Copyright: Copyright 1998 Superscape Ltd.


What is Viscape?
Viscape Universal

Viscape gives you complete freedom to move around and interact with 3D worlds within Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer (v 4.0 and later). You can interact directly with objects within each world, and use linked objects to jump to any URL address specified by the world designer.

If a Web page contains a 3D world (*.WRL file), Viscape Universal is launched automatically, if it installed. If you want to open a file on a local drive you must choose File>File Open in your Web browser or drag-and-drop the .WRL file onto the browser window or executable.

For information on using the Movement Bar and Options Bar, interacting with objects and setting preferences, click the links below.

Movement Bar      Options Bar      Interacting      Preferences      Specifications


To display the Options Bar

To change viewpoints

To move the viewpoint towards an object

To set movement mode

To rotate around objects in Examine Mode

To use the pop-up menu


To move around a world using the movement bar

You move around worlds using the icons on the Movement Bar. Click on the graphic below to display further information on each icon.

Click and hold the left mouse button on one of the three movement icons, and then drag the mouse. As you drag the mouse the icon indicates the direction you are moving, and the viewpoint moves in the corresponding direction. The further you move the cursor from the icon the faster you move. Release the mouse to stop the movement.

You can change the speed you move and the movement mode using the pop-up menu on the Options Bar, which you display by clicking the Options Bar icon.

Note: If the Options Bar icon is not visible, increase the size of the browser window or frame that contains Viscape.

Movement Bar      Options Bar      Interacting      Preferences      Specifications


Click-and-drag the mouse forward to move forward, back to move back, left to turn left and right to turn right.


Click and drag to move the viewpoint backwards.


Click and drag to rotate the viewpoint to the left.


Click and drag to rotate the viewpoint to the right.


Click-and-drag the mouse forward to move up, back to move down, left to move left and right to move right.


Click and drag to move the viewpoint down.


Click and drag to move the viewpoint to the right.


Click and drag to move the viewpoint to the left.


Click-and-drag the mouse forward to look up, and back to look down.


Click and drag to tilt the viewpoint down.


Click to set the viewpoint so that you are looking straight ahead, level with the ground.


Click to display a list of preset viewpoints that you can choose from. Click the left arrow to select the previous viewpoint, or the right arrow to select the next.


Click to display the Options Bar that you can use to access the Viscape pop-up menu and additional functions such as Go To, Walk, Fly and Explore. Use the Pin icon on the Options Bar to fix it on screen.


Click to select the next preset viewpoint.


Click to fix the Options Bar on the screen. If the bar is pinned on the screen, click the pin to close it.


Click to display the Viscape pop-up menu.


   Menu icon


   Pin icon


   Options Bar icon


   Fly icon


   Walk icon


   Select Viewpoint icon


   Go To icon


   Examine icon


Click to rotate the viewpoint around the center of the world. The Movement Bar changes to the Examine Bar.


Click the icon and then click on an object in the world to move the viewpoint in close to it.


Click to move freely through the world without collisions.


Click to move through the world at a fixed height above the ground, with collisions activated.


To display the Options Bar

Click the Options Bar icon in the Movement Bar to display the Options Bar that lets you access the movement functions and the Viscape pop-up menu.

For details on each icon on the Options Bar click on the graphic below:

To fix the Options Bar on the screen, drag the mouse cursor over the Pin icon.

Once you have pinned the Options Bar to the screen, you can position it anywhere on the screen by clicking-and dragging on the bar background. The functions and pop-up menu are available wherever you position the Options Bar.

Click the Pin icon again to close the Options Bar.

Note: If you cannot see the Options Bar icon, increase the size of the browser window or frame that contains Viscape.

Movement Bar      Options Bar      Interacting      Preferences      Specifications


To change viewpoints

Each world can have preset viewpoints (set by the designer) that you can jump to using the Select Viewpoint icon. These viewpoints can be static, follow predefined paths, or attached to objects to create controlled objects which you can steer around the world.

