VRML Basic Technical Prerequisites



When you open the web page, it may be that the Cortona VRML Browser does not display its specific Toolbars. Click on the image with the right mouse button to make the Toolbars visible.	Unless instructed otherwise by the World's Author(s) the Cortona VRML Browser automatically inserts a Headlight feature to the scene which in this case is not necessary since the scene already has its own light. So unmark the Headlight option as above.	There are several navigation modes in VRML. The Avatar mode allows you to move in the virtual scene as if you were in this scene This is the best way to explore it as it allows you to have your own vision angles.


As long as you are not well accustomed to VRML navigation, it is usually a good thing to restrict navigation to Walk or Avatar However, it is just as important to get familiar with the use of other navigation modes like Fly and Examine as soon as you can	Before you are really accustomed to 3D navigation, you may also find pleasant to reduce the navigation speed.	When visiting a VRML site, it is also important that you use the predefined Viewpoints (when the author created some) because they allow much easier navigation and take you to places you probably would never have thought of yourself.. Predefined Viewpoints in the above example are *"Frontview",* "*From SouthEast", "From SouthWest", "From North*", etc...


	About toolbars


Also, you will find convenient to keep in mind the existence and use of the <Restore>, <Fit> and <Align> buttons on the bottom ToolBar (see above image) each time you get lost in the space, which usually tends to happen quite often. The <Restore> button will take you back to the initial view. The <Fit> button attempts to provide you with the best possible point of view that includes the entire VRML world The <Align> button sets the current scene back to horizontal The <View> buttons allow you to jump from one viewpoint to the next and back

	The buttons of the left hand part of the Toolbar are navigation buttons (See image here on left) I already mentioned the <Walk> and <Fly> buttons, and they work according to their names. The <Study> button is the Cortona implementation of the VRML <Examine> capability. It works with the <Plan>, <Pan>, <Turn> and <Roll> buttons right below. I shall not attempt providing you with any description of what these buttons do. Just try by yourself. As regards the <Goto> button at the bottom, I shall say that it does what it says, but rarely what you expect... Just click on it and then click on one of the objects located on your screen

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