VRMLWorld.net

[vcard]

Hi friends

From Blaxxun to ABnet, the road ahead!

I call it "vcard's interface" for now, because it's about ideas and code tests, with some flaws. Most of the ideas came from the experience with the blaxxun plataform, of course, but there are other thoughts too. Hopefully soon, some of the ideas discussed here will be part of a future ABNet official interface rick is thinking about. You are free to use them to improve your site interface.

These simple ideas and tests, made with enthusiasm, aim to contradict a sad tendency going on since the long and agonizing end of our beloved blaxxun. and to awake and provoke you geeks. Give us the best you have and let us feel your talent!

Nothing is lost, really! Here is ABNet2 a more stable, free and evolving platform (than Blaxxun was) and incredibly simple to use and enjoy. Rick is a great programmer, this is not a kids work. You are facing a very serious system. Never the less, like blaxxun (or even more) it's very simple to build up multiuser worlds and run them informally!!! Indeed, ABNet carries the blaxx legacy inside and we feel very "at home" here.
Rick made the system very simple to understand and ... improve ourselves. Let's do it guys and gals.

0 - What we could wish in first place?

A touch in the interface, some little things. We have discussed it already (in French sorry, learn it or use Google translator):
http://www.web3d-fr.com/foroum/index.php?showtopic=3951&view=findpost&p=17066

As said there, the first simple ideas to implement and to start the discussion are:

- (1) a more "real" visitors window (to better feel who enters)
- (2) a 'jump to another avatar' functionality (to get "near" them)
- (3) Voice (TTS, Text to Speak) (it's fun and some of us have the habit)

... another "urgency" that has been referred recently is
- (4) a Rooms list, indicating the users visiting (such a functionality embedded in the interface is very hot and appealing)

More to come. Please comment and engage in discussion.

vcard

---------------

Grand Prix Race teams (VRML world), soon on ABNet2
http://www.odisseia.univ-ab.pt/grandprix/

[Tito1]

Wow vcard, you are really ahead in the game, far more than I will ever be. I will go ahead and read your interface post on web3d-fr.com, using the Google translator of course, English and Spanish are the only languages I understand. I also can't wait for you to connect your Grand Prix world from Blaxxun to Abnet. Formula Cart racing is always been one of my favorite types of racing when playing on both my PS2 and Xbox consoles. All those ideas that you just mentioned have all been done on Blaxxun, so I am pretty sure they too can be implemented on Abnet. I too have an idea or two for Abnet, but I don't want to embarrass myself by mentioning them, they are a bit radical in nature. Well, keep up the good work.........

[vcard]

Eheheh!

Radical ideas, that sounds really good. Came on and share them with us. Don't be worry about embarrass, after all ... it's only(?!) a discussion between our avatars

vcard

(update: after talking with tito in several ABnet Worlds and seeing some of his cool work I think tito is considering a games mode for ABNet. Great! I would like to see that. May be it motivates me for a race cars mode eheheh! Who can tel? )

[vcard]

Hi friends

After a few days burning my eyebrows, coding, talking and exchanging mails with rick, during my August vacation in Algarve-Portugal, here it is for you to use at your wish (link is at the end of message).

1 - vcard's interface for ABNet2

It's ready and rolling well with the help and incentive of many VRML/X3D voyagers and friends.

Hope all the "promises" made in the first post of this blog are fulfilled (well, almost)
- (1) a more "real" visitors window DONE!
- (2) a 'jump to another avatar' functionality DONE!
- (3) Voice (TTS, Text to Speech). Not added voice yet, but some sounds of presence for user entering and message received. Little sounds that make the chat more alive. Voice will come up too, not only English, but French, Portuguese, German, Spanish, ... you name it. Wait and see (before my next vacation I hope )
- (4) a Rooms list, indicating the users visiting DONE!.

There are a few other cool things you have to discover yourself like "changing the avatar on the fly" while remaining on the room and that can be done by easy scripts called from in your own worlds code (in blaxxun it was not possible/easy by scripting).


cracking the wall

»»»The link is at the end of this message, but before read please the remaining message

2 - ABNet2, a customizable Web interface!
you can create your own personal or site interface!

