ActiveWorlds
- Platforms, prices, and Company
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Activeworlds Plug-in
Minimum System Requirements:
Pentium II CPU 300mhz or equivalent
64MB RAM
Microsoft Windows 98, Me, 2000, or XP
DirectX 8.1 or later
Windows Media Player 6.4 or later
D3D video card with at least 8MB and the latest drivers
Recommended Requirements
Pentium II CPU 300mhz or equivalent
128MB RAM
Microsoft Windows 98, Me, 2000, or XP
DirectX 8.1 or later
Windows Media Player 6.4 or later
3D accelerated video card with at least 8MB and the latest drivers
Servers:
Win 98/Me/2000/XP/NT, Sun Solaris (Sparc), Linux (x86)
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Pricing for Users
Free in Tourist Mode, $6.95 per month for Citizenship
Pricing for servers dependent on world size, number of simultaneous users and who hosts the server
Free Trial World Server for 30 days, includes hosting
World Servers:
http://www.activeworlds.com/products/worlds_pricing.asp
Sol Servers:
http://www.activeworlds.com/products/solserver.asp
Galaxy Servers:
http://www.activeworlds.com/products/galaxervers.asp
Universe Servers:
http://www.activeworlds.com/products/uniserver.asp
Educational Pricing:
http://www.activeworlds.com/edu/awedu_pricing.asp
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Website: http://www.activeworlds.com
- Applications
- Activeworlds is a collection of networked virtual environments for interactive shopping,
gaming, and chatting.
- ActiveWorlds provides a range of user, client, server, and development applications
which allow a user to create 3D worlds where visitors can shop, chat, explore, an etc.
- Examples/Samples
- Functions
- Browsing as a Tourist or a Citizen
As a tourist your actions are limited to exlporing existing worlds that are tourist enabled
and chatting to other visitors. A tourist is also assigned a generic avatar with no animation
(movement is shown by translation of your avatar). The tourist can walk, jump, and swim
within the world. Some worlds offer interactive activities such as games.
By becoming a citizen you are allowed to build property in any world that will allow it,
using Activeworlds existing tools. In addtion to the capabilities as a tourist, you can also explore
the world by flying. You may also change your avatar by using the existing ones available in
varying worlds.
- Creating your Own World
Creating your own world require purchase of a server provided by Activeworlds. This provides the
neccessary server and client code, and a basic world setup to start from. You can use existing
administration tools to manage your world. As the creator of your own world, you can create as
many objects as space permits, and add video and music. You specify the avatars available to
visitors when they enter your world. Animation sequences can be added to those avatars
using existing tools. Lastly, the SDK lets the user create applications to run withing the virtual
environment. The applications can be as simpple as a bot, but can also include creating maps of
your world, administration tools, and games. The programs are written in C/C++, but a wrapper is
available for Visual Basic.
- Modeling: Has basic 2D shapes and 3D forms. Uses basic modeling functions, such as
scaling, translation, rotation, and transformations. Used mostly for avatars and buildings.
- Rendering: Supports ambient, diffuse, and surface lighting properties.
Also allows textures.
- Simulation: Supports collision detection between objects. Is handle on the client side.
Bots do not support collision dection because they run on the server side.
- Animation: Most animation is done for avatars. Default is to use simple translations.
However, more complicated animation sequences can be provided by the user using existing tools.
- File Formats: Activeworlds uses their own file format .rwx for modeling
avatars, but conversion tools exist so that you can create your own using some other program.
Uses .wav format and for sounds and .seq format for animation.
- Web Resourses
