Introducing Virtual Worlds

Welcome to the Virtual Worlds Guide. This is your guide to virtual reality, virtual communities, and virtual presence on the Internet. 

Online virtual worlds are the next step in the Internet experience. These applications turn the screen into a window to new environments, real or simulated. When you connect to an online virtual world, you can move around in it, build in it, and/or interact with others.

Most Internet virtual worlds are still demonstrations or experiments; their purpose is fun or exploration of new ways of interacting with cyberspace. Be patient if some applications take a long time to load, or stall altogether. Think of it as a glimpse into the future, when faster machines and networks will make three dimensional viewing or virtual reality on the net as commonplace as Web browsers or email are now. 

With that in mind, let's get started!

First, we need the right software. Virtual worlds are added to the Internet all the time. Most of these are created with the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) and require the appropriate browsers. You can get these for Macintosh or Windows. If you are using Netscape Navigator 4.5 or later, check your plug-ins. You may be ready to go, with Cosmo Player. 

An online virtual world can be just about anything. Just a sample: explore a city, take an origami (paper sculpture) lesson or explore the frontiers of VRML art.

Virtual reality-based communities are growing on the Internet. Windows 95 users can join Active Worlds or OnLive (download Traveler first). Macintosh and Windows users can check out The Palace. Avatars, or characters that represent you in the virtual world, let you be whatever you want. In some places, you can build your own house or estate to entertain your new friends. You can also explore virtual campuses and places to play your favorite games. 

VIRTUALLY THERE: This special feature offers you "telepresence"-the ability to project yourself and interact with distant sites via robots and other devices connected to the net. We will explore this new world of virtual presence as we control interactive cameras, command a robot over the Internet, or run a model railroad. 

In the summer of 1997, the Pathfinder mission landed a robotic rover on Mars. The pictures from this rover have been combined into a series of virtual reality models of the surface of the planet. Not even the sky is the limit!

Intrigued? Now go back to the Guide and explore further. Let me know if you find something special.