Release Notes: Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0 for Macintosh and Windows July 13, 1995 - WELCOME - VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) is an exciting new technology which will soon change computing for the masses. We've been developing 3-D visualization products for Macintosh and Windows for the last five years and are excited about the release of Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0. Our WWW address is http://www.virtus.com Please visit us and enter your VRML files (created with Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0) into our Model of the Month contest. Also, you'll want to explore our own VRML worlds accessible from our home page. WalkThrough VRML is a "lite" version of Virtus WalkThrough Pro with VRML export added as its main feature. It fully demonstrates the ease of use and powerful features offered in the full version of Virtus WalkThrough Pro. With this version, you'll be able to save the models you created and then easily export them to VRML format with a single menu selection. We hope you enjoy Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0 so much that you'll purchase Virtus Virtus WalkThrough Pro or one of the other quality software products in the Virtus family. Some valuable features currently found in WalkThrough Pro in addition to those in Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0 include: texture mapping, smooth shading, importing, exporting (except VRML), making movies, and the lighting editor. Exporting to VRML will be available in August 1995. In addition, you can open multiple models and libraries at the same time. You can also create models using multiple layers, which simplifies creating complex models. WalkThrough Pro is widely available for sale on the Internet, in major computer software mail-order catalogs, from major software retailers, or directly from Virtus Corporation by calling 800.841.8871. - WINDOWS INSTALLATION - 1. From File Manager or Program Manager, select Run from the File menu. 2. At the Command Line, type d:\virtus\setup\setup 3. Follow the instructions in the dialog box to installation. Although it is possible to run Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0 directly off the CD-ROM, we strongly recommend that you install and run the application from your hard drive. This will optimize the performance of Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0. - MACINTOSH INSTALLATION - 1. Double-click on the Install icon in the main window. 2. Follow the instructions in the dialog box to install Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0. Although it is possible to run Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0 directly off the CD-ROM, we strongly recommend that you install and run the application from your hard drive. This will optimize the performance of Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0. - PC/WINDOWS SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS - 80386-based (or later) personal computer 8MB RAM - Microsoft Windows 3.1+ VGA or SVGA display adapter Recommended Configuration: 80486-based personal computer or Pentium 8MB+ RAM - Microsoft Windows 3.1+ VGA or Super VGA display adapter - MACINTOSH SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS- Any color Apple Macintosh LC, Mac II, PowerBook, Quadra or Centris 8MB RAM and System 6.0.5 or later Recommended Configuration: Macintosh PowerBook 170 or 180c, Quadra or Centris 8MB+ RAM and System 7.1 or later - REGISTRATION - To register this software and be eligible for limited technical support, please send your name, address, and phone to "info@virtus.com" with the Subject of "Virtus WalkThrough VRML Registration" - TECHNICAL SUPPORT - Limited technical assistance for Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0 is available to registered users only. Registered users will receive special offers on Virtus Products and limited technical support (we'll keep you up and running but we won't be available to help you model the Eiffel Tower...). International customers outside the U.S. and Canada can phone for technical assistance and will receive special priority to minimize their toll charges. We regret that Virtus Customer Service cannot place or return technical support calls and faxes outside the U.S. and Canada. If you experience difficulties, we recommend that you first check your Virtus WalkThrough VRML documentation and Tutorial. If you can't find the answer to your question, we can help you best if you call us while at your computer with Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0 running. Also, please have your serial number ready to give to us. You'll find it in the Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0 splash screen by selecting "About Virtus WalkThrough VRML..." from the Help menu. - TECHNICAL SUPPORT TELEPHONE NUMBERS - Technical support is available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST Monday through Friday. You must have your serial number or contract service number ready to give to us when you call, fax, or write us requesting technical support. When you write to us, always include your daytime phone. 