Distributed Virtual Worlds: Foundations and Implementation Techniques Using VRML, Java, and CORBA Stephan Diehl Author

Recently, with the success of Java and the existence of different interfaces between VRML and Java, it became possible to implement three-dimensional internet applications on standard VRML browsers (Plugins) using Java. With the widespread use of VRML-Browsers, e.g., as part of the Netscape Com­ municator and Microsoft’s Internet Explorerstandard distributions, everyone connected to the internet via a PC ( and some other platforms) can directly enter a virtual world without installing a new kind of software. The VRML technology offers the basis for new forms of customer services, e.g., interactive three-dimensional product configuration, spare part ordering, or customer training. Also this technology can be used for CSCW in intranets. This book has a theoretical and a practical part. The theoretical part is intended more for teachers and researchers, while the practical part is in­ tended for web designers, programmers and students, who want to have both a hands-on approach to implementing Web 3D applications and a technically detailed overview of existing solutions for specific problems in this area.