WorldView 2.0 FAQ
This page is divided into two sections.The first
section addresses some general
questions about WorldView. The second section
addresses questions regarding
navigation and image quality.
General Answers
Does
Worldview run on Windows NT?
Although DirectX for NT 4.0 is now
shipping, the 3D rendering component, Direct3D,
is not. It will be included in Service Pack 3
from Microsoft, which is currently in Beta
release.
The Beta 4 version of WorldView can be installed
on Windows NT 4.0. If you have a Beta version of
Service Pack 3, you should be able to use
WorldView. (Please note that Intervista cannot
provide you with one, contact Microsoft for
information on participating in their Service
Pack Beta program.) However, we have not done
extensive testing against the Beta version of
Direct3D; if you discover problems, please be
sure to report them to support@intervista.com.
When the final version of Service Pack 3 is
released, we will do thorough testing and will
make NT versions of our installers available on
our web site as soon as possible.
- Will WorldView run on
Windows 3.11 using
WIN32’s?
No. WorldView is designed to run only on
32-bit operating systems such as Windows95. We
have no plans to support Windows 3.1.
- When will there be a
Macintosh version of WorldView?
A version of WorldView for PowerMac
is in development, and has been shown at trade
shows like WorldMovers. If you would like to be
notified when the product is in public beta or
shipping please send mail to
"beta-request@intervista.com"
- Is there a UNIX version of
WorldView available?
At this time, we have no plans to
support Unix.
- Which 3D accelerator card
works best with WorldView?
Any card that accelerates
Microsoft's Direct3D will accelerate WorldView.
We have tested the 3Dlabs
Permedia graphics processor successfully.
- Can I use
WorldView for Internet Explorer as an ActiveX
control in my own applications?
It is not possible to use this
version of WorldView within any application other
than Internet Explorer. For information on a
standalone ActiveX control, please send mail to
moreinfo@intervista.com.
- I compiled my Java code
using classes provided by another VRML browser.
Will it work with WorldView?
It might. The Java portion of the VRML
2.0 specification and the Java EAI proposed
specification have undergone several changes in
recent months; all browsers might not be
up-to-date. However, Java code compiled with the
WorldView classes should still run under other
browsers, even though the reverse is not
necessarily true.
Navigation and Image Quality Answers
- How does WorldView work with
HTML browsers?
This version of WorldView works inside your
Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator window.
When you browse a URL for a VRML world (usually
ending with the .wrl extension), WorldView will
start automatically.
- I hear VRML 2.0 is out now.
What's so great about it?
VRML 1.0 allowed the creation of static 3D worlds
that could be hyperlinked to other VRML worlds or
HTML documents. VRML 2.0 has several additions
that make it interactive, including the ability
to animate objects and control their behavior
through scripting. Multimedia capabilities such
as sound and movies have also been added. To
learn more about VRML 2.0, its history, and its
capabilities, check out our 'VRML
Information' page. WorldView supports both
VRML 1.0 and VRML 2.0.
- What effect does
changing the image quality have on the speed of
loading and navigating a scene?
A lot. In particular, turning on "Full
color" and "Dithering" (both
located uner Graphics on the right button pop-up
menu) will give you the best possible image
quality, but will have a significant effect on
loading and navigation speed. Navigation will be
faster if you turn off "Full color" and
"Dithering", and faster still if you
choose "Flat" or "Wireframe"
image quality rather than "Smooth."
- What's the difference in the
three levels of image quality?
"Smooth" shading means that the objects
appear solid in shape, with smooth edges.
"Flat" shading means that the objects
will appear to be faceted, and much
rougher-looking than with smooth shading.
"Wire" means that you'll just see the
basic structure of the objects, white
"wires" (or lines) without filled in
shading.
- What effect does loading
textures have?
Like increasing the image quality, loading
textures will slow down the speed of the scene
loading, as well as your speed when moving
through a world. However, when authors use
textures in worlds, they typically expect them to
be viewed with the textures loaded; viewing
worlds without textures will detract from their
intended appearance and may make them difficult
to use.
To turn off texture loading, select Options...
from the right-mouse pop-up menu. When the dialog
appears, turn off the "Load Textures"
checkbox.
- Is there a way I can prevent
objects from obstructing my movement in
WorldView?
Yes. Look under "Movement"
on the right-button pop-up menu. If there is a
check mark next to "Prevent
Collisions", you will be unable to move
through solid objects in your path. Select this
item to remove the checkmark; you will be able to
pass through objects. Note that passing through
large objects will put you completely inside them
temporarily and obstruct your view of the rest of
the scene. You may also specify the default
setting of "Prevent Collions" in the
Options dialog, which appears when you by select Options....
from the right-button pop-up menu.
- What does it mean when the
cursor changes to a hand when passed over a
certain object?
It designates that the object is hyperlinked to
an HTML, another VRML file, or another viewpoint
(or camera location) in the current VRML file.
Click the mouse to follow the hyperlink.
- Can I hide or show the
Navigational Toolbar?
Yes. Select or deselect the "Show Navigation
Bar" from the right-mouse pop-up menu.
VRML authors can also control whether or
not this toolbar is displayed when you view a
world, so you may see it appear or disappear
regardless of the setting you've chosen.
- Can
I navigate in WorldView using the keyboard?
The keyboard navigation is supported
as follows:Arrow keys navigate (I.E. during
WALK mode; up=forward, down=backwards, left &
right=themselves).
PAGE UP/PAGE DOWN keys toggle you
through defined viewpoints.
To change navigation modes, press
CTRL+SHIFT and one of the following keys:
- W = WALK mode
- P = PAN mode
- T = TURN mode
- R = ROLL mode
- G = GOTO mode
- S = STUDY mode
- U = STRAIGHTEN UP scene
- Z = ZOOM OUT from scene
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