A collaborative virtual reality system on the Web

1998

… , 1997., Proceedings Sixth IEEE workshops on, 1997

VRML (the Virtual Reality Modeling Language) has brought 3D objects and virtual worlds to a large number of Internet users. While it provides a suitable basis for the platform independent description of virtual worlds, an appropriate network architecture required to realize shared virtual worlds on the Internet is still an open issue. In this paper we will review some basic network architectures for networked VR and introduce DWTP (the Distributed Worlds Transfer and communication Protocol). DWTP is an application layer protocol for shared virtual environments on the Internet. It provides a scalable network architecture for large-scale distributed virtual worlds. We will show how it is used within our current prototype to realize a distributed multiuser virtual environment.

Proceedings of the third symposium on Virtual reality modeling language - VRML '98, 1998

VRML (the Virtual Reality Modeling Language) has brought 3D objects and virtual worlds to a large number of Internet users. While it provides a suitable basis for the platform independent description of virtual worlds, an appropriate network architecture required to realize shared virtual worlds on the Internet is still an open issue. In this paper we will introduce DWTP (the Distributed Worlds Transfer and communication Protocol). DWTP is an application layer protocol for shared virtual environments on the Internet. It provides a scalable network architecture for large-scale distributed virtual worlds.

Virtual Reality: Research, Development …, 1997

CAVERN, the CAVE Research Network, is an alliance of industrial and research institutions equipped with CAVE s, ImmersaDesks, and high-performance computing resources all interconnected by high-speed networks to support collaboration in design, training, scientific visualization, and computational steering, in virtual reality.

IEEE Multimedia, 1997

The development of multiuser networked virtual worlds has become a major area of interest in the computer and communications fields. However, there has been little effort to provide a framework for understanding distributed virtual environments (VEs). In this paper we discuss VEs in the context of how network communications, views, data, and processes are distributed while emphasizing those aspects critical to scaling environments. We find most of the systems described in this paper scale to accommodate a handful of users. We also discuss why systems which demand strong data consistency, causality, and reliable communications at the same time while supporting real-time interaction are not likely to scale very well. Furthermore, if the systems are to be geographically dispersed, then highspeed, multicast communication is required. .

2002

One of the ultimate goals of SNHC is to provide a framework supporting the Networked Collaborative Virtual Environments (NCVE) for a wide range of applications. We briefly present an existing NCVE system called Virtual Life Network (VLNET). VLNET is a NCVE system incorporating realistic representation and animation of virtual humans for higher realism of simulation and more natural interaction with users of the system, as well as with autonomous agents. Based on our experience in VLNET we analyze the requirements of NCVE systems that should be considered by SNHC. In particular, we examine in detail various types of data traveling through the network in this type of application, and requirements for each type.

2008

Lack of scalability is a key issue for virtual-environment technology, and more generally for any large-scale online experience because it prevents the emergence of a truly massive virtual-world infrastructure (Metaverse). The Solipsis project tackles this issue through the use of peer-to-peer technology, and makes it possible to build and manage a world-scale Metaverse in a truly distributed manner. Following a peer-to-peer scheme, entities collaborate to build up a common set of virtual worlds. In this paper, we present a first draft of the Solipsis architecture as well as the communication protocol used to share data between peers. The protocol is based on Raynet, an n-dimensional Voronoi-based overlay network. Its data-dissemination policy takes advantage of the viewdepedent representation of 3D contents. Moreover, the protocol effectively distributes the execution of computationally intesive tasks that are usually executed on the server-side, such as collision detection and physics computation. Finally, we also present our web component, a 3D navigator that can easily run on terminals with scarce resources, and that provides solutions for smooth transitions between 3D Web and Web 2.0.

IEEE Internet Computing, 1998

2002

A distributed virtual environment (DVE) is a software system that allows users on a network to interact with each other by sharing a common view of their states. As users are geographically distributed over large networks like the Internet and the number of users increases, scalability is a key aspect to consider for realtime interaction. Various solutions have been proposed to improve the scalability in DVE systems but they are either focused on only specific aspects or customized to a target application. In this paper, we classify the approaches for improving scalability of DVE into four categories: communication architecture, interest management, concurrency control, and data replication. We then propose a scalable network framework for DVEs, ATLAS. Incorporated with our various scalable schemes, ATLAS meets the scalability of a system as a whole. By providing system developers with a set of APIs as a network infrastructure, ATLAS intends to support various applications The integration experiences of ATLAS with several virtual reality systems ensures the versatility of the proposed solution.

Proceedings of the …, 1997

We describe NetEffect, a highly-scalable architecture for developing, supporting and managing large, media-rich, 3D virtual worlds used by several thousand geographically dispersed users using low-end computers (PCs) and modems. NetEffect partitions a whole virtual world into communities, allocates these communities among a set of servers, and migrates clients from one server to another as clients move through the communities. It devotes special attention to minimizing the network traffic, in particular, the traftic that must go through servers. HistoryCity, a virtual world for children, has been developed on NetEffect and is currently being beta-tested for deployment in Singapore.