Sorry if this idea has been canvased but I havn't been watching my VRML =
mail very closely due to mid sessions, but I tend to agree with colin. =
If these 'textures' of somesought could be held in some kind of variable =
library then the files could simply pick those textures off the hard =
disk instead of actualy downloading the data. If you wanted to use a =
texture that wasn't alesady listed in the standard library then you =
could have the option of downloading that texture and adding it to your =
library.
If this idea has been canvassed then please email and tell me to shut up =
:)
Justin Parry-Okeden
parry@acay.com.au
"Yesterday I was a dog,today I'm still a dog.
Tommorrow I'll probably still be a dog.
SIGH! Theres so little hope for advancement"
---Snoopy
I like LODs:
LODs are wonderful. I can easily imagine a scene which downloads a load =
of
coloured cubes in about 1 second and draws them on the screen.
Won't it be fun watching the cubes nearest to me gradually evolve into =
ever
more detailed shapes? To see a whole world literally evolving in front =
of
your eyes. Almost a strip-tease in reverse....
I like textures less:
Image files are big and bulky - even JPEG ones. I have a suggestion:
How about extending the VRML file format to include extra information to =
say
whether or not a texture should be looked for in a standard "library" of
textures. Textures like "brick wall", "wooden door", "shag pile carpet", =
etc.
will probably be used frequently. These textures could reside on the =
users
hard disk instead of being downloaded.
I agree that textures can be cached as a user browses, but I think there =
can
be a lot of clashes of filenames with this sort of thing. Maybe some =
sort of
hint as to whether or not the texture should be cached would be useful, =
but
I think that a standard library of, say, 100 textures could easily be
defined and would prove very useful.
Also, users could customise their librarys if they were into things like
purple carpets and padded rubber wallpaper instead of "axminster" and =
"white
plaster".
Colin