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Hi! Welcome the the VRML and 3D on the Web For Dummies CD -- a book CD with a difference. "And what difference is that?" you may well ask. "The '...For Dummies' difference," we reply, heartily.
Mainly, we've taken some pains to make sure that this CD is NOT "shovelware". Shovelware is a bunch of stuff mainly intended to fill out a book's CD and make the list of included software on the back cover look really impressive. Generally, shovelware has little or no explanation in the book, often has had important capabilities removed, and sometimes its license is tied to a fixed expiration date, and so may have already expired by the time you buy the book. We don't do that.
We explain the operation of all the principal tools on this CD in this book; specifically, we explain in detail how to use the VRML browsers and Caligari and Virtus builders. We made sure that no important VRML features were left out of these tools. And we negotiated custom terms with our cooperating vendors so that any software that expires has a useful lifetime starting when it is first installed.
This CD, which works with both Macs and PCs, contains:
This document you're reading now is to help you find and install the software. There are two versions of this document:
(Note that on a Macintosh, you can't double-click OUR_CD.HTM to view it. Use File-->Open File. Also, some versions of Mosaic for the Mac can't load a file with an HTM extension. Try copying OUR_CD.HTM to your hard drive and renaming it OUR_CD.HTML before loading.)
If you are reading OUR_CD.HTM on your Web browser, you can click highlighted text to move to the thing we're talking about. (You need to be online to move to anything beginning with "http:".) You can also find additional notes, corrections and other stuff on our Web site: http://www.brightleaf.com/vrml4dum/. You can send us email at vrml@dummies.com -- in fact, please do; we'd love to hear comments or corrections -- but unfortunately we can't promise to respond to individual questions or problems.
The principal tools on this CD are evaluation versions ("evals"), included here to save you the time and trouble of obtaining evals from the vendors. Because VRML is so new, many of the tools on the CD are "beta" software (not yet for sale and still being tested) -- which means they are not bug-free.
The tools on this CD include all the VRML features of the for-sale versions, so if they weren't restricted in some way, the software vendors would go broke -- some of these tools are worth hundreds of dollars! As a result, the tools come with special license restrictions, so please read and respect the licenses. The licenses for some tools on our CD are time-limited, so the license expires a given number of days or usage hours after you install them. After that, they no longer operate.
Some of the license terms, such as the 90-day trial of Walkthrough Pro, are exclusive to this CD. In some other cases, your license allows you to download new versions of these products from the Web, and we'll give you the URLs of each software vendor, just in case you want to try to do that or to check for troubleshooting information
The folders on the CD are organized as you see in the following indented list.
Appendix (VRML 1.0c specification) OurStuff Videos (Lotus ScreenCam movies for PC users only) Samples (Sample worlds used in the book) Objects (A few building blocks we've created) Textures (One or two textures we've created) Notes (Good stuff that wouldn't fit in the book) Pc_Stuff (These programs only run on the PC) Browse (VRML browsers) Chaco Plugins (For Netscape only) Helpers (For other Web browsers) Pueblo (A special-purpose 3D browser) Microsft Internet Explorer for Windows 95 VRML add-in for Internet Explorer for Windows 95 Virtus Voyager Build (VRML builders) Caligari Pioneer Pioneerp (Pioneer Pro) Truespc2 Virtus Walkthrough Pro EOS Photomodeler LX (For creating 3D models from photos) VisNet Index.htm provides instructions for downloading optional VisMenu installer program for the CD. MacStuff Browse Virtus Voyager Build Virtus Walkthrough Pro(builder and libraries) VisNet Index.htm provides instructions for downloading optional VisMenu installer program for the CD. Material Acuris Models and textures Viewpoint Models
As with any software, each tool comes with the manufacturer's own unique installation process. In general, to install a tool on a PC, just run Setup.exe in that tool's directory. Mac users should double-click the file they find in the folder and follow the setup dialog that ensues.
Each tool has its own unique hardware and software requirements or preferences, which you will generally find in the manufacturer's instructions or in our notes in this document. Some tools are for Windows 3.1 (and will therefore also work under Windows 95), some for Windows 3.1 with Win32, and others are only for Windows 95. Some will work faster when your PC is equipped with "accelerated" graphics, especially graphics that runs a special system from Intel called "3DR". A few also offer some audio capabilities, so if your PC has stereo audio, you're in luck.
NOTE: We suggest you do NOT try to install all the software immediately. In some cases (Netscape "plugins" in particular), the result would be that only the most-recently-installed software would be operational. In other cases, you may start the clock running on the software before you are ready to use it, and waste the time allotted to you for using it. Instead of installing all the software immediately, refer to the appropriate chapter in our book before you install a program to see if it's what you want, and install and try programs one at a time. It's okay if you end up with multiple programs installed -- just install them and try them one at a time.