919/467-9700 Technical Support - Domestic and International Callers 919/460-4530 Technical Support Fax - Domestic Callers - TECHNICAL SUPPORT ON-LINE SERVICES - Virtus Online World Wide Web Server: www.virtus.com The Virtus FTP Internet Host: ftp.virtus.com/pub/virtus America Online: Select "Go To" and then type "VIRTUS" CompuServe: Type "GO VIRTUS" at any prompt - TECHNICAL SUPPORT E-MAIL SERVICES - Internet Mail may be directed to info@virtus.com America Online Mail may be directed to VirtusTech CompuServe Mail may be directed to 75300,3251 AppleLink Mail may be directed to VIRTUS - CORPORATE TELEPHONE NUMBERS - 919/467-9700 Main Number 800/847-8871 Sales and Product Information 919/460-4530 Corporate Fax - CORPORATE MAILING ADDRESS - Virtus Corporation c/o Technical Support 118 MacKenan Dr, Suite 250 Cary, North Carolina 27511 - Documentation - The Manual directory contains a two-part Reference, Glossary, and a two-part Tutorial. The reference will help answer questions about ideas and techniques not covered in the Tutorial. The included Glossary will help you quickly identify terms with which you may not be familiar. We suggest that you print both and work through these from beginning to end. - ADDITIONAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION - [Windows Users] - When "Snapshot" in the File Menu is selected, some users may get the screen message "Can't interrogate driver." This means that the display card being used doesn't support the standard Windows call being made to create the snapshot. Short of upgrading to a card that supports all standard Windows calls, you could use the "Snapshot" command by going to Windows Setup and choosing another video driver; the Windows 3.11 (latest version) SVGA drivers work well. - Printing works with most combinations of video cards and printer drivers. However, you may experience some difficulty when printing. First, make sure that the active window is the view that you want to print, then print. If you still encounter difficulties, turn off Flash Graphics in the Rendering Preferences and try again. If you still experience problems, use the File Snaphot BMP command to save your Walk View as a BMP file and then print it with another application that you know works with your printer. You can also check with your printer manufacturer to see if you are using the latest printer driver available. - If your walk speed is very slow (e.g. 2 frames per second in a very simple model), you probably have an ATI Mach 32- or 64-bit board, neither of which supports our Flash Graphics utility. Check under Rendering in Preferences; if Flash Graphics is grayed out, turn off devicebitmap for your video board. Here's how: ATI Mach 32: If you have an ATI Graphics Ultra Pro display card, you'll need to make an adjustment to its mach32 driver. In the "win.ini" file located in your Windows directory (open this file with Windows Notepad), find the section called "mach32" or "mach." Now find the line "devicebitmap=on" and change it to "devicebitmap=off." Save the file and restart Windows; Virtus WalkThrough VRML will run properly. If there is no devicebitmap statement, you must go to the Flex Desk control panel in Program Manager. Open the control panel and select the advanced option. You should see a listing for devicebitmap. Turn it off, save your changes and restart Windows. ATI Mach 64: Go to the Flex Desk control panel and hold down the Control and Shift keys while you type the letters, OPT. When the dialog box will appears, click OK. A second dialog box will open that contains the option to turn off devicebitmap. Turn off devicebitmap, save your changes and then restart Windows. - In rare instances, you may get a GPF when running Virtus WalkThrough VRML, so remember to save your work often. When you get a GPF, it usually means that your display driver does not fully support our Flash Graphics utility. The VGA and SVGA display drivers supplied with Windows work properly with Virtus WalkThrough VRML (provided that your display adapter supports them). Please consult your Windows manual for instructions on how to change your video driver. [Macintosh