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<html>
<head>
<title>VREng</title>
</head>
<body bgcolor=#ffffe0>
<img src=barre.bleu.bleu.gif width=500>
<center>
<table border=+5 bgcolor=pink>
<tr><th align=center><h1><p>VREng</h1><h3>(Virtual Reality Engine)</h3>
<h4>Current Release: <!--#exec cmd="ls -l /enst/pub/mbone/vreng/vreng.tar.gz |awk '{print $11}' | cut -f2 -d'-' | cut -f1-3 -d'.'"--></h4>
<img src=vrenglogo.gif></th></tr>
</table>
</center>
<img src=barre.bleu.bleu.gif width=500>
<h2>Summary</h2>
<ul>
<li> <a href=#whatis>What is VREng ?</a>
<li> <a href=#creenshots>Screenshots</a>
<li> <a href=#need>What do you need to run VREng ?</a>
<li> <a href=#platforms>Supported Platforms</a>
<li> <a href=#downloading>Downloading Software</a>
<li> <a href=#compiling>Compiling</a>
<li> <a href=#testing>Testing</a>
<li> <a href=#installing>Installing</a>
<li> <a href=#configuring>Configuring</a>
<li> <a href=#worlds>How Virtual Worlds are builts ?</a>
<li> <a href=#launching>What happens, when you are launching VREng ?</a>
<li> <a href=#navigate>How to Navigate ?</a>
<li> <a href=#chat>How to Communicate between participants ?</a>
<li> <a href=#objects>What are Objects and Actions ?</a>
<li> <a href=#web>How to launch VREng by the Web ?</a>
<li> <a href=#stats>Network Statistics</a>
<li> <a href=#works>Works in progress</a>
<li> <a href=#related>Links to Related Works</a>
<li> <a href=#reports>Technical Reports (in french)</a>
<li> <a href=#authors>Authors, Contributors, Maintainer</a>
<li> <a href=#contacts>Contacts</a>
</ul>
<img src=barre.bleu.bleu.gif width=500>
<h2><a name=whatis>What is VREng ?</a></h2>
VREng (Virtual Reality Engine) is an Interactive and Distributed 3D Application
allowing navigation in Virtual Worlds connected over the Internet
using Multicast Technology and RTP/RTCP protocol.
<h2><a name=screenshots>Screenshots</a></h2>
<ul>
<li><a href=worldinit.gif>The rendez-vous Interconnection World</a>
<li><a href=worldstud.gif>An other World</a>
<li><a href=worldinf.gif>A World representing the CS Department at ENST</a>
<li><a href=worldtarots.gif>The Tarots exhibition room</a>
</ul>
<h2><a name=need>What do you need to run VREng ?</a></h2>
<h3><a name=required>What is required without MBone (local run) ?</a></h3>
<ul>
<li> You need the X-Window System (X11R6 either X11R5 either Sun openwin).
<li> Your screen must have a color depth of 8 or 16 or 24.
<li> Graphic 3D rendering can be assured by either OpenGL library, either
free Mesa library, either free Tiny-GL library from version 1.4.0 and later.
The <a href=TinyGL.html>Tiny-GL library</a> is now distributed separately
under the name TinyGL-0.1.tar.gz (see download below).
</ul>
<h3><a name=netrequired>What is required on MBone ?</a></h3>
<ul>
<li> Your machine and your network must support local IP Multicast (IGMP).
<li> Your site must be connected on the MBone with routing protocols as DVMRP
or PIM.
</ul>
<h3><a name=recommended>What is recommended, but not required ?</a></h3>
<ul>
<li> Eventually you need the classical MBone tools like VAT, VIC and WB
which are used by VREng as external applications like helpers.
<li> Eventually you can use other tools as RAT, FreePhone, Wbd, Nt.
<li> To display contents of Web Object you need a Browser as Netscape or mMosaic.