(VisMenu Installation note: If you would like to try an alternative way to install the software on this CD, VisNet plans to offer an installer for this book's CD, downloadable from their website. VisNet's installer program, VisMenu, employs a 3D world in which you click on 3D buildings representing the various vendors' programs; clicking on a building performs the installation automatically. It can also read and help you create VRML files. To download that installer, launch your web browser, go online on the Internet, and use File--> Open to load the Index.htm file you find in the Visnet folders. Click the link to VisMenu on the VisNet website, where you should find instructions for using VisMenu with this CD. VisNet also offers VisCis, a program that provides a 3D interface to Compuserve and VRML browsing that may be of interest to Compuserver users.)
In the next section of this document, we have provided some of our own notes on the software. We include the URLs (the weird address you type into a Web browser to go somewhere) for many of the vendors, as well. Sometimes, URLs will change, making these obsolete. If that happens to you, try again, ending the URL after the ".com" part.
In this section, you'll find some notes on installing the following browsers. If you are reading OUR_CD.HTM in your Web browser, just click the items in this list to go to those notes.
Netscape will only work with one VRML plugin at a time. If you install more than one plugin (say, VR Scout plugin and Live3D), most likely only the most recently installed plugin will operate. Chapter 2 offers some instructions for switching between plugins, if you wish to do that. (It involves swapping .DLL files in and out of the Netscape/Plugins folder.)
Virtus Voyager (beta software) should run on any PC that runs Windows 95 or on a Mac running System 7.
For PCs, run the file Setup.exe in Pc_stuff/Browse/Virtus.
For Macs, there are two versions: one for regular Macintoshes and one for the Power Mac. Run the installation programs you find in Macstuff/Browse/Virtus/Mac and Macstuff/Browse/Virtus/Powermac. If you run the regular Mac version of the installation program (not the Power Mac version), it will initially suggest installing itself on your CD drive, which it can't physically do; make sure you tell the installation program to use your hard drive instead.
Look for future versions of Voyager on the Web site http://www.virtus.com/voyager.html#download, or go to the general Virtus site, http://www.virtus.com, and look for directions. Voyager is a "helper" application. See Part I for details of using helper applications.
On our CD we include both Internet Explorer 2.0 for Windows 95 and the VRML plug-in (which Microsoft calls an Add-In). The Microsoft Web site says: "To use VRML Add-In, you must have Windows 95 and Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.0. You must have at least a 486/33 DX computer with 8 megabytes of memory and a fast video card. VRML Add-In supports 8-, 16-, and 24-bit video."
To this, we add: You should also be using (or be content to use) Microsoft's Internet connection software that comes with Windows 95. If you are not currently using this connection software, the installation process will step you through the process of adding it. Any other software (such as Winsock) that you are using now to dial up and connect to an Internet access provider will probably be de-activated during Microsoft's installation process. To help you decide if you want to use Microsoft's Internet connection software, read the Windows 95 help file (choose Start-->Help and type Internet to see a list of topics).
If you're already using Internet Explorer 2.0 (or higher) for Windows 95, just install the VRML Add-In. To install Internet Explorer, go to Pc_stuff/Browse/Microsft and double-click Msie20.exe. If you OK the license, the Browse for Folder dialog box asks you to "Choose the parent directory for Microsoft Internet Explorer." (The parent directory is the folder in which your Internet Explorer folder will be created.) We chose the Program Files folder; the choice is yours. Continue until you get a message that the installation succeeded.
The VRML Add-In installs automatically -- just go to Pc_stuff/Browse/Microsft and double-click Vrml20.exe. No icons are added to your Start menu.
Updates of VRML Add-In can be downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/ie/addon/vrml.htm, or go to the Microsoft home page, http://www.microsoft.com, and look for instructions.
VR Scout 1.22 comes in two versions:
Both require at least a 486DX processor (or a 486SX with a math coprocessor), 8MB of RAM, and about 5MB of space on your hard drive. The plugin requires Netscape 2.0 or later (the Windows 95 version) and runs under either Windows 95 or Windows NT. The helper application runs under Windows 95, NT, or 3.1.
Under Windows 3.1, Win32s is required. Chaco's readme file that is displayed after installation provides instructions for downloading the most recent Win32s if you don't currently have it. Or, you can install a version from our CD by running Setup.exe in Pc_stuff\Build\Caligari\Truespc2\Install\Win32s\Disk1.