and Windows Users] - Virtus WalkThrough VRML will work best in the 640x480, 256-colors mode. Keep in mind that selecting thousands of colors for your display or choosing a larger resolution (1280x1024, for example) will require more dynamic memory; these choices will slow your walk speed. - Only one Virtus WalkThrough VRML model and library may be open at any time. When a library is open, the "Library" command under the File menu will be grayed out (unavailable). - Keyboard Navigation. Here's how you can use the arrow keys or numeric keypad to navigate through your designs: Using the arrow keys: Up Arrow - moves you forward Down Arrow - moves you backward Left Arrow - causes you to look left Right Arrow - causes you to look right Using the numeric keypad: 8 - moves you forward 2 - moves you backward 4 - causes you to look left 6 - causes you to look right Any of these keys can be used in tandem with the Shift and Control keys for the same type of navigational control that you get when you use the keys with your mouse. For example, holding down the Shift key while pressing the Up Arrow or the 8 in the numeric keypad will make the Observer look up. Experiment with different combinations of the Shift and Control keys in keyboard navigation; you may find that you like to move through your models without using the mouse. - Models and libraries are organized in two subdirectories, Models and Library. You must be in the appropriate subdirectories in order to see them. Models have the .WTV extension (windows) and are located in the Models subdirectory. They can be accessed by performing a File Open command from the menu, and then opening the Models subdirectory to see the list of available models. Libraries have the .WLB extension (windows) and are located in the Library subdirectory. They can be accessed by performing a File Library command from the menu, and then opening the Library subdirectory to see the list of available libraries. You cannot open a library by doing the File Open command; you must perform a File Library command. Models and Libraries can be stored anywhere that you wish. - You can create your own libraries. Simply copy an object or group of objects from a Design View, open a Library and then perform an Edit Paste. See the Reference and Tutorial manuals for more information about working with libraries. - Objects may appear to flash on and off as you walk through a file. Virtus WalkThrough VRML mathematically calculates each new view as you are walking. The more complicated your model, the more calculations are required to render your new position. Occasionally, WalkThrough has trouble rendering everything 100% correctly; we call these sorting errors. To improve rendering of objects, first check for overlapping objects. If there are no intersecting objects, then you may want to recreate the "flashing" object in a different design view. - VIRTUS GALLERIES - $39.00 - Virtus Galleries are sold separately from Virtus applications. They are extremely useful because they provide many preconstructed 3-D objects and scenes that you can use in building your own models -- whether it's an item or an entire room. Virtus Galleries are fully compatible for use with Virtus WalkThrough VRML (except the textures aren't accessible). To date, the Virtus Galleries topics include: Alphabet Rooms Explore and modify virtual rooms based on letters of the alphabet. 26 scenes, including A is for Art, H is for House, M is for moon, etc. 3-D galleries featuring numbers, and upper and lower case letters. Textures including more than 100 colorful enamels, paints, minerals and more. Archaeology Explore and modify ancient ruins, temples, pyramids and more. 17 scenes, including the Temple of Neptune, Great Pyramid and Stonehenge. 3-D galleries featuring Roman and Viking weapons, temple parts, kitchen equipment and more. 2-D galleries featuring many openings and entrances. Textures including stone, hieroglyphics, tiles and more. Home Remodeling Remodel your living space to create your dream home. 5 scenes, including a beach cabin, mountain home and country club estate. 27 models, featuring bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, garages and more. 2-D galleries with home doors and windows (opaque, translucent and transparent). Textures for indoors and outdoors, including sand, fieldstone, clouds, shrubs, rock, planks, marble tile and more (shaded and unshaded). Interior Design Use the creations of famous designers to furnish your home or business. 12 scenes, including the Berlin House (Mies van der Rohe), Glass House (Philip Johnson) and Fallingwater (third floor, Frank Lloyd Wright). 