RELEASE NOTES

MS VRML 2.0 Viewer Installation

To use MS VRML 2.0 Viewer you will need the following:

• Pentium 100Mhz or better
• 16MB memory
• 20M free disk space
• Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0
• Internet Explorer 3.0, 3.01, or 3.02 released versions

If you installed any Beta release of MS VRML 2.0 Viewer, you should uninstall it before installing this version. To do this, choose "MS VRML Control" from the Control Panel, Add-Remove Programs.

MS VRML 2.0 Viewer and Windows NT

The VRML 2.0 Viewer requires Service Pack 3 in order to work on NT 4.0.

Java External Authoring Interface Installation

By default, the MS VRML 2.0 Viewer setup program will install .class files.

The installation program will prepend the location to the CLASSPATH environment variable set in AUTOEXEC.BAT.

Note that the MS VRML 2.0 Viewer uninstall program will NOT revert AUTOEXEC.BAT to its original state.

If you get ClassNotFoundException:vrml.external.browser (in the VRML console or Internet Explorer's status bar) while trying to browse a world that uses the EAI, you might be having a conflict with other products' vrml classes. This problem can by solved by changing your CLASSPATH setting.

The installer puts a 'SET CLASSPATH=...' entry in AUTOEXEC.BAT for the EAI path. Make sure this entry is the last in the series of 'SET CLASSPATH=' entries you have in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. This will make sure that the MS VRML 2.0 Viewer classes are found before others.

NOTE:IF you're using NT, the CLASSPATH is set in the regsitry under HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Java VM\Classpath. If you install a new version of the Java VM, this entry will be overwritten.

Sending Feedback

Your feedback on MS VRML 2.0 Viewer is very important to us. Information on performance, features, compatibility, and usefulness will help the Microsoft VRML team create a better product.

You may send us feedback by sending e-mail to msvrml@microsoft.com.

Compatibility Notes

• MS VRML 2.0 Viewer supports standard VRML 2.0 files and specification-compliant VRML 1.0 files. If you attempt to read a draft VRML 2.0 file, warnings (and possibly errors) will be displayed.
• The VRML 2.0, Java in Script Nodes, and JavaScript implementations correspond with the ISO/IEC DIS 14772-1 specification dated 4 April 1997, except as noted in the Developer's Guide and the Known Problems section, below.
• The Java External Authoring Interface implementation corresponds to the Proposal for a VRML 2.0 Informative Annex dated 21 January 1997.

Known Problems and Important Changes

User Interface and Usability

• When downloading some worlds you may get a warning concerning gzip files. Click OK on the warning dialog; the world will continue to load normally.
• Study mode can have unpredictable behavior in worlds that use ProximitySensor-based heads-up-displays.
• MS VRML 2.0 Viewer does not load when browsing sites where CGI scripts output VRML 1.0.
• The area under the right-button pop-up menu is not always redrawn once the menu is dismissed.
• Pressing and releasing the CTRL key can cause you to navigate slightly.
• The cursor blinks continuously on many laptop PCs.
• Using MS VRML 2.0 Viewer on a system that has an uncalibrated joystick installed can cause erratic and unpredictable navigation. To correct this problem, calibrate or unplug the joystick.
• Some 3D hardware accelerators do not fully support the features in Direct3D, and can introduce limitations. For example, when you are running MS VRML 2.0 Viewer with hardware acceleration enabled, transparent objects may appear solid, or you might be unable to see worlds in wireframe. To turn off hardware acceleration, choose "Options" from the right-button pop-up menu and remove the check mark from "Use hardware acceleration".