  Introduction

With CYBERWORLD VIEWER you can organize and display information as a three-dimensional world. The main metaphor for this portion of the Viewer is a ‘city’ or ‘village’, where each building represents a pointer to some information or service. These services can be anything that can currently be represented by a computer. For example, a building can contain a picture, animation, sound, a live web page, and a spreadsheet. The user moves about by ‘walking’ through the streets. When the user walks into a building, the applicable data is displayed.

The inside of a building can also be rendered by CYBERWORLD VIEWER as a set of rooms with walls and objects which in turn can contain the pointers to information or other rooms. In this way, CYBERWORLD VIEWER can organize information hierarchically with no predefined limits.

CyberWorld, the concept, is implemented as two components: the Viewer and the Builder. The Viewer, or more precisely the CYBERWORLD VIEWER, is the navigation arm of the technology. Use the Viewer to navigate the CyberWorlds you build. The Builder, or more precisely the CYBERWORLD BUILDER, is the set of tools used to create the CyberWorlds.


Interface Buttons
  Interface Description

Following is a description of each button on the graphical interface. These buttons surround the viewing area, or Viewport.

EXIT

Click this button to leave the current level in the program (leaves the program if you are at the first level). Currently there are two levels. The first is CyberWorld; the second is the browser. The ESC key on the keyboard may also be used as an exit button.

WORLD

Click this button to display a tree-structured view, or map, of the destinations contained in CyberWorld. Each ‘Globe’ may contain a QBORG (sub-world) that can be navigated. Double-click a Globe to view a list of QBORGs. Click the GO THERE button to enter the QBORG.

HOME

Click this button to return to the home QBORG. The home QBORG can be set in the Identification panel of the Settings dialog. For more information, see CyberWorld Settings

TOUR

Click this button to select from a list of packaged tours. Tours are predefined walkabouts in the current city or room.

HELP

Click this button to access the CYBERWORLD VIEWER online Help.

SPEED

Click this button to adjust your traveling speed. Each press of the button doubles the speed until the maximum is reached. Further button presses will begin again at the minimum speed. Your current speed setting is listed below the Viewport.

You may also adjust the speed in the Preferences panel of the Settings dialog. For more information, see CyberWorld Settings

SETTING

Click this button to set user preferences, viewpoint, user identification, and personal statistics in CyberWorld. For more information, see CyberWorld Settings

PREVIOUS

Click this button to return to the previous QBORG (in CyberWorld) or to the previous page (if in web browser mode). The DOWN arrow key may also be used for this when in browser mode.

NEXT

Click this button to advance to the next QBORG (in CyberWorld) or the next page (if in web browser mode). The UP arrow key may also be used for this when in browser mode.

    STOP

Click this button to stop the current action such as a tour.

Note:

Press the SPACEBAR to pause a tour.


  Travelling in CyberWorld

CyberWorlds are constructed from a series of building blocks called QBORGS. Each QBORG is built from a series of objects, bitmaps, and textures, and may, when finished, comprise an outdoor scene, a city block, or a set of rooms. Only one QBORG is displayed at any given time. You can travel anywhere within the QBORG either by ‘walking’ or by ‘taking a tour’.

Walking

Walking is accomplished by pressing the arrow keys on the keyboard, or by dragging the mouse. You can walk forward, backward, left or right along the virtual streets or corridors of CyberWorld. You can also move in and out of any non-CyberWorld data that may be displayed.

Touring

Tours can be chosen from a list specific to the current QBORG. A tour is a predefined set of paths along which you move automatically. The paths can be augmented with words, sound, or music. The tour is intended to guide the user through some part of the QBORG without interruption. Tours can be linked together to create a Tour of Tours. To learn more about this, refer to the CYBERWORLD BUILDER documentation.

QBORG Links

To reach another QBORG, you must go through a QBORG link. Any spot in the QBORG may contain a link, but the link is usually assigned to a something like a building or an object. The QBORG link will point to a QBORG. Other links can point to a URL, an image, a program, or any other piece of information that can be described in the Windows namespace.

You can go through a link by walking on, or clicking, the spot in CyberWorld that contains the link; by clicking the name of the link in the data display area or listbox; by clicking within map in the bottom right corner; or by entering a link name into the listbox edit area. Any link can also be activated by selecting its name from the ‘World List’.