<li> To improve performances VREng uses threads library POSIX compatible,
but if your system doesn't support this feature, downloading gif images is
slower through the Web.
<li> Others tools, like gv/ghostview to visualize PostScripts docoments,
acroread to visualize Adobe pdf documents, a2ps to print documents,
ssh or telnet and xterm to connect to hosts,...
</ul>
<h2><a name=platforms>Supported Platforms</a></h2>
<menu>
- solaris2.x<br>
- sunos4.1.x<br>
- hp-uxB.10.20<br>
- freebsd3.x<br>
- linux-intel<br>
- linux-sparc<br>
- netbsd1.2-sparc<br>
</menu>
VREng has not been fully ported on other platforms yet, but any
port will be welcome. For the moment VREng compiles on AIX and
Alpha/Osf.
Works to port VREng on Windows95 have begun (2nd quarter 1998)
but this implementation it's not fully completed (and is not recommended!).
<h2><a name=downloading>Downloading Software</a></h2>
Only VREng sources are available, not binaries.
<p>
The VREng sources are under <a href=COPYING>GPL (GNU Public Licence)</a> of FSF
(Free Sofware Foundation) and are available at URL
<a href=ftp://ftp.enst.fr/pub/mbone/vreng/vreng.tar.gz>
ftp://ftp.enst.fr/pub/mbone/vreng/vreng.tar.gz</a>.
<br>
The latest known Release is <b><!--#exec cmd="ls -l /enst/pub/mbone/vreng/vreng.tar.gz |awk '{print $11}' | cut -f2 -d'-' | cut -f1-3 -d'.'"--></b>, eg
<a href=ftp://ftp.enst.fr/pub/mbone/vreng/vreng.tar.gz>
ftp://ftp.enst.fr/pub/mbone/vreng/vreng-<!--#exec cmd="ls -l /enst/pub/mbone/vreng/vreng.tar.gz |awk '{print $11}' | cut -f2 -d'-' | cut -f1-3 -d'.'"-->.tar.gz</a>.
<br>
The <a href=CHANGES>CHANGES</a> and recent improvements can be read by
clicking <a href=CHANGES>here</a>.
<a href=FIXES>Bug Fixes</a> for this release can be obtained by clicking
<a href=FIXESt>here</a>.
<p>
The Tiny-GL library, under licence of <a href=http://www.stud.enst.fr/~bellard>
Patrice Bellard</a> is free and available at URL
<a href=ftp://ftp.enst.fr/pub/mbone/vreng/TinyGL-0.1.tar.gz>
ftp://ftp.enst.fr/pub/mbone/vreng/TinyGL-0.1.tar.gz</a>
<p>
The binary of the incomplete port on Windows95
<a href=ftp://ftp.enst.fr/pub/mbone/vreng/vrexe.zip>vrexe.zip</a>
and its dll
<a href=ftp://ftp.enst.fr/pub/mbone/vreng/dll_vreng.zip>dll_vreng.zip</a>
are available as-is without any guarantees and no work is planed to achieve this
implementation, so we discourage to use it and sources will be not available.
<h2><a name=compiling>Compiling</a></h2>
VREng is written in C language.
<p>
First, to create all Makefiles and the config.h, just type:
<menu><tt>
./configure
</tt></menu>
For systems which support OpenGL natively like Solaris2.7 use:
<menu><tt>
./configure --with-lib-GL
</tt></menu>
and then
<menu><tt>
make or gmake
</tt></menu>
<h2><a name=testing>Testing</a></h2>
Just type:
<menu><tt>
vreng/vreng
</tt></menu>
If that works, then install.
<h2><a name=installing>Installing</a></h2>
<h3><a name=binaries>Executables</a></h3>
Two executable files will be installed by default in /usr/local/bin.
