file format conversion. Great support for VRML. www.okino.com/conv/conv.htm
Daylon Graphics Leveller
Create great 3D terrain by “painting” hills, valleys and other landform features.
Easy to use, imports many terrain data formats and exports to VRML’s elevation
grid node. www.daylongraphics.com/products/leveller
MPEG Encoders
Freeware MPEG encoders to convert AVI movies to MPEG and WAVE audio to MPEG
audio. Ideal for VRML authoring as MPEG is the desired format. www.mnsi.net/~jschlic1
Raindrop/Geomagic Decimate
Simple program that imports a variety of 3D formats (including VRML1) and allows
the user to reduce the number of polygons in all or part of an object while
still retaining the overall shape. Ideal for reducing complex 3D or CAD models
down to an acceptable size for VRML. www.geomagic.com
SIM Rational Reducer Professional
Simply amazing but VERY expensive! Rational Reducer increases the rendering
performance of any computer by reducing the number of polygons in the models,
while keeping the visual quality. For most models, Rational Reducer will also
substantially reduce the model file size, giving shorter download times. www.sim.no
- Systems In Motion
Ulead SmartSaver Pro
Optimise GIF, JPEG and PNG texture files to decrease download times. www.ulead.com
Blaxxun Interactive
Blaxxun are best known for their successful online 3D communities, most notably
Cybertown (www.cybertown.com). People can log on, choose
or make their own avatar (representation in the 3D world), walk around, see
and talk to others, build structures and participate in a virtual economy. The
software they develop is designed to compliment these communities. It includes
the Contact VRML browser, Blaxxun3D Java applet for viewing X3D content, Avatar
Studio and Community Platform server technology. www.blaxxun.com
and www.avatarstudio.com
ParallelGraphics
Prolific creators of VRML software including the Cortona browser, Internet Scene
Assembler, Internet Space Builder, Internet Character Animator, VrmlPad, Islands
(multi-user server and client), the Cortona SDK and a VRML Screen Saver. ParallelGraphics
are also adept at creating sophisticated VRML content (usually to showcase new
features in Cortona). They also host a comprehensive gallery of VRML examples.
www.parallelgraphics.com
Visites-3D
The wonderful photo-realistic work of Laurent Privat! www.visites-3d.com
and www.villes-3d.com
and www.loft-3d.com
Ivan Klima
Some of the most amazing, handcrafted, highly optimised VRML content you'll
ever see! His work is practical, informative, intricate in detail and interactive.
Everything that VRML was meant to be but rarely is. Now hosted on this site!
www.virtualrealms.com.au/ivan
uma.real.estate
Check out the Web site … synopsis to follow. www.virtualrealestate.at
Planet 9 Studios
Specialising in virtual cities and various other architectural and military
simulations. www.planet9.com
Shout Interactive
Legendary creators of some of the very best Web3D content and also developers
of the highly acclaimed Shout3D java applet (now owned by Eyematic www.eyematic.com).
Shout Interactive are masters at integrating Web3D, java and HTML to create
compelling, practical applications for Web delivery. Much of their older content
is no longer available online. www.shoutinteractive.com
Lunatic Interactive
Check out the Web site … synopsis to follow. www.lunatic.de
DRaW Computing
Makers of OpenWorlds, a suite of browsers and APIs to add immersive VRML/X3D
support to any software application with extensions for shadows and reflections.
www.drawcomp.com and www.openworlds.com
Cybelius Software
Until recently Cybelius were developers of a suite of VRML authoring tools but
have now shifted their business focus to Web3D content development for the corporate
e-commerce market. The tools “Touch More!” and “Show More!” Are no longer available
to the general public but will be used only for in-house content development.
