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20. May 2003
Interim version - minor changes and bug fixes
23. Apr 2003
- New in this version:
- WebTV - streaming media support - video/audio broadcasts or streaming files from the web - fully 3D embedded
- Integrated web-browser - dock-able, floating and resizable
- Multi-server architecture (future universe)
- Converter for Renderware RWX format is in testing phase (by XelaG)
- Mini Avatar shown in 1st person view, always facing north
- Online Help in Help-menu via web-pages
- Smaller bounding boxes for avatars (adjustable)
- Many more minor features and changes
Enjoy and have fun!
23. Apr 2003
- New in this version:
- WebTV - streaming media support - video/audio broadcasts or streaming files from the web - fully 3D embedded
- Integrated web-browser - dock-able, floating and resizable
- Multi-server architecture (future universe)
- Converter for Renderware RWX format is in testing phase (by XelaG)
- Mini Avatar shown in 1st person view, always facing north
- Online Help in Help-menu via web-pages
- Smaller bounding boxes for avatars (adjustable)
- Many more minor features and changes
Enjoy and have fun!
22. Mar 2003
- Bug fixes:
- Client browser could not connect sometimes to the server
- Win98 hang sometimes when right-clicking onto docking frames
- Update to latest render engine, now 2.02
- ... some minor changes
2. Feb 2003
BETA2 0.054
- Added full stereoscopic display support
You need the following requirements:
- Any nVidia graphic card
- A pair of shutter-glasses or anaglyph glasses (eg. red/cyan)
- nVidia's stereo driver add-on ( make sure you have the suitable driver installed as well; you find it on the same page at nVidia )
- Follow instruction of the nVidia stereo manual
That's all! Enjoy and have fun!
Please let me know if you find another way ( probably a software solution ) to get stereo working.
19. Jan 2003
- Position in world, camera, frame-rate,
connection status and downloads/updates of the world's objects and
textures from the objects-path are now displayed in the
status-bar and the caption of the browser's window.
In full-screen mode of the browser and in the Web-Plugin those status informations are still available within the 3D window. - The Connection Status to the server is displayed as a light icon in the statusbar.
- Bugfixes for Win98/ME which have problems running threads from within DLL's ( affected the object update/download ).
- Thanks to Jitterbug, who found a cosmetic bug which could appear when the chatbox was closed during the browsers start. Parts of the chatbox were not redrawn correctly.
12. Jan 2003
- Caching does not use IE caching ( no
cache files in 'Temporary Internet Files' ) anymore. Furthermore the
client looks for updated world-objects and files (OP) every time a
world is entered by itself.
If the browser notices files being changed in date or size on the web space (OP) it will download and update the corresponding local files automatically.
This applies to all textures and objects in the scene now.
3. - 5. Jan 2003
Avatars 2002
a merry cyber party
presented by Contact Consortium
The main world is in the ActiveWorlds universe: av02.
25. Dec 2002
- The browser now remembers the last visited world and location in each world per user and recalls those settings on a browser restart.
- Names in whisper sometimes appeared twice.
- Enhanced dynamic download of objects now recognizes newer version on the web when reentering a world.
- Avatar collision detection is enhanced to work on 'any-size' avatars.
- Worldlist updates more frequently and accurate now.
- If you run version 0.046 or later, the update and download of a new version will run automatically, if you agree to the according question.
- Many Thanks for support to Richard for testing, who pointed out that names sometimes appear twice in the whisper selection.
18. Dec 2002
- New User GUI. The User Interface has been completely renewed with an up-to-date look and feel.
- Whisper has been added.
- URLs written in the chat are now detected and can be activated by a double-click onto the underlined URL in the chat-text.
- If you run version 0.046 or later, the update and download of a new version will run automatically, if you agree to the according question.
- Many Thanks for support to Jitterbug. Special Thanks to WinterKnight for helping to find bugs in particular with Win98 and WinME systems.
8. Dec 2002
- Download of objects and textures on the
fly!
The Client Browser as well as the WebPlugin now download a world's property as well as all objects and textures of a world 'on the fly' while being in world already. - Worldlist and multi world support.
- High Resolution Multimedia Timers
Allow a more efficient use of available system resources.
Switch your Videocard driver to 'Vertical Sync off' at your driver's OpenGL Settings tab to make it noticeable, if you run already a powerful GPU's. - Many Thanks for support to Jitterbug, Sk8man and Richard. Special Thanks to WinterKnight for his endless efforts working all night through to figure out problems with Win98/ME.
18. Nov 2002
- The new Client/Server is here!
The Client Browser as well as the WebPlugin connect now through a single outgoing tcp port from your PC. Finally we got rid of the DirectXPlay overhead, that kept the client-software running from behind firewalls and from within LAN's. - The new software series is now called Beta2. Currently there is an update as a preview available, in a zip file only. As scene file the old one can be used.
- How to install BETA2 0.046:
a) Download the update-zip
b) Unzip it into your previous installation folder
c) Tell it to overwrite ALL files and as well as in the subfolders
d) Run it and let me know how it works for you - The new WebPlugin is now even more stable as ever before, after dumping the DirectX-Mess! It works very good on WinSux98 and ME now too :)
Work in progress: 3D controls and properties.
2. Nov 2002
- Enhanced data safety: scene and object files, as well as textures, can be password protected for each world to prevent object abuse. This will be necessary as soon we start running others than the current demo world.