The first will be a script-shell named <b><tt>vre</tt></b> which is a wrapper
to launch the real executable. The second is the real executable
which can be either <b><tt>vreng</tt></b> or <tt>vreng.tgl</tt>
(vreng using TinyGL) or <tt>vreng.ogl</tt> (vreng using OpenGL).
To do this, type:
<menu><tt>
make install
</tt></menu>
or
<menu><tt>
make install-strip
</tt></menu>
<h3><a name=plugins>Sdr_plugins</a></h3>
You need also to copy the sdr_plugins in your <tt>~/.sdr/plugins</tt> directory
or in the common <tt>/usr/local/etc/sdr/plugins/</tt> directory.
Three sdr_plugins are supplied:
<ul>
<li><a href=ftp://ftp.enst.fr/pub/mbone/vreng/sdr2.plugin.S61.dvr.rtp.vre.vreng>sdr2.plugin.S61.dvr.rtp.vre.vreng</a> (for versions >= 1.6.0
<li><a href=ftp://ftp.enst.fr/pub/mbone/vreng/sdr2.plugin.S61.dis.rtp.vr.vreng>sdr2.plugin.S61.dis.rtp.vr.vreng</a> (for versions <= 1.5.8
<li><a href=ftp://ftp.enst.fr/pub/mbone/vreng/sdr2.bitmap.game>sdr2.bitmap.game</a> (for sdr icon)
</ul>
The new media is "dvr" (Distributed Virtual Reality), the protocol is "rtp"
and the format is "vre". The value of the payload type (PT) is 105.
<h2><a name=configuring>Configuring</a></h2>
This step is not required to use vreng.
<p>
If you are on the MBone, or if you are familar with de Session Directory sdr,
after installing the sdr plugin, you can use sdr to launch vreng
clicking on the media "dvr", either "dis" or "games" for older versions.
<br>
VREng will retrieve automatically world files descriptions and textures
by http from URL:
<tt>http://www.infres.enst.fr/net/vreng/</tt>
<p>
To add your own pictural representation, build a Gif file of your face
(eg. using xv or your favorite tool) and put it in the directory
<menu>
~/public.html/vreng/yourfrontface.gif
</menu>
and update your <tt>.Xdefaults</tt> with something like that:
<menu>
Vreng.skinf: http://www.yoursite/~yourlogin/vreng/yourfrontbody.gif<br>
Vreng.skinb: http://www.yoursite/~yourlogin/vreng/yourbackbody.gif<br>
</menu>
and make a <tt>xrdb -load ~/.Xdefaults</tt>
<h2><a name=worlds>How Virtual Worlds are builts ?</a></h2>
Virtual Worlds are described in a Ascii configuration file with the suffix
<tt>.cfg</tt> (eg. <tt><a href=cfg/world.cfg>world.cfg</a></tt>,
<tt><a href=cfg/tarots.cfg>tarots.cfg</a></tt>,
<tt><a href=cfg/mythology.cfg>mythology.cfg</a></tt>,
<tt><a href=cfg/dax.cfg>dax.cfg</a></tt>,...).
<br>
There is 2 types of lines, objects types and objects definition.
<ul>
<li>Objects types, like [wall], [web], [gate],... announce
the type of the following objects definitions.
<li>Objects definitions, one per line, defines for each object
its position in the space <i>(X, Y, Z, a)</i>,
its type <i>(box, sphere, torus,...)</i>,
its dimension <i>(width, height, depth, radius,...)</i>,
eventually its diffused light <i>(diffuse,ambient,specular,shininess)</i>,
and its textures <i>(in x and/or y and/or z)</i>.
<br>
Textures are defined as classical URL to a Gif file on an
HTTP server somewhere in the real World,
(currently http://www.infres.enst.fr/net/vreng/).
</ul>
<p>
Each virtual world is bound to a Multicast group address, one per world.
For the moment these multicast addresses are not dynamically allocated,
because, at this time, we have not found any mechanism (except SAP/SDP)
to allocate these addresses. These addresses are statically defined
in the configuration file in the range reserved for DIS applications
(224.252.0.0/14). We expect some issues from IETF Malloc Group to
assign dynamically multicast addresses.