www.cybelius.com
Lucid Actual
Check out the Web site … synopsis to follow. www.biorococo.com
MOVES Institute
The Naval Postgraduate School Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation
(MOVES) Institute. www.movesinstitute.org
Turbo Squid
Software and online web portal to easily find, preview, buy and sell digital
assets such as 3D models and textures. www.turbosquid.com
Geo-Metricks
Specialists in low-polygon 3D models. Good value themed packs. www.geo-metricks.com
Thomas Suurland's homepage
Mostly 2D blueprints of cars and planes (+ some superb renderings and modelling
tutorials!). The blueprints are great for creating 3D models from scratch. www.suurland.com
Facets 3D Models
Military models optimised for real-time 3D. Available in OpenFlight, 3DS and
VRML formats. Multiple levels of detail (LODs) and destroyed states for military
simulations. www.facets3dmodels.com
e-Interiors.net
Amazing and growing collection of 3D models of furniture and whole interior
design suites! www.e-interiors.net
Kit 3D Models
Furniture models. www.kit3dmodels.com
Infini3D
Designer furniture and appliance 3D models. www.infini3d.com
De Espona and 3DShort.com
Huge and superb collection of extremely high detailed models, many with multiple
LODs. www.deespona.com and
www.3dshort.com
CacheForce
Large collection of 3D models. www.cacheforce.com
3Dmodelworks
3D model marketplace similar to TurboSquid above, but with some real-time 3D
previews. www.3dmodelworks.com
DataPump 3D
Collection of high quality 3D models. www.datapump3d.com
Avalon
Free. Various 3D file formats (mostly 3DS). Fully categorized. Some thumbnails.
avalon.viewpoint.com
The 3D Studio
Free models, textures and tutorials for 3D Studio MAX. Not affiliated with Kinetix
or Discreet Logic. www.the3dstudio.com
3D Café
Free stuff area. Various 3D file formats (mostly 3DS). Fully categorized. Some
thumbnails. www.3dcafe.com
Amazing 3D Graphics
Some free samples. Mostly 3DS format with thumbnails. www.amazing3d.com/free/free.html
Viewpoint Catalog
NOT FREE. Premier 3D models. Fully categorized. Various 3D file formats. Extensive
thumbnail options. Pay per download. www12.viewpoint.com/vp
RcCad Free VRML Aircraft Models
Huge collection. Searchable. All in VRML format – no conversion required. www.rccad.com/Gallery.htm
Free Car Models
Many high detail cars in 3DS format with thumbnails. Web page is in Russian
and not well maintained but there are some gems here. www.maxnet.ru/aks/models_R.html
Turbo Squid
Software and online web portal to easily find, preview, buy and sell digital
assets such as 3D models and textures. www.turbosquid.com
Google Image Search
Best image/photo search on the web! http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en
AltaVista USA multimedia file search
Go to the Images or Video tab and search by keyword. www.altavista.com
The 3D Studio
Free models, textures and tutorials for 3D Studio MAX. Not affiliated with Kinetix
or Discreet Logic. www.the3dstudio.com
AXEM Textures
Free collection. axem2.simplenet.com
Turbo Squid
Software to easily find, preview and buy digital content such as 3D models and
textures. www.turbosquid.com
Texture Station
Free collection. www.nepthys.com/textures
Blade’s Textures and Tiles
Some free, some cheap CD collections for sale. www.bladestextures.com
Universal Media
Free collection arranged by the Web3D Consortium’s Universal Media Working Group.
