DESIGN:

Multi-user:

Multi-user (shared, collaborative) VR is a 3D computer generated environment on the Internet where participants (represented as "avatars") can meet each other, walk around together and communicate using text, gesture, voice or pre-programmed "emotions" (e.g. "happy" or "sad"). A Virtual Community on the Web (for instance, Active Worlds' Web site alone has around 500 different VR worlds) can be accessed using a medium powered PC with a modem connection. In this instance it is expected that the participants in the system will have access to reasonably fast ethernet or ISDN connections.

The VNet multi-user VR system allows many users to be logged into a VRML environment at the same time. Once inside the environment they can interact with each other through the VNet Java chat applet, move freely around and interact with the VRML environment. Avatars represent participants within a VRML space. Logging into the VNet server allows the user to choose an Avatar file. This is a simple VRML file that has the same characteristics as the VRML environment, but is positioned at the camera viewpoint and travels with the camera around the environment. An Avatar is simultaneously downloaded by all the other participants to their browser window allowing them to see each other. File size is important as VNet does not check avatar file size, too large a file interferes with the smooth running of the environment.