[openvrml-develop] ANNOUNCE: SimVRML 1.0 for the Macintosh (OS 9)

[John R. <ric...@sp...>]

Hello,

This is to announce the release of Version 1.0 of the SimVRML system for
Macintosh OS 9. SimVRML 1.0 consists of the SimVRML 1.0 viewer, the SimVRML
RPT and the SimVRML OpenVRML API. RPT stands for Rapid Prototyping Tool.
This is actually a toolset and API. The platform for this announcement is
the Macintosh G3 / G4. The OS for this announcement is Mac OS 9.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/simvrml/

There are 4 download options.
a) You can download the applications, user guide, release notes and 5 VRML
97 files.
b) You can download the Test Suite ( 16 VRML files )
c) You can download the Source. This is the C++ source for the
SimVRMLviewer along with some precompiled libraries. There is also the
SimVRML RPT project source (SuperCard).
d) You can download it all in parts. The applications, then the documents,
then the virtual environments and finally the source. This option is for
downloads over low bandwidth connections.

In the above URL, just replace simvrml with openvrml and you get to the
OpenVRML project and can download the library source code and source for
viewers for UNIX/PC.

Components of the SimVRML 1.0 System
--------------------------------------
1) SimVRML RPT1.0  --- This is a Test default GUI for SimVRMLviewer and an
API. SimVRMLviewer is a modified version of MacLookat.  SimVRML RPT is a
Macintosh application created with SuperCard 3.6. SuperCard is a multimedia
IDE with an associated programming language that is in the xTalk family of
programming languages. I like to think of it as sort of a "pidgeon english
programming language". The closest common equivalent in the PC world (and
Mac) would be the Director IDE and the Lingo programming language. SimVRML
RPT 1.0 is speech enabled. The minimum requirement for speech navigation is
a good USB microphone. See back issues of Macworld magazine for a review of
USB microphones. I use the microphone that comes with IBM ViaVoice for the
Mac which is the Andreas NC-71. The speech recognition is based upon Apples
Plaintalk discrete recognition system. The test GUI has graphical elements
related to basic navigation within a VRML based virtual environment. See
the list of MacLookat enhancements below.

2) SimVRML OpenVRML API --- This is an API for interfacing applications to
SimVRMLviewer. The API can be used by any application or programming
language that is capable of Interprocess Communications (IPC). In the
Macintosh OS, the primary focus of the API is IPC involving Apple Events.
Although the API is useful for FORTRAN, C, C++ and Pascal applications
interfacing to SimVRMLviewer, the primary focus of the API is the use of
non standard programming languages. The API discusses interfacing with
SimVRMLviewer using the SuperTalk and also the G language of Labview.
SuperTalk is an english like programming language associated with the
SuperCard IDE. G is a parallel dataflow graphics language associated with
the Labview IDE. SuperCard is usedful for multimedia GUI building. Two test
SuperCard GUI's of moderate complexity are enclosed with the SimVRML RPT.
Labview is useful for scientific data processing and real world and
sometime real time real world data acquisition. Obviously, you would need a
data acquisition card and whatever thermometer or osscilloscope or
instrument you were inputting real world data from.

3) SimVRMLviewer 1.0 --- This is a modified version of MacLookat. This is
an enhanced Viewer for Virtual Environments created using VRML 97 and
rendered using the OpenVRML libraries. The currently supported version of
OpenVRML for this announcement is 0.10.1. Enhancements relate to general
navigation. MacLookat already has basic keyboard navigation. The following
general navigation functions are supported.

+ Rotation of the Avatars (I.E., your eye) viewpoint about the x, y and z
axis with origin inside your eye.
+ Translation of the Avatars (I.E., your eye) viewpoint along the x, y and
z axis with origin inside your eye.
+ Scaling of the virtual environment (zooming)
+ Variable translation speeds and rotation angles.
+ Next and Previous viewpoints.
+ MacLookat functions such as toggling (wireframes,...), loading,...
+ Speech Input with tooltips cueing the user as to the acceptable phrases.
+ Multimedia GUI with images and tooltips helping to indicate navigational
functions. Navigation can be button based or menu based or verbal. Mouse
dragging inside the virtual environment window is not implemented beyond
MacLookat functions.
+ Accelerator keys and associated menu items. Apple-R for rotate,.....
+ Trackball rotation of the virtual environment. This is implemented but
can give unusual results

4) Auxiliary files --- Consists of a test suite of virtual environments.
There is also a 28 page SimVRML RPT User's Guide and release notes. All
documentation is in PDF format.

Future
------------------------------------
+ Enhance the API to handle EventIn's and EventOut's,....
+ Link SimVRMLLookat to OpenVRML 0.11.x (This should make trackball
navigation more predictable)
+ Enhance SimVRML RPT
+ Embed OpenVRML as an Xcmd
+ Extend the API for Real time Data Acquisition (Labview)
+ Continuous speech

John F. Richardson