From: rompel@best.com (David Rompel) Subject: REV-ONLINE: A virtual squirrel--GREAT VR DEMO - VRML cant DO THAT!! Date: Tue, 05 Dec 1995 20:38:56 GMT Message-ID: <4a2all$kb5@shellx.best.com> Organization: Best Internet Communications [Was ONLINE: A virtual squirrel see the Canonical Virtual Squirrel for yourself on the World-Wide Web. Go to http://www.immersive.com and follow the directions on the home page -T.E.] From: rompel@best.com (David Rompel) Damm this is kool, (Marc & Zap you've out done yourselfs) Real Interactive VR today!!, not some cruddy little walk thru. Now this thing has potential to shake up the VR world Behaviours of this type open up the world to all sorts of things..... all you have to do is look, see the potential for REALLY complex behaviours instead of the simple ones (no offence ZAP), tie them to the avatar (and his actions) and other's avatars and we're there!! Interactive VR.... Not only that but with 15 squirrels and 20 trees it still looks kool as hell Not only that, but the behavior modules are SO SMALL..... and should have no trouble fitting through straw (verses PIPE) to the net (~135K for trees, fern, squirrel w/ personality and all behaviours -- TRUELY AMAZING) sign me up to make content for VR today see ya Dave rompel@best.com Marc de Groot wrote: >From: Marc de Groot >For some time, the example of an acorn-munching squirrel has been a >staple of conversation on the VRML mailing lists. The squirrel, its >behavior, and its relationship to the objects around it are excellent >starting points for thinking about distributed VR and the issues it >presents. >A talented virtual world designer has implemented an example of the >squirrel, and it can be seen on the Web. >I posted the message below to the VRML mailing list earlier today. It >seemed appropriate that I preface it with a brief explanation before >posting it on sci.virtual-worlds. Enjoy! >---------------- >The Squirrel LIVES! >The all-singing all-dancing Canonical Virtual Squirrel has been let >out of his cage. Once confined to the musings and debates of an >animated, interactive band of special-interest enthusiasts, the >Squirrel has taken on a virtual life of his own, right here in our >little corner of the Global Village. >He hops! He looks back and forth! He hunts down acorns and devours >them with his mighty incisors! All while savoring his carefree >virtual existence in a charming and restful grove of oak trees near >(0, 0, 0). >Come watch the Squirrel and his community of cloned siblings romp and >frolic on a polygonal plane as they fill their cheek pouches with the >bounty of the virtual canopy. >You can experience the Canonical Virtual Squirrel for yourself on the >World-Wide Web. Go to http://www.immersive.com and follow the >directions on the home page. >The Canonical Virtual Squirrel is a VR applet written by Hakan "Mr. Zap" >Andersson. This applet implements many of the features of the Squirrel >"thought experiment" as discussed on the VRML mailing lists over the last >several months. >Mr. Zap implemented the Canonical Virtual Squirrel using Immersive Systems' >Meme(tm) Development System. The Squirrel embodies the first practical >example of a number of proposed mechanisms that have, until now, only existed >as conjecture. The brain-engine duality proposed by Mr. Zap >(http://sf.www.lysator.liu.se/~zap/vr_prop.html) and discussed by Bernie >Roehl (http://sunee.uwaterloo.ca/~broehl/behav.html) has been implemented in >preliminary form, and clock time is used to determine intervals over which >various behaviors and conditions persist. >Mr. Zap's work is buttressed by the powerful dynamic object model in >Meme, and makes use of the inter-object messaging technology to >mediate communications among the components of the virtual world. >Each object in the Squirrel applet is autonomous, containing its own >description and rules of behavior. The conceptual elegance of the >Meme object model frees the designer from the distraction of >considering the overall program, and allows undivided attention to be >paid to the individual object and its relationships. >Mr. Zap and Immersive Systems welcome any comments or suggestions >regarding the Canonical Virtual Squirrel. Send e-mail for Mr. Zap to >zap@lysator.liu.se. Questions regarding Meme can be sent to >meme-info@immersive.com. >Immersive Systems, Inc. is based in San Francisco. The company is >committed to the development of an open architecture for distributed >virtual reality on the Internet. Why live in a marked-up world? Meme >is Worlds Better. >-- >---- >Marc de Groot >Immersive Systems, Inc. >San Francisco