Click the Select Viewpoint icon on the Movement Bar or Options Bar to display a list of viewpoints you can choose from. Click the left arrow to go to the previous viewpoint, or the right arrow to go to the next.

Movement Bar      Options Bar      Interacting      Preferences      Specifications


To move the viewpoint towards an object

You can automatically move the viewpoint towards an object in the world using the Go To icon. This is a fast and easy way to navigate to an object.

1.	Click the Go To icon on the Options Bar. The cursor changes to a crosshair.

2.	Click the crosshair on the object to which you want to move.

Movement Bar      Options Bar      Interacting      Preferences      Specifications


To set the movement mode

There are two modes in which you can move the viewpoint freely around the world:

Fly - the viewpoint can move in any axis, and collisions are not activated so that it can move through objects. This is the default mode.

Walk - the height of the viewpoint is fixed, and collisions are activated. As a result the Movement Bar icons for moving right and left are unavailable.

Click the Walk or Fly icons on the Options Bar to select a mode.

Movement Bar      Options Bar      Interacting      Preferences      Specifications


To activate objects

To check the world for errors


To rotate around objects in Examine mode

You can rotate the viewpoint around the center of the world by changing to Examine mode. This lets you look around objects positioned at the center of the world as if they are in your hand.

Click on the Examine icon on the Options Bar to change to Examine mode.

Click-and-drag on the movement icons in the Examine Bar, that is displayed in place of the Movement Bar. For further information on each icon click the picture below:

You stay in Examine mode until you select Walk or Fly mode, by clicking the corresponding icon on the Options Bar.

Movement Bar      Options Bar      Interacting      Preferences      Specifications


Click-and-drag to zoom the viewpoint in and out.


Click-and-drag to rotate the viewpoint about the center of the world. You can move the viewpoint in any direction; it always stays the same distance from the point (0, 0, 0).


Click-and-drag to tilt the viewpoint left and right.


Click-and-drag to rotate the viewpoint to the right.


Click-and-drag to rotate the viewpoint upwards.


Click-and-drag to rotate the viewpoint downwards.


Click-and-drag to rotate the viewpoint to the left.


To activate objects

When the mouse cursor passes over a linked object, it changes to a hand with a pointing finger indicating that the object has been assigned a URL address by the world designer.

Click either mouse button to go directly to the URL.

If the mouse pointer passes over an active object, it changes to a starburst. An active object is programmed to perform an action when clicked on by the mouse or when the mouse is dragged over it. For example, clicking on a rocket in a world may make it fly to another part of the world.

Movement Bar      Options Bar      Interacting      Preferences      Specifications


To check the world for errors

If the world is not displaying correctly you can run the Errors Console to check the world for errors.

1.	Click the Menu icon on the Options Bar, and choose Errors Console from the pop-up menu.

Note: This is for advanced users only who have experience in creating VRML97 worlds.

Movement Bar      Options Bar      Interacting      Preferences      Specifications


To change rendering options

To set texture options

To set color and lighting options


To use the pop-up menu

Click the Menu icon on the Options Bar to display the Viscape pop-up menu which lets you access functions that:

change the display options.

check the world for errors.

display information about Viscape

Click on the graphic below for details on each function.

For further details on setting the display options click on Preferences below.

Movement Bar      Options Bar      Interacting      Preferences      Specifications


To set the rendering options

Viscape lets you adjust the following options which affect the way objects are rendered in a world:

Rendering mode - sets the rendering engine and mode you want to use to visualize worlds.

Fill style - specifies how you want objects displayed in the world.

Shading style - sets the level of shading in the world.

Movement Bar      Options Bar      Interacting      Preferences      Specifications


To set the rendering engine and mode
To set rendering engine and display mode

You can use Microsoft’s DirectX™ to render the world or Silicon Graphics’ OpenGL™. If you use DirectX you can also specify which display mode you run it in.