11 models of sample rooms and suites. 2-D galleries with various styles of windows and doors. Textures including cabinet surfaces, ceiling panels, wallpaper, cloth and more. Office Design Rearrange or redesign your work space. 5 scenes, including a general office, teleconference center and reception/conference room. 3-D galleries featuring desks, office equipment (copiers, computers, etc.), office furnishings and modular conference and storage units. 2-D galleries of doors and windows. Textures including wood, stone, leather, tile and more. Science Fiction Build or modify fantasy worlds from far, far away. 5 scenes, including Dragonfly, Mirror World and Stellar Ark. 45 models, including space stations, vehicles and astronauts. 3-D galleries featuring spaceships, space vehicles, dissecting table and DNA dusters. 2-D galleries of windows and doors. Textures including celestial bodies, lunar surface, starfields and more. - INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTORS OF VIRTUS PRODUCTS - If you live in a country listed below, please contact the distributor listed for current product and pricing information on Virtus products. Thank you. Australia Amitron Pty. Ltd. Contact: Martin Trevena Unit 4, 13 Laser Dr. Rowville, Vic. 3178 61-3-764-8944 61-3-764 -8582 (fax) Belgium Apple Centre Hasselt Contact: Senol Korkmaz Martelarenlaan 7 3500 Hasselt Belgium 32-11-220030 32-11-220120 (fax) Germany Pearl Contact: Sven Grabosch Am Kalichacht 4 D 79426 Buggingen Germany 49-7631-360-114 (main) 49-7631-360-339 (Sven) 49-7631-360-444 (fax) Israel Mayan Software Contact: Jack Baruch 131 Shokolov St. Holon P.O.B. 5164 Holon, 58151 Israel 972-3-5044667 972-3-5057126 (fax) Japan Contact: A.J. Peralta TECH HIROO 7F 1-10-5 Hiroo Shibuya-ku Tokyo, Japan 150 81-03-5431-0871 81-03-5421-0872 (fax) Norway Faby Data As Contact: Geir Svendsen Konnerudgaten 31 3045 Drammen Norway 47-32-896760 47-32-896765 (fax) Spain Agua Y Vida Contact: Marc Keller c/ Nardo 12 Arroyo de Trofas 28250 Torrelodones Madrid, Spain 34-(9)1-859-9780 34-(9)1-859-9724 (fax) UK Roderick Manhattan Contact (sales): David Larkin Contact (press): Jackie Vause 123 Disraeli Rd. London SW15 2DZ 44-81-875-4400 44-81-877-1388 (fax) - VIRTUS WALKTHROUGH VRML 1.0 LICENSE AND LEGAL INFORMATION Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0 is owned by Virtus Corporation. Virtus grants to the user a nonexclusive single-user license to use Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0 in unmodified form. The user shall not commercially distribute, sublicense, resell, or otherwise transfer for any consideration, or reproduce for any such purposes, Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0 or any modification or derivation thereof, either alone or in conjunction with any other product or program. Further, the user shall not modify Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0 or any of its associated help files or Read Me files. VIRTUS WALKTHROUGH VRML 1.0 IS PROVIDED TO THE USER ''AS IS.'' VIRTUS CORPORATION MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO VIRTUS WALKTHROUGH VRML 1.0 AND/OR ASSOCIATED MATERIALS PROVIDED TO THE USER, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND AGAINST INFRINGEMENT. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY -- VIRTUS CORPORATION SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIMS OR DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING PROPERTY DAMAGE, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY INFRINGEMENT, LOSS OF PROFITS, OR INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS, OR FOR ANY SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, HOWEVER CAUSED, WHETHER ARISING OUT OF BREACH OF WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE. Limitations of License: Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0 is subject to the limitations of warranty and other notices appearing above and below. Associated software and content (such as independently designed Virtus models or libraries) used with Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0 but not developed by Virtus Corporation, may be subject to other copyright and licensing restrictions as specified by their developers. Disclaimer of Warranty: Virtus Corporation provides Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0 on an "AS IS" basis and provides no warranties whatsoever. ALL WARRANTIES INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE HEREBY EXCLUDED. Lack of Maintenance Services: Virtus Corporation is under no obligation to provide maintenance services, update services, notices of latent defects or correction of defects for Virtus WalkThrough VRML 1.0.