VRwave Installation

VRwave

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Downloading

Please refer to the README file for downloadable packages - VRwave source code, binary distributions for varios platforms, `pw' parser alone - their file names and for installation instructions that come with them.

Important: this installation guide is about the integration of VRwave with your web browser. It assumes you have already got VRwave working when started on the command line (as described in file INSTALLATION). Especially, you always have to set environment variable VRWAVE_HOME to the location of the VRwave installation.


Browser Configuration (Helper Application)

The "base" version of VRwave (i.e. starting it via the vrwave wrapper script) can be run standalone to view local files or be started from your webbrowser as a helper application to view VRML 2.0 (or VRML 97) files from the web.

You need a JDK (Java Development Kit) for your platform. All necessary environment variables should be set up by the vrwave wrapper script. Make sure you use the a native code library (libgejc.so) that was build with the same JDK version as you use.

To make your web browser invoke VRwave on VRML files, you have to create (or edit existent) mime types x-world/x-vrml and model/vrml and enter the command line vrwave -URL '%u' %s.

model/vrml is the official mime type for VRML, but most HTTP servers still send x-world/x-vrml for backwards compatibility. It is best to set up both on the browser side.

The -URL switch (supported since VRwave 0.8) is necessary to resolve relative URLs of textures and inline scenes. Note that JDK 1.0.2 was not able to handle HTTP/1.1 server responses. If you use VRweb to view VRML 1.0 files, set up the lines as described in the VRweb user guide; VRML 2.0 files will be then passed to VRwave (this only works with VRweb 1.5).


Browser Configuration (netscape plug-in)

As of version 0.9 we also provide a netscape plug-in wrapper for VRwave, which allows you to use standard Java EAI examples. This feature is still in beta and currently available for SGI (Irix), Dec Alpha (OSF1) and Sun Solaris machines. The HPUX and Linux 0.9 versions do not yet work.

Important: for netscape compatibility, you need a version of libgejc.so that has been compiled with JDK 1.0.2. All tests have been made with netscape 3.x. Netscape 4.x does not support JDK 1.0.2 style native code interface used by VRwave, but we intend to port the native code of VRwave to JRI (perhaps also to JNI and/or RNI) for future versions.

The plug-in will control the Java classes of VRwave (via LiveConnect) and open an external window containing the Scene.

Try out to view the embedded Java-EAI examples, and look for the trouble shooting section if it does not work.


Server Configuration

To configure your webserver to host VRML files - also gzipped ones -, please look into the the various VRML FAQs and the documentation of your server for the necessary steps. It will look like the following:

Note: The new, official mime type for VRML is model/vrml but most users still have their browsers configured for x-world/x-vrml, so you should use it still for a while.

You are now able to put VRML scenes on your web server, which can be viewed by all clients with a VRML browser. Try to keep file sizes low and compress worlds of more than toy-size with gzip.


Further information on mailcap/mime types can be found in the NCSA XMosaic documentation.

Remember: mimetypes are document type definitions (e.g. according to filename extensions), whereas mailcap entries are helper app definitions (according to mimetypes).

The server is responsible to set the appropriate mimetype (e.g. x-world/x-vrml for VRML scenes), and users may choose the browser (helper app or plug-in) of their choice in their mailcap file.


on-line Help

The on-line help you are currently reading is packaged with the binary distribution of VRwave. If you are running the external VRwave version (standalone or as helper app for your browser), the vrwave wrapper script will pass the location of the help files (and the icons for the toolbar) to the Java classes.

Thus you can access the help files from the Help menu (or by pressing F1), provided an instance of netscape is running to show the HTML files.


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