Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
even the chat (always served by MUS)
sometimes hung up.
of “hard coding” them, was essential for
gaining configurability and flexibility.
•
Creation of a specialized parser to “read”
the configuration file: commands, written
in an Xpath like syntax, are used, in order
to find attributes and metadata stored in the
(XML) configuration file.
LeSSONS LeARNeD AND
NeW ReQUIRemeNTS
After the successful deployment of SEE, it was
decided the launch a new stream of educational
applications, based on a common idea, but also
with significant differences (in terms of world
geometries, interactive objects, textures, collabo-
ration features, etc.). Even within each application
different versions were needed (e.g. selecting dif-
ferent content and different quizzes for different
groups of schools). Flexibility and configurability
became, therefore, a crucial requirement. More-
over, in order to expand the number of schools,
we needed to improve both performance and reli-
ability, decreasing, if possible, requirements on
connection bandwidth. A number of key decisions
were therefore taken for future developments:
WeBTALk04
Introduction
The availability of 3D technologies on consumer
platforms is continuously growing as result of the
always improving of the 3D accelerated graphics
hardware and the enhancements of the 3D software
system. Moreover the widespread usage of the
Internet as well as the improved average speed
connection allows geographically distributed users
to work together on specific tasks sharing a large
amount of data.
As a result an ever-increasing number of
web-based three dimensional applications has
been developed, most of them working as virtual
environments in which users are engaged in a
common task, sharing a virtual workspace (Col-
laborative Virtual Environments).
As previously mentioned, a CVE is a computer-
based, distributed, 3D virtual space or set of places
that support collaborative work and social play.
In such places, people, provided with graphical
embodiments called avatars that convey their iden-
tity, presence and location, can meet and interact
with others, with agents, or with virtual objects.
Even though CVE are increasingly becom-
ing more and more widespread, as are the 3D
technologies and design tool, the development
of collaborative three-dimensional applications
seems to be deeply dependant on hard coding
techniques, yet too closely connected to specific
web-3D formats which are often well suited only
for particular application domains.
•
Choice of a new supporting platform as
Macromedia Studio 2004 MX: the large
availability of the Macromedia Shockwave
player (over 200 million installations all
over the world) and its “industry reliabil-
ity” were crucial elements. Some technical
features were also relevant: e.g. the capa-
bility of importing 3D Studio file format,
the support of Havok physics engine (abili-
ty to control and assign physics to both un-
animated and animated objects and control
their kinematics), the presence of a set of
built in behaviors to control, for example,
avatar movements.
•
Use of XML as a configuration language:
the possibility of “describing” static fea-
tures (e.g. representing position, colour,
dimension etc. of the objects at start-up)
and a dynamic features (e.g. defining if ob-
jects can be moved, clicked etc.), instead
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