IMPORTANT: We are using, at this tutorials serie, the beta version Dec CTP. Some sintax is different for the last WPF version!!!
Web3D has a 10 years history of big disasters. Since the days of the launch of VRML until the phaseouting of the ADOBE web3D product:"Atmosphere" at 2005 , nothing works.
It's important to say that Web3D IS NOT Internet3D. We are talking about a 3D application having a "webpage dependence", not about things like: ActiveWorlds, SecondLife or internet multiplayers games.
One of the last available products for web3D is Shokwave3D, part of Macromedia/ADOBE Director. But it's frozen! We (DMU) have a tutorials serie about Shockwave3D that you can read here. But who knows if the product will be phaseouted soon by ADOBE , like they did with Atmosphere...
Now Microsoft is launching its Web3D. It's part of the new Windows Presentation Foundation (codename:Avalon). It's in Beta phase now. It has a new architecture for the launching of the application: ClickOnce that can be "page dependent". We talk about how to publish WPF applications at our "WPF PROGRAMMING - BASICS" tutorials that you can find at our site (go to this link. ).
At this tutorials serie we will work creating generic applications but you can publish them using Visual Studio, any version.
OBS: we are using the FREE Visual C# 2005 Express for compilations.
An important warning: Microsoft web3D will work only for users having Windows Vista or Windows XP SP2 updated - having some aditional software.For the pre-requirements for the use of WPF (and to use this tutorials) go to: this page.
If you have Windows XP today, you are elegible to read our tutorials, to make all the exercices and to run all the demos we will put available for you.
You will create (following the exercices) a complete application having multiplayer syncronized avatares, syncronized doors (if an user opens a door clicking a 3D button at his scene, the door will be open at other copies of the application), collision detection (the avatar will not cross walls, will follow the terrain etc.) and many other things. Our target are professionals trying to learn Avalon 3D or hobbyists trying to have fun creating "basic" webgames. We are not trying to create a new HalfLife2. And... we are not designers, only programers. (OK, we are not english speakers too. Sorry, Shakespeare.)
To do the exercices of our tutorials you do NOT need any 3D modeler (3dsmax, Maya etc.) or converter because we will give to you the .XAML files of all the objects used.
If you don't have a powerfull computer and a fast communication line it's possible that you will not have a very responsible application. We are doing our tests at a: Notebook DELL Latitude D600 - Intel Pentium M755 2.0 GHZ - Memory: 512 MB - VideoCard ATI Radeon 9000 32MB DDR 4xAGP - Resolution 1400x1050 - Communication: ADSL 256 kbps (Download: 45 kBps, Upload: 14 kBps)
Our tutorials ARE NOT very basic. You need to know C# programming, concepts of WINFX, XAML, creation of webservices and delegates, ADO .NET and many other things. But don't be afraid. You can find at our site some basic tutorials - go to our homepage. Try to read the SDK documentation, run our examples and recreate the exercices.
