Introduction to VRML 2.0

1997 Western MultiConference

Professional Development Seminar

• Title
• Summary Statement
• Level
• Prerequisites
• Intended Audience
• Format
• Organizer Information
• Syllabus
• Notes Description
• Special Presentation Requirements

Title

Introduction to VRML 2.0

Summary Statement

VRML (the Virtual Reality Modeling Language) has emerged as the de facto standard for describing 3-D shapes and scenery on the World Wide Web. VRML's technology has very broad applicability, including web-based entertainment, distributed visualization, 3-D user interfaces to remote web resources, 3-D collaborative environments, interactive simulations for education, virtual museums, virtual retail spaces, and more. VRML is a key technology shaping the future of the web.

Participants in this professional development seminar will learn how to use VRML (the Virtual Reality Modeling Language) to author their own 3-D virtual environments on the World Wide Web. Participants will learn the syntax of VRML, typical usage patterns, ways of avoiding common mistakes, and tricks and techniques for increasing performance and realism. Seminar live examples will illustrate the use of VRML in educational, scientific, and simulation contexts.

Level

Beginning

Prerequisites

This seminar assumes a basic understanding of computers and algebra.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for those persons interested in authoring their own virtual environments on the web using VRML.

Format

Full day (6 hours), lecture style with numerous on-line examples

Organizer Information

• Dave Nadeau
  San Diego Supercomputer Center
  P.O. Box 85608
  San Diego, CA 92186-9784

  UPS, Fed Ex: 10100 Hopkins Dr.
  La Jolla, CA 92093-0505

  (619) 534-5062
  FAX: (619) 534-5113

  nadeau@sdsc.edu

  Dave Nadeau is a staff researcher at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), specializes in scientific visualization and virtual reality, and heads up SDSC's VRML research group. He is the author of technical papers on graphics and VRML, is a co-author of two books on VRML (The VRML Sourcebook, and The VRML 2.0 Sourcebook), and authors a column on VRML for Netscape World magazine. Dave has taught courses on VRML, including those at SIGGRAPH 96 and WebNet 96. Dave is the founder and lead librarian for The VRML Repository, the principal Web site on VRML. He was a co-chair for the VRML Behavior Workshop in October 1995, and the VRML 95 conference in December 1995, and is on the program committee for the forthcoming VRML 97 conference in February 1997.

  The VRML Repository:

  http://www.sdsc.edu/vrml.
  SIGGRAPH 96 Course Materials:
  http://www.sdsc.edu/siggraph96vrml.
  The VRML Sourcebook:
  http://www.wiley.com/.
  The VRML 2.0 Sourcebook:
  http://www.wiley.com/.