When you link to another QBORG in CyberWorld, the current QBORG is closed and the new one loaded. You may then begin to walk inside the new QBORG . The new QBORG should contain a link back to the old one, usually at the spot where you first arrived.

If you link to HTML information ( a URL or a local file), the page is displayed in the viewing area of the CyberWorld program. You can use any links that may be on the page, and you may travel back forth through a series of links. When your exit the page, you will be brought back to the QBORG in which you first opened the page.

If you link to a piece of information that cannot be rendered by CyberWorld or its browser, CYBERWORLD 3Dviewer will prompt the operating system to launch the correct program and display the data in it.

See Also

Navigating a QBORG


Navigation
  Navigating a QBORG

You can navigate a QBORG using a mouse, keyboard, or joystick.

Mouse navigation

Click and hold the left mouse button while the mouse pointer is in the viewing area. The cross-hair cursor is displayed. When the cursor is in the center of the Viewport, or viewing area, there is no movement.

•	To move forward, drag the mouse above the center of the Viewport.

•	To move backward, drag the mouse below the center of the Viewport.

•	To move sideways, drag the mouse to the left or the right of the Viewport center.

•	To turn right and left, drag the mouse diagonally across the Viewport.

The further the mouse is moved above, below, left, or right of the Viewport center, the greater the speed of navigation.

Keyboard navigation

Use the arrow keys to navigate using the keyboard. The navigation speed is determined by the current Speed setting as specified using the SPEED button.

•	To move foreward, press the UP arrow key.

•	To move backward, press the DOWN arrow key.

•	To turn left, press the LEFT arrow key.

•	To turn right, press the RIGHT arrow key.

•	To move left or right, hold the CTRL key, and press the LEFT or RIGHT arrow key.

Looking Up and Down

•	To look up, press the PAGE UP key.

•	To increase the viewing perspective (height), hold the CTRL key while pressing the PAGE UP key.

•	To look down, press the PAGE DOWN key.

•	To decrease the viewing perspective (height), hold the CTRL key while pressing the PAGE DOWN key.

•	To restore the default viewing perspective, press the PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys together.

Looking Sideways

•	To look sideways, press the SPACEBAR on the keyboard while moving left or right (with either the keyboard or the mouse). This will allow you to look to the side while moving forward or backward.

•	To restore the default viewing perspective, press the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys together.

Entering a Gateway (link to another QBORG or Internet link)

•	To enter a gateway, click the left mouse button while the cursor is over a gateway.

Joystick navigation

•	To move forward, move the joystick forward.

•	To move backward, move the joystick backward.

•	To turn right, move the joystick right.

•	To turn left, move the joystick left.

Looking Up or Down

•	To look up, hold button 2 while moving the joystick forward.

•	To look down, hold button 2 while moving the joystick backward.

Moving Sideways

•	To move up, down or side to side hold down both Button1 and Button2 while moving the joystick handle in the appropriate direction.

Entering a Gateway (link to another QBORG or Internet link)

•	To enter a gateway, press button 1 while the cursor is over a gateway.

•	If in browser mode, moving the joystick forward will trigger the NEXT button. Moving the joystick backwards will trigger the PREV button. This will allow travel in and out of Web pages.

See Also

Travelling in CyberWorld


  Resizing the Viewport

Press the F2 key to cycle through the Viewport, or viewing area, sizes. Each press of the key increases the size by one. Pressing the F3 key cycles through the sizes in the reverse order. The animation quality may degrade for larger Viewport sizes because larger images require more computing power to process.

The entire window can be resized by dragging the window’s edges.

See Also

CyberWorld Settings


  CyberWorld Settings

Preferences, or options, can be specified through the CyberWorld Settings dialog. This dialog includes four panels, each accessed by clicking its associated tab.

To open the dialog, click the SETTING button on the interface.

PREFERENCES

ToolTips for Links

Select this control to display tooltips as the mouse is passed over links.

Sound Effects

Select this control to make active any sound effects attached to the QBORG.

Background Sounds

Select this control to play background wave files during navigation.

Background Music

Select this control to play background midi files during navigation.

No Login at Startup

Select this control to deactivate the login procedure during startup.

