Thank you for taking a peek at the Play3D plugin for Netscape.
A few useful bits of info:
The folder that this file came in is Play3D's local disk cache folder. It also contains the Setup program that initially installs the plugin. To de-install the plugin, use Add/Remove programs in your Win95 control panel. You can then remove this folder and its contents. The de-installer also uses Setup to remove files and registration entries, so don't remove it until you've done an Uninstall.
Please do not move this folder to another location, as the location it is in (the one you chose when running the self-extracting file) is a registered location. If you wish to move it to another location, first Uninstall Play3D (using the Win95 control panel), then run the Self-extracting file (NPP3D.exe) again, and choose a different location. If you want to keep any additions to the cache that you may have picked up from different sites, copy any additional files with extensions *.rwx (the Renderware shape files), *.bmp (bitmap sprites, textures and backdrops), *.scn (scene files - note: these are quite small, so you don't really need to transfer these).
The file NPP3D.DLL is installed in the plugins folder within the Netscape Program folder. The uninstaller will remove it from there.
AUTHORING NOTES:
The main file that triggers the Play3D plugin is a text file with the extension of .p3d. You can create your own, but make sure there is at least a space in it, or Netscape will ignore it. Usually you'd put some file names in it. For example:
bartok.mid
head1.rwx
mona.bmp
ball.bmp
This tells the plugin that these media files are required for the scene that you will create. Once the plugin is active, use the right mouse button (or option-click on the Mac) to bring up the popup menu. Then select the NEW menu and choose LOAD shape/sprite/backdrop or whatever media you wish to bring in. Remember, all these files should be in the automatically registered Play3D cache folder. You can then position the shapes with the mouse or keys (the help menu has more info). The Behaviour menu allows you to add motion and click-actions, such as going to another URL or opening another scene file.
To create a sprite, simply load a bitmap from the sprite menu. It should be 128 * 128 pixels in dimension, but will be converted if necessary. For a transparent sprite, you need two bitmap files: an 8 or 16 bit picture and a black and white mask. The white area of the mask is where the picture will show through. There is a special naming convention for this: filename_s.bmp for the picture and filename_m.bmp for the mask. That is, any file that ends in _s.bmp is considered a transparent sprite. This is the one you load, and Play3D looks for a corresponding file ending in _m.bmp to create a mask.
For animated sprites, you simply supply files as above but make them 128 pixels in width and 128 * number-of-frames in height. In the demo version of Play3D, the sprites are animated when clicked. This enables an animated logo, scrolling bitmapped text or whatever, and can be combined with MIDI or WAVE playback.
To create your own scenes, you'll need stuff like .rwx files, bitmap files, MIDI files and WAVE files. Add these to the Play3D cache folder, then run Play3D from Netscape by opening a file with a .p3d extension.
The .rwx files can be edited or created from scratch with a text editor. The syntax is fairly simple and resembles many other 3D file formats. For efficient network use, manual editing - though tedious - offers maximum efficiency in performance and file sizes. Remember that any texture maps must be in the same folder as the .rwx file that uses it. There is also a converter available from Criterion Software for converting 3D Studio and DXF files into Renderware format, although the DXF output of some 3D packages is extremely uneconomical in polygon count, incurring a severe penalty in performance and download time.
When you have assembled a scene, use the new/save scene popup menu option. Ideally, you should then create your main .p3d text file that contains all the media items needed for that scene, and the name of the scene file (e.g. myScene.p3d & myScene.scn). The reason for the two file formats is as follows: The .p3d text file serves as a trigger to open the plugin, meaning you can create scenes from scratch by forcing Navigator to fire up the plugin by attempting to open any file with a .p3d extension. The .p3d file also acts like a "hints" list for the plugin to handle caching efficiently. It first checks if the files are available locally, and caches them if not. It also allows you to put several scene files in a .p3d document. This will force Play3D to cache any media listed for the scene files, as well as the .scn files themselves. The first .scn file listed in the text .p3d document is the one that is loaded. So sny other ones listed after will be cached, enabling rapid switching to another scene in response to a click on a 3D object that has its "behaviour" set to open a scene.
One small tip for loading .p3d files the first time: If the user clicks a new .p3d file on your server, and there is a MIDI file listed (usually at the top of the list in the .p3d document) that they don't already have, it will automatically play, thus allowing a little music during the download of other media.
Finally, to package the stuff for end users, put all the media, .scn and .p3d files in one directory on the server and offer links to the .p3d files in your html document, such as:
Click <a href="http://www.mydomain.com/Night_flight.p3d">here</a> for some action.
COMMERCIAL INFO:
While the free demo allows you to test out Play3D, the commercial version is where the real action is. All capabilities can be modified to clients' requirements at a SOURCE CODE LEVEL. This is like having your own multimedia plugin written from scratch, but at a very reasonable cost. Depending on individual requirements, this cost generally ranges between $US500 - $US1500. Other capabilities that can be incorporated into Play3D include:
Metafile/Pict display
Digital video
High speed raycasting 3D
Telephony/fax support
Anti-aliased text
Multitrack audio
Custom security features
QUESTION: What about all the other VRML plugins?
Play3D takes a different approach: It offers a very compact file size for minimal download time, with totally customizable features. In other words, you could have features built in that other web sites don't have. Play3D fills in the gap between the flexibility of (but limited multimedia features of) Java and the standard feature set of the popular VRML plugins.
Play3D can also be built into other software extensions, such as OCXs, mFactory MOMs etc.
The company trading as Heads Off has been in business for over 15 years, with activities including electronic servicing, audio distribution, film audio post production and multimedia software development.
LEGAL INFO:
NPP3D.EXE ("the file") may be freely distributed without modification. The contents of the file must remain intact. The file cannot be sold or used directly for profit. For any service that is charging for time that involves the use of Play3D ("the plugin"), a licensed version is necessary. For a trial period of no greater than 8 weeks, the plugin can be used at a profit-making site, providing no direct charge is made to users to downloading or using the Play3D plugin or accessing Play3D data files. No responsibility is accepted by Heads Off for misuse of the plugin, loss of profits from use of the plugin, or personal injury from the plugin.
That includes the plugin sneaking out at night and drinking your best Scotch, making a pass at your partner or saying embarrassing things about you while you're not there.
SECURITY INFO:
The Play3D installer creates a folder with information supplied from the user. Play3D creates entries in the Windows 95 registry for locating the afforementioned cache folder, locating Netscape copies and for uninstall information. The Play3D installer, with the user's permission, scans local disks for copies of Netscape. No files are modified or deleted in this process, and no information, beyond the entry in the dialog box, is recorded or transmitted.
Play3D downloads media files that are listed in the .p3d document. No executables are either downloaded or accessed by Play3D. No information or data is sent from Play3D to any other local or remote location.