Syllabus

• What is VRML?
  • Welcome
  • Schedule for the day
  • Seminar scope
• Key Concepts
  • What is VRML?
  • Writing and Viewing VRML Files
  • VRML File Structure
    • Header
    • Nodes and Fields
    • DEF and USE
  • Defining Names for Nodes
  • Example
  • Summary
• Building Primitive Shapes
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Shapes
  • Syntax
    • Shape
    • Box
    • Cylinder
    • Cone
    • Sphere
  • Example
  • Understanding Groups
  • Syntax
    • Group
  • Example
  • Summary
• Building Text Shapes
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Text
  • Creating Text
  • Syntax
    • Text
    • FontStyle
  • Example
  • Summary
• Transforming Shapes
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Coordinate Systems
  • Syntax
    • Transform
  • Translating a Coordinate System
  • Rotating a Coordinate System
  • Scaling a Coordinate System
  • Combining Transforms
  • Example
  • Summary
• Animating Transforms
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Animation and Time
  • Understanding Keyframe Animation
  • Syntax
    • ROUTE
    • TimeSensor
    • PositionInterpolator
    • OrientationInterpolator
  • Example
  • Summary
• Sensing Viewer Actions
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Viewer Sensing
    • Sensing touch
    • Sensing motion
  • Syntax
    • TouchSensor
    • PlaneSensor
    • SphereSensor
    • CylinderSensor
  • Example
  • Summary
• Controlling Appearance with Materials
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Shape Appearance
  • Understanding Materials and Colors
  • Syntax
    • Shape
    • Appearance
    • Material
  • Example
  • summary
• Grouping Nodes
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Grouping
    • Basic groups
    • Switch groups
    • Transform groups
    • Billboard groups
  • Syntax
    • Group
    • Switch
    • Transform
    • Billboard
  • Example
  • Summary
• Inlining World Components
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Inlining
  • Syntax
    • Inline
  • Example
  • Summary
• Adding Anchors to Your World
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Anchors
  • Syntax
    • Anchor
  • Example
  • Summary
• Building Shapes with Points, Lines, and Faces
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Coordinates and Connectivity
  • Syntax
    • Coordinate
    • PointSet
    • IndexedLineSet
    • IndexedFaceSet
  • Example
  • Summary
• Building Elevation Grids
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Elevation Grids
  • Syntax
    • ElevationGrid
  • Example
  • Summary
• Building Extruded Shapes
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Extrusion
    • Cross-section
    • Spine
    • Scaling and Rotating Cross-sections
  • Syntax
    • Extrusion
  • Example
  • Summary
• Binding Colors to Coordinate-based Geometry
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Color Binding
  • Syntax
    • Color
    • PointSet
    • IndexedLineSet
    • IndexedFaceSet
    • ElevationGrid
  • Example
  • Summary
• Mapping Textures
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Texture Mapping
    • Texture selection
    • Texture image file formats
    • Transparency textures
  • Syntax
    • Appearance
    • ImageTexture
    • PixelTexture
    • MovieTexture
  • Example
  • Summary
• Controlling how Textures are Mapped
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Texture Coordinates
  • Understanding Texture Transforms
  • Syntax
    • TextureCoordinate
    • Appearance
    • TextureTransform
  • Example
  • Summary
• Controlling Shading
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Normals
  • Understanding Automatic Normal Generation
    • creaseAngle
  • Syntax
    • Normal
    • IndexedFaceSet
    • ElevationGrid
  • Example
  • Summary
• Lighting Your World
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Lights
  • Syntax
    • PointLight
    • DirectionalLight
    • SpotLight
  • Example
  • Summary
• Creating Shiny Shapes using Materials
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Shininess
  • Syntax
    • Material
  • Example
  • Summary
• Adding a Background
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Backgrounds
    • Sky and ground color
    • Panorama images
  • Syntax
    • Background
  • Example
  • Summary
• Adding Fog
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Fog
  • Syntax
    • Fog
  • Example
  • Summary
• Adding Sound
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Sound
  • Syntax
    • Sound
    • AudioClip
    • MovieTexture
  • Example
  • Summary
• Controlling Detail
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Detail Control
  • Syntax
    • LOD
  • Example
  • Summary
• Controlling the Viewpoint
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Viewpoints
  • Understanding Navigation Information
  • Syntax
    • Viewpoint
    • NavigationInfo
  • Example
  • Summary
• Sensing Viewer Proximity
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Viewer Proximity Sensing
    • Visibility sensors
    • Proximity sensors
    • Collision detection
  • Syntax
    • VisibilitySensor
    • ProximitySensor
    • Collision
  • Example
  • Summary
• Providing Information about Your Worlds
  • Motivation
  • Understanding World Information
  • Syntax
    • WorldInfo
  • Example
  • Summary
• Creating Program Scripts
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Scripting
  • Writing Java and JavaScript Program Scripts
  • Syntax
    • Script
  • Example
  • Summary
• Creating New Node Types
  • Motivation
  • Understanding Prototypes
  • Syntax
    • PROTO
    • EXTERNPROTO
  • Example
  • Summary
• Creating External Scripts
  • Motivation
  • Understanding External Scripting
  • Example
  • Summary

Notes Description

The seminar notes will include copies of all presentation slides, key URLs for further information, and code for all VRML examples. Following the conference, the seminar notes will be placed on-line at the San Diego Supercomputer Center.

The SIGGRAPH 96 and WebNet96 course notes provide an example of the style and content for the WMC seminar's notes:

http://www.sdsc.edu/siggraph96vrml

http://www.sdsc.edu/webnet96vrml