<h2><a name=launching>What happens, when you are launching VREng ?</a></h2>
At the initialization step, VREng downloads a configation file
of the inital World in Unicast mode under reliable TCP from an HTTP server.
Then all textures of this World are retrieved by HTTP
and kept in the memory cache of the VREng application.
<br>
So, the first World you encounter is the "Interconnection World" or
"Rendez-vous World" where you can find Gate boxes to go (or teleport :-))
into other worlds.
<p>
All other World's configuration files and textures are downloaded
by the same way.
<p>
Requests to this server are multi-threaded if your operating system supports
multi-threading POSIX compliant. This pre-loading can take a certain time
over the Internet, but locally inside a site this operation take
1 to 5 seconds according to the network load and the amount of textures.
<h2><a name=navigate>How to Navigate ?</a></h2>
Use the arrow keys on your keyboard. There are 6 spatial degrees of freedom
for an avatar:
<menu>
<table border=2>
<tr><th>keys</th> <th>Movement</th></tr>
<tr><td>key_up</td> <td>to move forward</td></tr>
<tr><td>key_down</td> <td>to move backward</td></tr>
<tr><td>key_right</td> <td>to turn on your right</td></tr>
<tr><td>key_left</td> <td>to turn on your left</td></tr>
<tr><td>key_pageup</td> <td>to look up</td></tr>
<tr><td>key_pagedown</td> <td>to look down</td></tr>
<tr><td>key_insert</td> <td>to rise up</td></tr>
<tr><td>key_delete</td> <td>to land on the ground</td></tr>
<tr><td>key_home</td> <td>to stand up</td></tr>
<tr><td>key_end</td> <td>to accelerate movement</td></tr>
<tr><td>key_control</td> <td>to send a bullet</td></tr>
<tr><td>key_meta</td> <td>to send a dart</td></tr>
<tr><td>keypad_down</td> <td>zoom in</td></tr>
<tr><td>keypad_up</td> <td>zoom out</td></tr>
<tr><td>keypad_home</td> <td>zoom off</td></tr>
</table>
</menu>
To identify objects, click on the <button1> or <button3> of the mouse, the name
of the pointed object will appear, maybe with a pushdown menu containing buttons
to activate an action on this object (for example open/close for a door).
<p>
Web objects can be displayed in a scene as an exhibition room and
eventually be opened with a local browser to visit related Web pages.
<h2><a name=chat>How to Communicate between participants ?</a></h2>
There are different ways to communicate with other participants in a
same world, either by chating text messages in the input/output
text window under the 3D window, either using traditional MBone tools
like vat, rat, fphone for audio, or wb, wbd for shared whiteboard.
In this case you must switch on the corresponding button in the menu bar.
