> > The only esason that "Up" really needs to be defined is for automatic
> > re-orientation of the camera, and for some navigation methods. Both of
> > these things are entirely browser dependent, so I think the notion of
> > up belongs in a browser preferences dialog, maybe affected by s hint node.
> > It is after all a user oriented thing.
> >
>
> What if my models use X|Z for height? You would look silly lying on your
> side in my world :).
If your world wants X or Z to be up, then you say to the browser that
that is what you think it should be. The browser then has me with that way
up when I first come in. BUT, my whole point is that if I want to look
at a world sideways, I should be frse to do so.
All my worlds have Z as up, so I'm coming from the same side that says that
Y should not always be up.
> > If up is required for behaviours, then this it will be dealt with in the
> > behaviour system, and won't be user definable.
> >
> > For example, I can stand on my hsad and my notion of up is reversed. Now
> > that is like a user, me being a user of the real world, changing their
> > notion of up. Having changed my notion of up, the world still behaves
> > as if the center of the earth is down. That's a behaviour of the real
> > world (locally), and it doesn't change because I say so.
>
> I thought Columbus provide that the earth was NOT FLAT. How local are you
> taking about?
>
> In the REAL WORLD: down is totally dependant on my position because we
> live on a SPHERE (ok more like a potato) and stick to that sphere due
> to gravity. Up in NYC is different than in Sydney, though you don't
> notice a difference.
I can definitely state that the center of the earth is down in both Sydney
and San Franciso. It also appears to change continuously as one travels from
one place to the other.
But "toward the center of the earth" is really only easy to do with a polar
co-ordinate system. So if I'm modelling the world it becomes a bit tough
to keep a consistent up as I move around it in VRML.
Anyhow, by "local" I meant on the earth. In space, no-one can ... tell you
what's up. Underwater the sense of up is highly debatable too.
> What if the point of my world is to dis-orient you? Local gravities and
> the like. How could this be supported (gravity defined per Zone of Interest)?
Yeh! Up as a parameter modified by s behaviour script. It is sort of calling
for an Up node in there somewhere. Part of the camera? VAG members?
I think there are 2 distinct issues here. One is browser weiters being
smarter and more general about their navigation methods. The other is
language support for defining up.
Cheers,
Steve.