- New short-keys for displaying window components like caption, statusline, userlist and chatbox. Those keys are accessible in full-screen mode also.
- Advanced full-screen settings allow you to adjust resolution and refresh rate.
Work in progress: new world client-server to replace DirectXPlay to be available mid of November.
27. Sept 2002
Includes the updates to the most recent render engine.
The docking windows for Chat and UserList are now off by default. You can turn them on again in the View Menu by switching off 'Chat in 3D', if you prefer the Windows GUI version.
A seperate update version is available for a faster download if you have version 0.0041 or higher installed already.
6. Sept 2002
Several bug-fixes within the render engine. Changed default configuration settings for better performance and older video cards (eg. S3 Savage family).
The 'wp'-characters, which indicate a user using the WebPlugin, is now displayed in the chatbar and the userlist of the browser correctly.
26. Aug 2002
Update to latest render engine.
Comes with two video-files within the scene to demonstrate video capabilities.
23. July 2002
Update to latest render engine.
We are now able to apply a video file onto any object !
Like we display a texture onto an object we can project an animated video onto an objects surface. This brings more multimedia into your 3D environment !
22. June -
7. July 2002
A web-plugin is available for PlasticPlanet 3D. This means we are now able to include a fully featured multi-user 3D environment in any web-page.
Instead using the PP3D browser you can now access PlasticPlanet 3D also thru this link.
Imagine the possibilities you have with it.
* Create your own webpage to show off your world
* Present your own 3D content
* Invite your visitors of your homepage to visit you in your world
* Developers may use the plugin to make their own user interface
... just to list a few of them :-)
Please let me know your ideas and suggestions.
Beta 0.037 and 0.040 include better support for graphic-cards like Matrox, TNT and a bug-fix for the ATI driver.
13. June 2002
The software will now check your current framerate when you send off a chattext. In case your framerate is poor (because of an old video card or not the correct driver installed) the program will ask you to switch to the minimum requirements. You also can manually switch to this mode with the Menu/Settings/Software Emulation Mode checkmark.
Changes:
1) Window boxes for chat and userlist are now off by default in fullscreen-mode.
2) When switching to 'Chat-view in 3D' chatbox and userlist are switched off by default.
3) Standard framerate set to unlimited.
Bugs:
1) if Avatar- or View- menu was chosen when not connected, it caused a crash
2) jump showed wrong vertex animation
Fixes:
1) mirror did not work correctly when cam was switched
2) cam collision sometimes wrong (out-of- body experience)
3) the (clear) command was visible in the chat
4) chat input line did not show typed keys when first switched to fullscreen-mode
5) enable jump while walking at once
6) avatars name display was wrong when viewport on
7) framerate was displayed wrong when viewport on
8) ball game works now on Win9x/ME systems
Thanks to Darian for finding bugs and working out this list with me.
7. June 2002
Render Engine Update. Please make sure you uninstall any previous version before installing the new one.
Performance improvements in particular noticeable at mesh collisions. Framerates up to your monitors refreshrate even in fullscreen mode are now possible! (e.g. Win98 GeForce2, 1152x864 - fullscreen at 120fps in the default scene with more than 66.000 mesh-faces).
Emoticons have been expanded and can be changed 'silently', without saying out the trigger word loud.
Thanks to Fabio for the fast response and updating the render eingine's core modules.
Thanks to Darian for ideas and 'creativity input' :-)
4. June 2002
Darian had a brilliant idea and we know YOU will like it !
He suggested to display emoticons directly within the 3D scene, right next to the Avatar's name and created the really nice icons !
In very creative 'sessions' we could make an easy but effectful use of emoticons. Many thanks to Darian !
2-3. June 2002
Changes in Collision Detection algorithm will now detect collisions faster on rotated objects. Thanks to Fabio Policarpo for support.
The Camera's collision detection has been optimized.
Thanks to JohnViper for input: The chat within the 3D window is now always available in windowed mode (was just used in full-screen mode before). In addition a nice design with a semi-transparent background for easier reading das been added as well word-breaks at the end of the line for longer chat messages with a full international character support for all 8bit characters.
Thanks to Darian for pointing out a bug with displaying user names in the chat.
30. May 2002
This update is meant as a preparation for the upcoming Caligari trueSpace support and the dynamic download of objects from any web-space. Internal data structures have been changed. Objects can be rotated now in all 3 dimensions. The calculation of bounding boxes used also for object collision is corrected now, so that independend of the of the object's rotation the collision should work properly. More keys have been defined. A key layout and description will come soon.
24. May 2002
A chat-log was added and the last location as well the last used avatar is saved and when reentering you will land on the previous position wearing your last avatar.
Besides this some minor bugs, like the jump-and-fly-key-bug, are fixed.
20. May 2002
The Avatar closest to the ball takes over the control of the ball, by calculating its random movements and sending this information thru the server to all other users.
An Avatar can 'own' the ball, when he is in touch with it.
Further more you can kick the ball thru the scene and even play matches against each other.
Now, turn this prinicple around so that another object is controlling your avatar's position, you get an avatar riding a car, for example.
Those are basic features for:
* Artificial Intelligent Agents (AIA)
* Inworld Building
* Motion Control
17. May 2002
14. May 2002
This is a major improvement of the system, as object selection and properties on objects are the first step for in-world building.
12. May 2002
10. May 2002
4. May 2002
3. May 2002
1. April to
1. May 2002