<h2><a name=objects>What are Objects and Actions ?</a></h2>
Existing objects and their actions are:
<menu>
<table border=1>
<tr><th>Objects</th> <th>Actions</th></tr>
<tr><td>user</td> <td>to get his name</td></tr>
<tr><td>wall</td> <td> </td></tr>
<tr><td>earth</td> <td> </td></tr>
<tr><td>door</td> <td>to open or close</td></tr>
<tr><td>step</td> <td>to climb up or down</td></tr>
<tr><td>lift</td> <td>to lift up or down</td></tr>
<tr><td>animator</td> <td>animate an object</td></tr>
<tr><td>cauldron</td> <td>to create new ball</td></tr>
<tr><td>ball</td> <td>to push, pull, shoot or destroy a ball</td></tr>
<tr><td>gate</td> <td>to teleport yourself in an other world</td></tr>
<tr><td>web</td> <td>to display an URL on the Web</td></tr>
<tr><td>host</td> <td>to connect to an host by telnet</td></tr>
<tr><td>board</td> <td>to write and draw in a whiteboard</td></tr>
<tr><td>vrml</td> <td>to display 3D objects with a VRML browser</td></tr>
<tr><td>cell</td> <td>to through an invisible border between 2 worlds</td></tr>
<tr><td>aoi</td> <td>to enters into an Area of Interest</td></tr>
<tr><td>doc</td> <td>to view or print PostScript/Pdf document</td></tr>
<tr><td>entry</td> <td>viewpoint when entering in a new world</td></tr>
</table>
</menu>
<h2><a name=web>How to launch VREng by the Web ?</a></h2>
<ul>
<li> Add <tt>application/x-vreng; vreng `cat %s`</tt> in your mailcap
or /usr/local/lib/netscape/mailcap
<li> Add <tt>application/x-vreng vreng vre vrengp</tt>
in /usr/local/lib/netscape/mime.types and /<i>your_http_server_top</i>/httpd/conf/mime.types
<li> Kill and restart your browser
<li> Kill -HUP <i>httpd_pid</i> on the httpd server
<li> Create in your <tt>~/public_html</tt> a file "<tt>sdr_id.vreng</tt>"
containing the line:
<p>
-mc <i>group/port/ttl</i>
<p>
where group, port and ttl can be found in your <tt>~/.sdr/cache/</tt>
in a file containing the VREng SAP/SDP announce.
<li> Then try: http://<i>your_site</i>/~<i>your_login</i>/sdr_id.vreng
</ul>
<h2><a name=stats>Network Statistics</a></h2>
<menu>
<table border=1>
<tr><th>Item</th> <th>Average value</th></tr>
<tr><td>sent packets/s</td> <td>8 pkts/s</td></tr>
<tr><td>received packets/s</td> <td>8 pkts/s</td></tr>
<tr><td>packet size/s</td> <td>50 bytes/s</td></tr>
</table>
</menu>
<h2><a name=works>Works in progress</a></h2>
<ul>
<li> RTP/RTCP support (version 1.6.0)
<li> High Level Language (VREL) to describe VR worlds and objects (version 1.7.0)
<li> Tcl/Tk Graphical Interface (version 1.8.0)
</ul>
<h2><a name=related>Links to Related Works</a></h2>
<ul>
<li> <a href=http://www.sics.se/dive/dive.html>DIVE (Distributed Interactive Virtual Environment)</a>
<li> <a href=http://www-sop.inria.fr/rodeo/MiMaze>MiMaze</a>
<li> <a href=http://www.idsoftware.com/>Quake II</a>
<li> <a href=http://www.OpenCommunity.com/>Open Community (MERL)</a>
<li> <a href=http://www.community-place.com/>Community-Place</a>
<li> <a href=http://www.crg.cs.nott.ac.uk/research/systems/MASSIVE-2/>MASSIVE-2</a>
<li> <a href=http://www.cyber.rdg.ac.uk/P.Sharkey/WWW/HIVE/>HIVE</a>
<li> <a href=http://siwg.eris.dera.gov.uk/dis/introduction/>DIS (Distributed Interactive Simulation)</a>
<li> <a href=http://hla.dmso.mil/>HLA (High Level Architecture)</a>
</ul>
<h2><a name=reports>Technical Reports (in french)</a></h2>
<ul>
<li> <a href=doc/spec-ulmer.ps>Spcification Interface de VREng</a> - Feb 1997 - by Lionel Ulmer
<li> <a href=doc/spec-belmon.ps>Spcification Rseau de VREng</a> - Feb 1997 - by Stphane Belmon
<li> <a href=doc/spec-orzan.ps>Spcification Gestion du Monde de VREng</a> - Feb 1997 - by Denis Arnaud and Samuel Orzan
<li> <a href=doc/spec-bellard.ps>Spcification des librairies d'affichage 3D: TinyGL et ZView</a> - May 1997 - by Fabrice Bellard
<li> <a href=doc/spec-global.ps>Spcification Globale de VREng</a> - Feb 1997 - by Denis Arnaud, Fabrice Bellard, Stphane Belmon, Samuel Orzan, Lionel Ulmer
<li> <a href=doc/report-ulmer.ps>Gestion Configuranle d'Objets dans un Monde Virtuel, VREng</a> - Jun 1998 - by Lionel Ulmer
<li> <a href=doc/report-karr.ps>Portage de VREng sur Windows95</a> - Jul 1998 - by Franois Karr
<li> <a href=doc/report-haverlant.ps>Portage de VREng sur RTP</a> - Sep 1999 - by Vincent Haverlant
<li> <a href=doc/report-felon.ps>Diffusion, Cohrence et Contraintes Temporelles dans les Mondes Virtuels 3D, VREng</a> - Sep 1999 - by Adrien Felon
</ul>
<h2><a name=authors>Authors, Contributors, Maintainer</a></h2>
VREng has been initially written by a group of students
who are not very reachable, because they have left our organization since 1998.
