Book details of 'Vrml: Exploring Virtual Worlds on the Internet'

Title	Vrml: Exploring Virtual Worlds on the Internet
Author(s)	Matthew Poli, Peter Vogel, Walter J. Goralski
ISBN	0134869605
Language	English
Published	January 1997
Publisher	Prentice Hall Computer Books

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The Virtual Bookcase Reviews of 'Vrml: Exploring Virtual Worlds on the Internet':

Reviewer amazon.com wrote:
Designed for the VRML beginner, VRML: Exploring Virtual Worlds on the Internet leads the reader through a series of well-organized, helpful chapters and exercises. The guide's logical sequence of topics and the authors' approachable writing style afford a solid understanding of the ins and outs of virtual worlds. The authors begin with a series of background chapters, which progress from basic concepts of computer graphics and virtual reality (VR) to the fundamentals of virtual worlds and the Web. The authors then introduce the reader to VR browsing software and exploration of worlds. Users establish a level of comfort with the subject and can easily jump into subsequent chapters that teach the VRML language and the creation of objects and worlds. The handbook wraps up with a thoughtful look into the future of VRML and what kind of impact the language might have as it evolves. A great general guide, VRML: Exploring Virtual Worlds on the Internet provides specifications that include the latest standards release (2.0) without neglecting readers who are unfamiliar with earlier versions. A companion CD-ROM provides Windows VRML browsing software and example code for examples in the book.
Reviewer Rob Slade wrote:
So, having an Internet account no longer sets you apart? Most of your friends are "surfing the Web" now, too? Some of them even have followed your lead in setting up a Web home page? Need to maintain your technological superiority? Go VRML, young man, go VRML. The Virtual Reality Modeling Language is a description language for three dimensional (virtual reality) graphical spaces. It also has the hypermedia linking capability that HTML (HyperText Markup Language) gives to the World Wide Web. Thus VRML proposes the possibility of "browsing" through virtual malls and museums, rather than the simple page oriented information links currently provided by the Web. At the moment, that promise is more proposed than actual. Virtual worlds do exist in cyberspace (if you have the right browser), but tend to be explorations of the ideas rather than useful presentations. Still, they do exist, and this book indicates that VRML is growing: this is a basic, user level introduction to the field. While other VRML books are more technical, and concentrate on the building of 3-spaces, almost half of the text here deals with the concepts (coming close to being tedious on the subject) and the installation and use of one of the included browsers. This is, then, a book for the novice user who wants a bit of hand-holding while getting started on VRML explorations. The VRML side of the text does give some instruction on simple shape creation, but those who do want to build virtual worlds will have to look elsewhere. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1996
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