To install any version of VR Scout simply run the file Setup.exe from the directories listed below:
VR Scout 1.22 plugin Windows 95 Pc_stuff/Browse/Chaco/Plugins VR Scout 1.22 helper Windows 95 PC_stuff/Browse/Chaco/Helpers/Win95 VR Scout 1.22 helper Windows 3.1 Pc_stuff/Browse/Chaco/Helpers/Win31
VR Scout comes with an evaluation license for 30 days. It will stop working 30 days after you install it. Chaco's license states that if you like VR Scout at that point, you should buy it. If you don't like what you saw, check the Chaco Web site to see if there is an updated version that you might like better.
Download updated versions of VR Scout from the Web site, http://www.chaco.com/vrscout/, or go to the Chaco home page, http://www.chaco.com, and look for instructions.Pueblo
Pueblo is a 3D browser for Windows 95 that reads VRML but only in the context of something called "MUDs" (Multi-User Dimensions), where people can interact with each other in a 3D world. We include Pueblo because it's fun and an example of advanced 3D on the Web -- even though the advanced stuff is non-standard and can't be viewed by other browsers but Pueblo. If you're feeling adventuresome enough to try these worlds, see Pueblo.htm or Pueblo.txt in the Ourstuff/Notes folder of this CD. To install it, run the Pblo107.exe program in Pc_stuff/Browse/Chaco/Pueblo.
Paper Software (a recent acquisition of Netscape) won't allow book publishers to provide a copy of their Live3D plugin on their CDs, but you can download Live3D from Netscape's Web site at http://home.netscape.com/comprod/products/navigator/live3d/index.html.
Live 3D requires at least a 486DX processor (or a 486SX with a math coprocessor), 8MB of RAM, and about 5MB of space on your hard drive. It works under Windows 95, Windows NT, or Windows 3.1. It requires Netscape Navigator 2.0 or later for Live3D.
Another way to get Live3D is to install the new Navigator 3.0, which includes Live3D. You can get Navigator 3.0 from http://home.netscape.com/comprod/products/navigator.
If, for some reason, Netscape has changed the download address for either Live3D or Navigator 3.0, start at http://home.netscape.com and look for directions.
No matter how you get Live3D, the file you download from Netscape will be what they call a "self-extracting file". In other words, it contains the installation files in an encoded form that take up less space (and so was easier to download). Put the file into a directory of its own and then run it. It will decode itself and create the actual installation files, putting them into the same directory.
Once you have extracted the installation files, you're ready to start installing. Among the newly-created installation files, you will find a file called "Setup.exe". Run it and answer the questions it asks.
This book describes the use of VRML building tools from two vendors, Virtus and Caligari. Our CD includes evaluation copies with licenses that provide a sufficient period of use to get to know the tool and do some useful work.
Virtus provides an evaluation version of their top-of-the-line tool, Walkthrough Pro, with a generous 90-day evaluation period. It's designed for the Macintosh and Windows 3.1 but also runs under Windows 95. (Despite a message you'll see that suggests Walkthrough Pro is not fully functional under Windows 95, in fact, it appears to be fine for the functions we describe in this book.)
Confusing note: At the last minute, Virtus engineers got carried away and called the custom 90-day evaluation version they created for this book "Walkthrough Pro VRML" and in other places (like the opening screen) "Walkthrough VRML", but it's really Walkthrough Pro. We mention this because we want to make sure you know that the product on this CD is NOT an earlier tool called Walkthrough VRML that had a lot of bugs. The application on this CD has all the VRML features of the latest, greatest version of Walkthrough Pro 2.5.2.
Walkthrough Pro also comes with a great set of object libraries, and even a texture sample.
To install them:
NOTE: If the program installs but does not run, saying that it cannot find files called AVIFILE.DLL and MSVIDEO.DLL, run Setup.exe in Pc_stuff/Build/Virtus/Walktpro/Video. This installs Microsoft Video for Windows, which includes those two files. Then try launching Walkthrough Pro again.
For PCs, the Virtus Walkthrough Pro minimum system is:
For PCs, the recommended system is:
For Macintoshes, the minimum system is:
For Macintoshes, the recommended system is:
You can't get updated copies of Walkthrough Pro from Virtus' Web site (http://www.virtus.com), but you can (as of this writing) get beta copies of 3D Website Builder (a very easy and basic VRML builder that uses drag-and-drop methods) and of their browser, Voyager.
Caligari provides evaluation versions of three (count 'em -- three) programs on our CD:
NOTE: The versions of Pioneer and Pioneer Pro that Caligari has provided for this CD are slightly more recent than the version described in the book. You will notice some minor additions in certain dialog boxes, a few changes to button appearances, plus some additional features such as the Publish button and the Path button. One important addition is the Boolean operations button. This button was formerly only found in Pioneer Pro, so in our book you'll find that we give you two ways to do some tasks: one way for Pioneer and the other for Pioneer Pro (using the Boolean button). You can now use the Pioneer Pro method in Pioneer.