<!--
Check out <a href=http://www.stud.enst.fr/~orzan/vreng/>http://www.stud.enst.fr/~orzan/vreng/</a> for details.
-->
<ul>
<p><li> <h3>Initial Authors</h3>
<ul>
<li> <a href=mailto:bellard@email.enst.fr>Fabrice Bellard <bellard@email.enst.fr></a>: 3D rendering
<li> <a href=mailto:belmon@email.enst.fr>Stephane Belmon <belmon@email.enst.fr></a>: network interface
<li> <a href=mailto:orzan@email.enst.fr>Samuel Orzan <orzan@email.enst.fr></a>: world management
<li> <a href=mailto:arnaud@email.enst.fr>Denis Arnaud <denis.arnaud@free.fr></a>: interface between world mgt and network
<li> <a href=mailto:ulmer@email.enst.fr>Lionel Ulmer <ulmer@email.enst.fr></a>: the GUI under X11
<li> <a href=mailto:dax@inf.enst.fr>Philippe Dax <dax@inf.enst.fr></a>: project manager
</ul>
<p><li> <h3>Contributors</h3>
<ul>
<li> <a href=mailto:dax@inf.enst.fr>Philippe Dax <dax@inf.enst.fr></a>: project manager
<li> <a href=mailto:karr@email.enst.fr>Francois Karr <karr@email.enst.fr></a>: Windows-95 port
<li> <a href=mailto:haverlan@email.enst.fr>Vincent Haverlant <haverlan@email.enst.fr></a>: RTP mechanisms
<li> <a href=mailto:felon@inf.enst.fr>Adrien Felon <felon@inf.enst.fr></a>: AOI objects and Tcl/Tk GUI
</ul>
<p><li> <h3>Maintainer</h3>
<ul>
<li> <a href=mailto:dax@inf.enst.fr>Philippe Dax <dax@inf.enst.fr></a>: project manager
</ul>
</ul>
<h2><a name=contacts>Contacts</a></h2>
The mailing-list <a href=mailto:vreng@inf.enst.fr><vreng@inf.enst.fr></a>
has been opened for any discussion
concerning the VReng application and its evolution. To be added on this
mailing-list, send a message to
<a href=mailto:vreng-request@inf.enst.fr><vreng-request@inf.enst.fr></a>.
<p>
You can send Bug-reports and comments to the <a href=mailto:vreng@inf.enst.fr>
<vreng@inf.enst.fr></a> list.
<p>
Have fun!
<img src=barre.bleu.bleu.gif width=500>
<address>
-- <a href=mailto:dax@inf.enst.fr>Philippe Dax</a> --
Last modified: Oct 13, 1999 --
<img src="/cgi-bin/Count.cgi?ft=2|md=5|dd=D|sh=1|df=wwwinf_vreng.cnt">
</address>
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