www.web3d.org/WorkingGroups/media
Hubble Space Telescope Images
Free public collection. oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pictures.html
ImageCELs
Quality seamless texture CD collections for sale. Some free samples. www.imagecels.com
Marlin Studios
Quality seamless texture CD collections for sale. Some free samples. www.marlinstudios.com
Dosch Design
Quality textures, sounds and objects for sale. Some free samples. www.doschdesign.com
TextureWorld
Quality seamless texture CD collections for sale. Some free samples. www.textureworld.com
Artbeats
Mainly stock footage but also some good seamless textures. www.artbeat.com
AltaVista USA multimedia file search
Go to the MP3/Audio tab and search by keyword. www.altavista.com
The WAV Place
www.wavplace.com
The Very Best MIDI
Hi quality MIDI compositions. w3.one.net/~kklasmei
The MIDI Farm
www.midifarm.com
Sound America
soundamerica.com
Wav Central
www.wavcentral.com
Ultimate Sound Archive
www.ultimatesoundarchive.com
Dosch Design
Quality textures, sounds and objects for sale. Some free samples. www.doschdesign.com
Peter Gerstmann - Game PROTO Library
Simply amazing suite of PROTOs and accompanying thesis! www.cgrg.ohio-state.edu/~pgerstma/protolib/index.html
Roland Smeenk
Gradient and Lensflare PROTOs. www.smeenk.com
Floppy's Web3D Guide
Great Web3D portal with an emphasis on VRML coding tutorials, workshops and
industry news. Highly recommended. web3d.vapourtech.com
VRML PROTO Repository
Old but worth a look. www.vrml-content.org
Braden McDaniel - Endoframe
CircleExtrusion, ButtonTemplate, SliderTemplate, VcrControlSensor etc www.endoframe.com/vrml/protos/index.html
Tom Kaye's VRML Widgets
Including the wonderful TrackingViewpoint. reality.sgi.com/tomk/demos/vrml2/widgets.html
Gregory Seidman's VRML2 Widgets
Various user interface widgets. ovrt.nist.gov/gseidman/widgets.html
SIGGRAPH 2002
The BIG one! San Antonio, Texas. July 21-26, 2002. www.siggraph.org/s2002
VR 2003
Virtual Reality Conference. Los Angeles. March 22-26, 2003. www.vr2003.org
CVE 2002
Collaborative Virtual Environments. Bonn, Germany. September 30 - October 2,
2002. www.cve2002.org
SimTecT 2002
Simulation Technology and Training Conference. Melbourne, Australia. May 13-16,
2002. www.siaa.asn.au/simtect.htm
IVR 2002
10th Industrial Virtual Reality Expo & Conference. Tokyo, Japan. July 3-5,
2002. web.reedexpo.co.jp/ivr
VSMM 2002
International Conference on Virtual Systems & Multimedia. Gyeongju, Korea.
September 25-27, 2002. www.vsmm.org/2002
EG2002
Eurographics Conference. Saarbrücken, Germany. September 2-6, 2002. www.eg.org/EG2002
I/ITSEC 2002
Interservice / Industry Training, Simulation & Education Conference.
Orlando, Florida. December 2-5, 2002. www.iitsec.org
VR News
Great Virtual Reality industry magazine edited by Mike Bevan. Published online
10 times a year. www.vrnews.com
Newsgroup: comp.lang.vrml
Use your favourite newsreader program or visit groups.google.com/groups?q=group%3Acomp.lang.vrml
Newsgroup: sci.virtual-worlds
groups.google.com/groups?q=group%3Asci.virtual-worlds
Mailing List: Web3D VRML
www.web3d.org/www-vrml
VREfresh.com
Electronic newsletter. All things VR. www.vrefresh.com
Core Web 3D
Aaron Walsh and Mikael Bouges-Sevenier, Prentice Hall, 2000. Core
Web 3D @ Amazon.com
The Official Blender 2.0 Guide
Ton Roosendaal, Carsten Wartmann and Sven Wouters, Premier Press, 2001. The
Official Blender 2.0 Guide @ Amazon.com
Interactive Web Graphics With Shout3D
Rob Polevoi, Sybex, 2000. Interactive
Web Graphics With Shout3D @ Amazon.com
The Annotated VRML97 Reference Manual
Rikk Carey and Gavin Bell, Addison-Wesley, 1997. Available free
online @ www.web3d.org/resources/vrml_ref_manual/Book.html
and also @
Amazon.com
VRML 2.0 Sourcebook
Andrea L. Ames, et al, John Wiley, 2nd Edition, 1997. VRML
2.0 Sourcebook @ Amazon.com
The VRML 2.0 Handbook
Jed Hartman and Josie Wernecke, Addison-Wesley, 1996. The
VRML 2.0 Handbook @ Amazon.com
Late Night VRML 2.0 with Java
Bernie Roehl, et al, Ziff-Davis Press, 1997. Late
Night VRML 2.0 with Java @ Amazon.com
This is only a selection of the existing and emerging Web3D technologies. Every tech-head wants to re-invent the wheel i.e. "my 3D engine is bigger and better than yours!" Quite silly really. All it does is create confusion and fragmentation with existing and more importantly, potential content creators. Why can't the major industry players simply get behind an international standard effort like X3D? Just my 2c.
