| Several VR browsers are available and do a fine | | | | an animation or sound file when the user clicks |
| job of implementing that virtual reality | | | | the linked object. Things change very quickly on |
| specification. As this article is being written, it | | | | the Web and what is true today may not be |
| means photo-realism in motion. The photo-reality | | | | true-or be only relatively true-tomorrow. |
| spec was approved in mid-1996 and the best | | | | Other browsers may appear that are superior to |
| browsers support it. | | | | the ones discussed here, but these browsers are |
| Not all VR-browsers are equal, however. This | | | | the best available today, however. They are likely |
| section looks at some of them, comparing them | | | | to continue to evolve along with the virtua-realism |
| specifically in terms of how well they handle photo | | | | specification itself. On the other hand, some |
| realistic motion files exported from 3D application | | | | browsers have not evolved fast enough to be |
| with the virtual reality Exporter. Because you | | | | included in this review. |
| need to place the objects at the same | | | | This photo-realistic browser adds some extra |
| coordinates, you cannot see them all | | | | functionality (called VRBL) that is not in the virtual |
| simultaneously. | | | | reality 1.0 specification, but these extra functions |
| The best way to handle them is to hide and | | | | (which are for basic animation) have been |
| unhide them as necessary. The initial camera | | | | superseded by the new functionality in |
| view's setting for the world gives you a view of | | | | virtual-realism. |
| the L.O.D objects. Navigate forward in the view | | | | However, that kind of browser has been |
| port toward the building immediately in front of | | | | discontinued in favor of more recent products by |
| you. As you draw near, the plain | | | | other vendors. Changing virtual reality browsers is |
| texture-mapped-box building changes to a fully | | | | a simple task: download the new browser and run |
| modeled version. | | | | the setup program. In most cases, this |
| The Anchor helper creates a link from an object | | | | automatically installs the new browser over the |
| in the photo-realism world to another URL (.WRL | | | | old one. The next time you access a virtual reality |
| or.HTML file) or to another camera viewpoint in | | | | world, the new browser should run. |
| the same world. The touch sensor helper starts | | | | |