Speed

Specify the speed at which you wish to navigate. Large areas are better navigated at a faster speed, while small areas are better navigated at a slower speed.

Home

Specify a home QBORG by clicking the Use Current QBORG button, or by entering the name of a QBORG in the text field provided.

Internet

Click the WORK OFFLINE control to keep the navigation of CyberWorld off the Internet. Click the HANG UP NOW button to end an online connection. Click the INTERNET OPTIONS button to access the Connection dialog.

VIEWPORT

All values remain in effect until changed except ‘height’ which is specific to the current QBORG. The values are stored and reloaded whenever the program is run.

Height

Use the slider provided to set the viewer height above the floor - valid only in the current QBORG.

Horizon

Use the slider provided to set the height of the horizon in the Viewport.

Distance

Use the slider provided to set the virtual distance of the viewer from the Viewport. Much like a zoom setting, this setting affects the width of the angle of vision.

Restore Default

Click this button to restore the original, predefined settings.

Preview

Select this control to see the effect of your changes immediately. The Cancel button will still undo any changes.

Viewport Size

Set the size of the Viewport relative to the CyberWorld interface. A Wide setting will extend the width of the Viewport to cover the control buttons. Full Screen will extend the Viewport to overlap the entire CyberWorld Interface. Note that a larger Viewport size may slow screen rendering if the QBORG contains many complex objects. A smaller size may improve screen rendering if the QBORG contains many complex objects.

Choose from a number of predefined Viewport sizes. During navigation, you can press the F2 and F3 keys to scroll these size settings without having to open this dialog. Continue to press the F2 key to advance through the size settings; press the F3 key to back up through the size settings.

IDENTIFICATION

Use the Identification panel to store names, addresses and phone numbers.

PERSONAL

Use the Personal panel to store confidential personal information such as gender, marital status, or credit card numbers. This information is optional.


  Contact Information

You can contact us in a number of ways:

Mail

CyberWorld International Corporation

25 Watline Avenue, Suite 202

Mississauga, Ontario

Canada L4Z 2Z1

Phone	(905) 502-9690
Fax	(905) 502-9664
E-mail	support@cyberworldcorp.com
Web Site	http://www.cyberworldcorp.com


CyberWorld Settings

Preferences, or options, can be specified through the CyberWorld Settings dialog. This dialog includes four panels, each accessed by clicking its associated tab.

To open the dialog, click the SETTING button on the interface.

PREFERENCES

ToolTips for Links

Select this control to display tooltips as the mouse is passed over links.

Sound Effects

Select this control to make active any sound effects attached to the QBORG.

Background Sounds

Select this control to play background wave files during navigation.

Background Music

Select this control to play background midi files during navigation.

No Login at Startup

Select this control to deactivate the login procedure during startup.

Speed

Specify the speed at which you wish to navigate. Large areas are better navigated at a faster speed, while small areas are better navigated at a slower speed.

Home

Specify a home QBORG by clicking the Use Current QBORG button, or by entering the name of a QBORG in the text field provided.

Internet

Click the WORK OFFLINE control to keep the navigation of CyberWorld off the Internet. Click the HANG UP NOW button to end an online connection. Click the INTERNET OPTIONS button to access the Connection dialog.

VIEWPORT

All values remain in effect until changed except ‘height’ which is specific to the current QBORG. The values are stored and reloaded whenever the program is run.

Height

Use the slider provided to set the viewer height above the floor - valid only in the current QBORG.

Horizon

Use the slider provided to set the height of the horizon in the Viewport.

Distance

Use the slider provided to set the virtual distance of the viewer from the Viewport. Much like a zoom setting, this setting affects the width of the angle of vision.

Restore Default

Click this button to restore the original, predefined settings.

Preview

Select this control to see the effect of your changes immediately. The Cancel button will still undo any changes.

Viewport Size

Choose from a number of predefined Viewport sizes. During navigation, you can press the F2 and F3 keys to scroll these size settings without having to open this dialog. Continue to press the F2 key to advance through the size settings; press the F3 key to back up through the size settings.

IDENTIFICATION

Use the Identification panel to store names, addresses and phone numbers.

PERSONAL

Use the Personal panel to store confidential personal information such as gender, marital status, or credit card numbers. This information is optional.