The present pace of varied development is being driven by the perceived demand for e-commerce 3D product visualisation, online entertainment, multi-user communities, training and eCRM (customer relationship management). They’re all worth taking a look at. Some will flourish, but many will flounder. The ones that succeed are, in my opinion, likely to have the following characteristics:
Recommendations UPDATED!
At last count there were over 200 web 3D technologies, literally
thousands of 3D game engines and many high-end vis-sim scene graphs/APIs.
Many technologies are no longer developed or available and new technologies
emerge almost on a weekly basis. My advice is to either stick with the only
ISO standard i.e. VRML/X3D or choose a company that has diversified interests
or has partners with a lot of cash. As I see it, this limits choices for professional
Web 3D developers to:
X3D – Extensible 3D
This is the Web3D Consortium’s effort to create an ISO standard replacement
for the old VRML97 specification. It is fully backward compatible with VRML
but adds new features, better integration with other standardized web technologies
through XML, easier implementation through profiles and better
extensibility through components. Supports VRML97 (ASCII), XML and potentially
binary encodings. www.web3d.org/x3d
Shout3D
Shout Interactive’s proposal for X3D. Small Java 1.1 applet that works on all
platforms (with Java installed) and downloads with the content. Rapidly evolving
with export capability from 3DS MAX and Spazz3D. Can be authored with other
VRML tools – it’s just a matter of using only the nodes specified in Shout3D’s
documentation. Some impressive demos and content online. Take a look at www.excitextreme.com/fashion/.
www.shout3d.com and www.shoutinteractive.com.
An official guide book is also available (see
books above).
Blaxxun3D
Blaxxun’s proposal for X3D. As per Shout3D but the two systems are not compatible.
Both Blaxxun3D and Shout3D can be integrated with Web pages, Javascript and
Java to create custom 2D controls for the 3D world. Blaxxun3D exporter available
for 3D Studio MAX. www.blaxxun.com/products/blaxxun3d
TurnTool
Promising real-time 3D web technology. Use 3DS MAX plus the free TurnToolBox
authoring plug-in to create content. www.turntool.com
Sony Blendo
Sony's proposal for X3D. Currently under development from Chris Marrin and team.
Seems to fix many of the issues that VRML had and adds extra functionality specifically
for broadcast and interactive TV content creation. www.blendomedia.com
Java3D
Java3D is an extension to Sun’s Java2 programming language. You must know Java
to author using this technology. Java3D has classes to view and work with VRML
files so there is some level of interoperability here but this is really a programmer’s
domain at this stage. Although Java 1.1 has been supported by all platforms
and Web browsers for some time, Java may not be supported natively in future
Microsoft operating systems. At present you have to download and install the
Java2 & Java 3D extensions before use or alternatively embed the Java2 Plugin
in your web pages. java.sun.com/products/java-media/3D/index.html
Sumea
Sumea is a group of artists that use small Java applets that render astonishing
quality real-time 3D with Java 1.1. No authoring tools at all. Simply an impressive
demonstration of Java programming and 3D design. www.sumea.com
Cycore Cult3D
Free creator and viewer software. Creator is for 3DS Max so therefore Windows
only. Viewer available for all platforms. Pay license to host Cult3D objects
on your web server. Can embed content in Web pages, PowerPoint presentations
and Adobe Acrobat documents. Impressive rendering effects and integration with
various multimedia and presentation technologies make this one to watch. www.cult3d.com
and www.cycore.com
Viewpoint VET (formerly MetaCreations MetaStream)
High quality rendering with streaming download (displays more detail as it is
downloaded – like progressive JPEG images) and impressive rendering. Scooped
the 2001 Siggraph Web3D
Round-Up awards. Available for Windows and Mac. www.viewpoint.com
Flatland (3dml)
Flatland's web publishing format, 3DML (Three Dimensional Markup Language),
empowers Webmasters to quickly create their own visually compelling rich media
environments called "Spots." Designed for Web3D novices in that your
worlds (or Spots as they call them) can be authored with simple HTML-like tags.