1.	Click the Menu icon on the Options Bar, and choose Display Options from the pop-up menu.

2.	Select DirectX or OpenGL.

3.	If you choose DirectX you can set the mode that the renderer should run in from the Renderer Mode drop down list.

Some of the following modes may be available, depending on the graphics card in your system:

DirectDraw - The default mode that gives the best quality graphics on computers without Direct3D hardware acceleration. All the graphic data is processed at the screen depth you are using (8-bit, 16-bit, 24-bit or 32-bit). A 16-bit screen depth is recommended for this mode.

Direct3D HAL - This can provide good graphics and fast worlds, but it is only available if you have a Direct3D graphics card in your computer. You must also have Direct3D software installed on your system and be running Windows 95 to use this mode.

RGB Emulation - A Direct3D software emulation mode. Worlds run in RGB Emulation mode may run very slowly compared to worlds using any of the other modes. An MMX enhanced processor may improve performance in this mode if MMX Emulation mode is not available.

MMX Emulation - Same as RGB Emulation mode but uses an MMX enhanced processor. This option is only available on MMX machines with Direct3D version 5.

Movement Bar      Options Bar      Interacting      Preferences      Specifications


To set the fill style

The fill style specifies how objects are rendered in the 3D scene: points, wireframe or solid.

1.	Click the Menu icon on the Options Bar, and choose Display Options from the pop-up menu.

2.	Select the fill style from the drop-down box:

Points - displays objects in their basic form as a points cloud.

Lines - displays objects as a wireframe with lines connecting the points.

Polygons -  displays filled surfaces so that objects appear solid.

Movement Bar      Options Bar      Interacting      Preferences      Specifications


To set the shading style

Shading determines how realistic objects look in the 3D world.

1.	Click the Menu icon on the Options Bar, and choose Display Options from the pop-up menu.

2.	Select the shading style from the drop-down box:

Flat Colors - objects are shaded all one color, so they look fairly unrealistic but the world will run quickly.

Gouraud Shading - interpolates colors out across all the polygons, which is quite processor intensive, but makes objects look more realistic.

Phong Shading - a complex process, where the lighting calculation is performed on each pixel. This may make the world run slowly, but the results can be impressive.

Movement Bar      Options Bar      Interacting      Preferences      Specifications


To set the texture options

You can specify how textures are rendered in the world.

1.	Click the Menu icon on the Options Bar, and choose Display Options from the pop-up menu.

2.	Under Texture Options, select the check boxes you want:

Perspective Correct Textures - textures are drawn perspectively correct. If textures are drawn approximated, without perspective correction, textured polygons can look unnatural.

Texture Filtering - the renderer uses filtering to color a textured pixel, which can result in smoother textures. If this option is clear, textures can appear rather pixelated.

Mipmapping - the renderer will use mipmapping to create several different sized versions of a texture, and then apply the best one to the object. Mipmapping is quite processor intensive but can result in better quality textures.

Movement Bar      Options Bar      Interacting      Preferences      Specifications


To turn the headlight off
To set the color and lighting options

You can also change how objects are colored in the world and turn off the headlight attached to the viewpoint.

1.	Click the Menu icon on the Options Bar, and choose Display Options from the pop-up menu.

2.	Under General Options, select the Dither Colors check box to smooth colors out over an object, which reduces banding and produces a more realistically colored object.

3.	Clear the Headlight On check box to turn off the light attached to the viewpoint.

Movement Bar      Options Bar      Interacting      Preferences      Specifications


Displays the Renderer Settings dialog box which you use to set display options.


Displays information about your version of Viscape.


Lets you change between walk, fly and examine modes.


Lets you go to a preset viewpoint in the world.


Displays the Error Console which lets you identify errors in the world.


Displays this Help file.


Displays the Superscape license and warranty agreement.


Click to go to the Virtual World Wide Web.


The mouse cursor changes to a pointing hand when it passes over an object with a URL.


Specifications

Viscape Universal is VRML97 compliant and is designed to run on Windows 95 and Windows NT operating systems. It supports DirectX 5.0™ and can display ActiveMovies on a facet.

It supports Java™ and JavaScript™ (ECMAScript) in the Script nodes, and JPG and PNG files for textures.

Movement Bar      Options Bar      Interacting      Preferences      Specifications