Caligari's minimum system is:
The system we would recommend is:
To install Caligari's evaluation software, run the Setup.exe files you find in Pc_stuff/Build/Caligari, the Pioneer, Pioneerp, and Truespc2 folders. (For trueSpace2, you can alternatively run Truespac.exe In the installation process, Pioneer and Pioneer Pro will also (optionally) install some software for audio (Intel Realistic Sound Experience) and for rendering (Intel 3DR). Note that the versions of Caligari products on our CD run only under Window 95. Check Caligari's web site (http://www.caligari.com) for versions that run under Windows 3.1 or Win32. Contact Caligari if any installation issues arise.
Each program has its own evaluation period. Pioneer gives you 30 hours of use or 60 calendar days after installation, whichever comes first. Pioneer Pro gives you 10 hours of use or 30 calendar days. The trueSpace2 program gives you 30 days of calendar time, period. Since Pioneer and Pioneer Pro meter the number of hours you use them, be sure that you don't just leave them running!
If, when the Pioneer evaluation period expires, you are not sufficiently satisfied to buy the product, check Caligari's home page at http://www.caligari.com to see if they will let you install a new version of Pioneer that you might like better.
Caligari provides a set of tutorials which are great except that they do not provide any narration to tell you what's going on. Still, they are fun to watch and after reading the book (and perhaps watching our videos), you might find them useful.
At the last minute before publishing this book, we discovered Eos systems Photomodeler/LX. This is rather advanced software for a "...For Dummies" book, but it looked cool, so we asked if we could include a copy. It works with scanned-in photographs of real objects, and turns them into 3D DXF or VRML models.
Photomodeler/LX runs under Windows and comes with a tutorial. It's a beta version, so it's not flawless, and it's a demo version that does real work. It can be upgraded into a final, full-featured version by calling Eos systems or emailing sales@photomodeler.com (and sending them some money).
Run Setup.exe in the folder Pc_stuff/Build/Eos.
Two vendors of professional-quality models, Acuris and Viewpoint DataLabs, provide samples on our CD. While building materials aren't specific to the PC or the Mac, you'll find that because the models provided are either 3D DXF format or Caligari object format, they are mostly useful in Caligari tools. (Walkthrough Pro does not import either format but does come with its own set of model libraries.) The textures provided by Acuris are, however, just fine for either Caligari or Virtus builders.
There is no installation necessary for these building materials. Just use them directly from the CD or copy them into a convenient directory on your hard drive.
See also Readme.txt in the Viewpt folder and Acuris.txt in the Acuris folder. For more information and possibly additional sample models, see Acuris at http://www.acuris.com and Viewpoint at http://www.viewpoint.com.
Here are a few sample VRML worlds (.WRL files and their associated textures) that we refer to in the book. See Ourstuff/Samples.
Here are a few useful objects and texture files we've created, some of which we refer to in the book. Have fun. See Ourstuff/Objects.
These notes are actually things we had to trim from the book because it was getting too big, but which we thought were pretty useful anyway. See Ourstuff/Notes.
We're not videographers, so these Lotus ScreenCam "movies" aren't exactly Steven Spielberg quality (maybe America's Funniest Home Videos quality), but we hope you'll find them useful. These are programs that you run, and they take over your PC screen to show a sort of video replay of our PC screen. They show you the basics of using Caligari's Pioneer and Virtus' Walkthrough Pro.
To run these movies, you need a PC running Windows or Windows 95, and high resolution graphics (600x800 by 256 colors or more is best). If you have Super VGA graphics (most new PCs do), you can use Windows Control Panel to set the resolution of your screen.
Look in Ourstuff/Videos for the following files. A "P" prefix indicates Pioneer, and "V" indicates Virtus Walkthrough Pro.
You can run these files directly from the CD; for better performance, copy them to your hard disk before running them. Just double-click the files to run them. A control panel appears that you can use to pause, rewind, fast-forward or replay the video. Drag that panel around on your screen if it gets in the way. Exit the panel between movies.
Pioneer:
Walkthrough Pro:
Note: Lotus ScreenCam (the program that records and runs these movies) has a little problem with Walkthrough Pro on some PCs. If a Walkthrough Pro movie appear to have letters and other symbols in the "toolpad" instead of icons, here's a fix that usually works: Exit ScreenCam, launch Walkthrough Pro and leave it running, then launch the ScreenCam movie.
For folks that really want the nitty-gritty of VRML, here is the VRML specification as an HTML file. Look in the Appendix folder and load vrml10c.htm into your Web browser to view it.