www.flatland.com
Wild Tangent
Wild Tangent is a driver that gives Web3D developers access to full power and
speed of Microsoft’s DirectX graphics API via a web page. Windows only. www.wildtangent.com (based on the Genesis3D
engine)
Adobe Atmosphere
Multi-user 3D chat system with authoring tools (based on Viewpoint's VET technology
and 3D Anarchy). One to watch. www.adobe.com
Macromedia Shockwave3D
Shockwave goes 3D! Macromedia Director 8.5+ and Lingo scripting knowledge required
to author it. Many 3D packages now supporting geometry export. Discreet about
to release their Plasma authoring tool which exports to Shockwave3D and Flash.
One to watch. www.macromedia.com
and www.discreet.com/products/plasma
Superscape e-Visualiser (SeV)
Photorealistic rendering with fast downloads and fully interactive. Windows
only. Recent reports indicate Superscape plan on using the technology as the
basis for their own content creation services. No indication of a public release
of any authoring tools. www.superscape.com
Web Dimension (by RealNet)
Technically not a different Web3D technology but rather a VRML viewer and authoring
combo that uses proprietary nodes (standard VRML PROTOS) for added functionality
and rendering effects. www.realnet.com
Pulse 3D
Extremely small plug-in (200K). Designed primarily for creating animated 3D
characters. Free authoring tool available. Character data only has to be downloaded
once, then for each new animation a new set of behaviours is downloaded. www.pulse3d.com
Virtue3D Virtuoso Player
"Smallest 3D files on the Web". Check out that claim for yourself
at www.virtue3d.com
Virtools (formerly NeMo)
Simply amazing authoring/viewing system for real-time 3D and games. Products
consist of Virtools Creation, web plug-in and stand-alone player. Windows only
but Mac player announced. Import 3D geometry, add behaviours and create entire
games without writing a line of code and without sacrificing performance! Over
300 behaviours to choose from and can be extended if necessary with C++. www.virtools.com
Blender3D UPDATED!
Free authoring tool with modelling, rendering, interactivity
and scripting capability. Free stand-alone and web plug-in players. Small download.
Cross platform! All the latest features - multi-texturing, radiosity, physics,
particles, inverse kinematics etc. www.blender3d.com.
An official guide book is also available (see
books above). Now released as open source after the demise of the parent
company NaN (Not a Number).
Eon Reality
Interactive simulation solution for Windows based PCs that interfaces with
immersive hardware like 3D projectors, stereo glasses and haptic devices. www.eonreality.com
PTC Division
Tools and software development kit for creating high-end Virtual Reality solutions.
www.division.com
MultiGen
Tools and software development kit for creating high-end Virtual Reality solutions.
www.multigen.com
RealiMation
Software development kit for creating high-end Virtual Reality
solutions. www.realimation.com
CrystalSpace
Promising open source 3D game engine project. www.crystalspace.org
Auran Jet
Software development kit for creating real-time 3D games and multimedia. C++
and OpenGL programming knowledge required. Auran is a local (Brisbane, Australia)
company famous for the game Dark Reign. www.auran.com/jet