WorldView 2.1 for Windows
Internet Explorer Release Notes

WorldView Installation

To use WorldView you will need the following:

• Pentium 100Mhz or better
• 16MB memory
• 20M free disk space
• Windows 95 or Windows NT with Service pack 3 installed
• Internet Explorer 3.02 or higher (4.01 recommended)

WorldView and Windows NT

DirectX for NT 4.0 is now shipping. The 3D rendering component, Direct3D, was not made available until the release of Service Pack 3 from Microsoft.

WorldView can be installed on Windows NT 4.0 if you have already installed Service pack 3. If you discover problems running WorldView on Windows NT, please be sure to report them to support@intervista.com.

Java External Authoring Interface Installation

For WorldView for Internet Explorer, all Java classes are stored in a .zip file called axWorldView.zip. The location of this file is stored in the registry setting HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Java VM/Classpath. It should appear first in the Classpath list.

For WorldView for Netscape Navigator, the Java classes required for Java In Script Node support are stored in a .zip file called npmsWorldView.zip. The location of this file is stored in the registry setting:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Java VM/Classpath.

It should appear first in the Classpath list. The Java classes required for Java External Authoring Interface support are stored in a .zip file called npWorldView.zip. It should be the only .zip file containing Java EAI classes in Netscape Navigator's plugins directory.

Note that the EAI classes for WorldView for Internet Explorer differ from those for WorldView for Netscape Navigator.  If you intend to use both products on the same machine, it doesn't matter which of these two .zip files appears first, as long as the two of them appear first and second in the Classpath.

Sending Feedback

Your feedback on the WorldView product is very important to us. Information on performance, features, compatibility, and usefulness will help the Intervista team create a better product. Please visit our support contacts page. Use it to send comments, bug reports, or anything else you'd like us to know.

You may also give us feedback by sending e-mail to support@intervista.com.

Compatibility Notes

• WorldView supports standard VRML 2.0 files and specification-compliant VRML 1.0 files. If you attempt to read a draft VRML 2.0 file, warnings (and possibly errors) will be displayed.
• The VRML 2.0, Java in Script Nodes, and JavaScript implementations correspond with the ISO/IEC DIS 14772-1 specification dated 4 April 1997, except as noted in the Developer's Guide and the Known Problems section, below.
• The Java External Authoring Interface implementation corresponds to the Proposal for a VRML 2.0 Informative Annex dated 21 January 1997.

Known Problems and Important Changes

Important Changes

• Polygonal text is now supported.
• Joystick input is now supported.
• High Quality Text is now the default text setting.
• Multiple events fired on the same tick from a sensor are now initiated, instead of only the first event going through.
• The Javascript print() method can be used to print information directly to WorldView's VRML Console. The trace() method, introduced in earlier versions of WorldView, works identically to print(). Although trace() remains supported, you should use print() to ensure interoperability with other browsers.
• WorldView now supports the data: protocol, as required by the VRML 2.0 spec, section 4.5.4. All file types, including scripts, movies, and audio, may be inlined in a VRML file using this feature. The data: URL may be used for in-line inclusion of base64 encoded data, such as jpeg, gif, and png files.

User Interface and Usability

• Only one MIDI file may be played at a time. Multiple .WAV files can be played simultaneously.
• When downloading some worlds you may get a warning concerning gzip files. Click OK on the warning dialog; the world will continue to load normally.
• Study mode can have unpredictable behavior in worlds that use ProximitySensor-based heads-up-displays.
• The area under the right-button pop-up menu is not always redrawn once the menu is dismissed.
• The cursor blinks continuously on many laptop PCs.
• Some 3D hardware accelerators do not fully support the features in Direct3D, and can introduce limitations. For example, when you are running WorldView with hardware acceleration enabled, transparent objects may appear solid, or you might be unable to see worlds in wireframe. To turn off hardware acceleration, choose "Options" from the right-button pop-up menu and remove the check mark from "Use hardware acceleration."
• Installing WorldView on a machine without Internet Explorer 3.02 or higher may cause load library errors.
• DirectShow, which is installed with Internet Explorer 4.0, supports a different set of codecs than Active Movie supported, which was shipped with previous versions. In compliance with the VRML 2.0 specifications, WorldView supports MPEG files. WorldView also supports all Active Movie and DirectShow compatible codecs.
  • For more information on codecs and those supported by DirectShow and Active Movie, go to:
    http://www.microsoft.com/netshow/codecs.htm, and
    http://www.microsoft.com/netshow/codecsship.htm.
• Installing Java VM 2.0 with Internet Explorer 3.02 will cause crashes. This version of the Java VM is intended only for use with IE 4.0.
• Visible "tile" or "grid" lines may appear on multiple textures or text nodes in WorldView in Full Color mode.
• The appearance of transparent materials can be greatly affected by graphics accelerator cards.
• We have received reports that some analog joysticks, such as the CH Flightstick Pro and Gamestick 14, do not function well with WorldView. We are working to investigate and resolve this problem.

(last updated 2/9/98)