I hope that these interface facilities (all added by javascript and vrml programming) joined with the multiuser capabilities of ABNet2 can show how much ABNet carries the blaxx legacy and, because of the easiness of the customization, can go far, much far, beyond that.
Imagine what can be done with flash, silverlight and other cool client side technologies.

BS Contact 7.1
We must not forget to mention BS Contact and how right was rick when opted for it and worked hard for a good integration.
BS Contact is a marvelous browser and version 7.1 has it all, gaming included with its collada compatibilities and support for complete physics with Ageia PhysX engine. See more here: http://www.bitmanagement.com/developer/contact/relnotes71.html.
The only ugly thing about BS Contact is not technical, the licencing policy and the floating logo of the demo version ( a fixed small logo was not enough ?). But that is going to change soon according to this message:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/worldbuildersguild/message/13750

By all of this and has I said it before, former blaxxun users feel very "at home" here!
This is not a proprietary "closed" system that does not let you touch it's interface. Here you can actually "do" the interface your self. I made a "vcard's interface" that is available in my website and, never the less, uses the ABNet server. Isn't that familiar?
In fact, even more than blaxxun, ABNet2 is a Web system and you can use it with all web Technologies available, client and ... server too (php, asp, etc.). In the process of doing it, you will learn all about the communications interface of the future now: 3D Web.

3 - ABNet3 (?)

One of the things I gladly felt during the past few weeks is rick's growing enthousiasm about ABNet project and that is very good. He will integrate some of these ideas in the new standard ABNet2 interface and surely others he is already thinking about. That's the man, rick!
We, all ABNet2 users, have a dream, but you have to guess it ! (I talked too much already)

The Links to vcard's interface for ABNet2 are here:

To use all features of the interface the last BS Contact (ver. 7.1) is recomended/needed.

The first link to start easy is:
http://www.odisseia.univ-ab.pt/ABNet2
(it is also usefull to launch worlds not registered in ABNet2 Servers)

But after that, all relevant info will be stored in a cookie and you can enter directly in the interface page, the only one you need from now on:

»»»http://www.odisseia.univ-ab.pt/ABNet2/3dchat.html

In this page you have a rooms view to navigate in all worlds!

Please, give us your comments/sugestions and ideas!

See you soon in a 3D World!

vcard

---------------

Grand Prix Race teams (VRML world), soon on ABNet2
http://www.odisseia.univ-ab.pt/grandprix/[img][/img]

[Tito1]

Oh boy, you got a lot of good stuff on your plate, vcard. But let me first get to this: If you could, can you please explain in more details this thing about Bitmanagement's BS Artist program and how you can get a logo free BS Contact license for 1 EURO, which I guess that comes to a little over $1.00? That fee, I can sure handle. Also, is it a one time fee, or a monthly one? What about you Rick, do you know anything about this?

[Rick]

I saw that posting a while back and told vcard about it. It sounds like a great opportunity for the 3d artist community. I personally have a license that I obtained the last time they offered a special deal. At that time, you got a perpetual node locked license for $49USD. l haven't checked into it this latest offering.

Here is the deail I jumped on:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/worldbuildersguild/message/11895

-rick

[Tito1]

I tested Active Worlds once, it was good, but for some reason, I feel more at home with Rick's Abnet. Anyway, that thing you said about Abnet working with Blaxxun 5.1, are you really sure about that? And why bring up Blaxxun 5.1, why not the more recent 5.3 version? Just to be in the safe side, I rather have Rick straighten this out. Oh, and another thing, the way you ended your post, it's kind of puzzling, it sounds almost "fanboy-ish" in nature. But of course, I might be wrong, and if I am, I apologize.

[tutancamon]

[vcard]

Standard ABNet2 access in this website doesn not permit the use of blaxxun (5.3 and less), a script will alert that and send you to download information.

But "technically" it can be made to work if you change the interface scripts. It is just that, you see? I did that test! Although it's not guaranteed that everything will work well.
Blaxxun plugin is old (5.3 and 5.1 are almost the same! More than 5-6 years old, I think) and, because of that, does not implement well the x3d specifications, only VRML. That's for me "the" reason!

Be well,

vcard

[Tito1]