home  previous   next  contents

Shout3D™ 2.5 - User Guide

Previewing and Publishing Applets with the Shout3D Wizard

The Shout3D Wizard is a Java application that is used for previewing and publishing Shout3D content. It automates the process of creating HTML files with the appropriate <APPLET> tags for previewing on your local system. It also generates optimized files for publication on a Web server.

The best way to become introduced to the Shout3D Wizard is to take the Wizard QuickStart Tutorial.

Launching the Wizard

The Shout3D Wizard is a Java application, but Windows and Mac users will be able to launch it from a standard executable file. Other users must run the Wizard from a command line in an installed Java runtime environment.

Windows Users:
Macintosh Users:
Other Users:

If you can not successfully launch the Shout3DWizard, check the system requirements.

When it starts up, the application will look like this:


Opening a Scene File

Use File>Open to load a 3D scene file, in either .s3d or VRML 97 (.wrl) format.

A file picker dialog box will appear.

Select a file and press "Open". The name of the loaded file will appear in the title bar.

Once a file has been loaded, the Preview... and Publishing Options buttons are enabled. The Shout3DWizard will remember your last model directory each time you run the Shout3DWizard.

Setting Options

Press the Publishing Options button to reveal the dropdown menu.

Scroll through the menu to review all of the options. Most of the options pertain to the appearance of the content, and are therefore as important for previewing as for publishing. In general, these options set applet attributes or parameters that are discussed more thoroughly elsewhere in this User Guide.

The following options set applet attributes or parameters:

Background
Color
Set the background color by clicking on the cell to the right. A small color widget will pop up. Use the sliders to change the color. Hit return or click anywhere else in the table to close the color chooser. (default = 0, 0, 0) If you already have a Background node in your scene file (perhaps because you created a background in MAX), don't set this option as it will override your existing background.

Image
To add a background image, click the cell to the right, and use the file chooser to select an image file (.jpg or .gif). For example, try wooden_stage_bg.jpg in the models\images\shared directory. (default = none) If you already have a Background node in your scene file (perhaps because you created a background in MAX), don't set this option as it will override your existing background.

Stretch to fit
The background image might not be the same size as the applet. If you set this option to true, the image will be scaled to fit the applet. (default = false)
Bounds
Width
Sets the width of the applet, in pixels.
Height
Sets the height of the applet, in pixels.
World
Default Renderer
Choose between standard Shout3D Java software renderer and OpenGL rendering for hardware acceleration.
Edge Antialising
If true, edge antialiasing is applied. Edge antialiasing operates only on edges between scene geometry and the background. Edge antialiasing softens jaggedness, but slows down rendering. (default=false)
Note: Shout3D 2.5 also offers higher quality "progressive antialiasing" which refines the entire image over a sequence of frames whenever the camera stops moving – bringing all objects into sharp focus. To use it, simply it add the appropriate node to the scene file, as follows:
StillCamProgAntialias {}
Headlight on
If true, a white headlight will be added to the scene, attached to the viewpoint and directed along its negative Z-axis. Thus objects are always lit from the direction of the camera. (default = true)
Node search path
This option allows you to change or add to the list of directories in which Shout3D looks for node class files when it loads a scene file. The use of node search paths is discussed elsewhere in this User Guide.
Pixel doubling
Pixel doubling can be set to none, regular or smooth. (default = none) Pixel doubling is discussed elsewhere in this User Guide.
Smooth textures
If true, applies bilinear filtering to textures, reducing pixilated artifacts at a slight cost in rendering speed (default = true). This options sets the applet parameter bilinearFiltering discussed elsewhere in this User Guide.
Threaded loading
If true, textures and other resources are loaded independently of the scene file. (default = true). This option sets the applet parameter loadResourcesInSeparateThread, discussed elsewhere in this User Guide.
Applet type
Choose the applet class file to be used, which must be the basic Shout3DApplet or any applet derived from it. Remember to always select the compiled .class file, not the source code (e.g., ExamineApplet.class, not ExamineApplet.java or ExamineApplet). (default = Shout3DApplet.class).
Registration
Code
Overrides the registration code from a registration file in the Shout3D_wizard directory.
Name
Overrides the registration name from a registration file in the Shout3D_wizard directory.

The options you set (other than Applet type and the background parameters) are saved in a file named wizard_settings in your Shout3d_wizard directory, and will be used automatically the next time you launch the Wizard. You can delete this file to cause the Wizard to return to its defaults.

Previewing

Once you've set your options, you can preview by pressing the Preview button. A temp_preview directory will be created within the codebase directory, containing an HTML file and a directory with the scene file and other necessary resources. This HTML file will be automatically loaded into a browser for viewing.

Each time you press the Preview button, the temp_preview directory is reconstructed, and thus reflects any changes made to the scene file or resource files since the last preview.

Previewing occurs in your default Web browser. If you wish to choose a different browser for previewing, or if the Preview tool is not functioning because it is unable to find your default browser, you can set your Browser path in the Publishing Options panel. Find and select Netscape (Netscape.exe), Microsoft Internet Explorer (IExplore.exe) or appletviewer.exe.

Publishing Shout3D Content

When you publish a selected applet with the Shout3D Wizard, a published directory is created that contains all of the files needed for uploading to a Web server. Before pressing the Publish button, you must consider the following Publishing Options:

World
Optimize scene
If true, the .s3d or .wrl scene file will be compressed and saved with a .s3z extension. If you don't want the file to be compressed, set this option to false and your original file will be copied without changes. (default = true)
Publish
Include codebase
If true, the Published directory will contain copies of all the Java classes needed for runtime execution. If false, it will only contain the HTML file and the scene file (with its resources). Experienced users may wish to set this option to false if they are certain that all of the necessary classes have already been uploaded to the server or if they understand how to upload classes outside of the publishing process. (default = true)
Clear directory first
If true, the current Published directory is cleared before publishing. If false, new files are added to the existing ones, permitting you to accumulate projects for uploading as a unit. (default = true)
Optimize archive
If true, a custom .zip archive will be created for the specific applet. If false, the standard shout3dClasses.zip archive is used. (default = false) For a complete discussion of this important option, see below.

The Published directory is structured to be uploaded to a Web server as a single unit. Your HTML page will almost certainly contain other content in addition to the Shout3D applet. You can add that content to the HTML file in the Published directory, and rename the HTML files as well. If, on the other hand, you are copying the <APPLET> tag from an HTML file in the Published into another HTML file, you'll need to move the finished file into the Published directory before uploading.

If you do not upload the Published directory as a single unit, you must be certain that the CODEBASE attribute in the <APPLET> tag correctly describes the path from the HTML file to the codebase (the directory that contains the shout3d, applets and custom_nodes directories).

In the interests of safety and completeness, the complete applets and custom_nodes directories in your Shout3D installation are copied to the Published directory. You may choose to delete unnecessary class files from these directories before uploading.

NOTE: It's important to understand that the Wizard can only publish resources (3D scene information, bitmap images and sound files) that are included in the .s3d or VRML 97 scene file. If your applet uses additional assets, you must make sure to copy these files over independently. This applies to assets that are loaded as the result of programmed user interactivity, as well as to assets that may be used by scene nodes that are created (instantiated) directly in custom applet or panel classes. For example, you may create a project in which user input will cause one bitmap to be replaced with another that is not already in the scene file. All of the bitmaps that the project requires should be collected together in the Published directory before uploading to a server. Similarly, if users are given the power to load a new scene into an applet (with the loadURL() or setSceneFromURL() methods), all of the alternative scene files must be included for uploading.

Creating an Optimized Archive

By creating an optimized archive, you package precisely the Java class files needed by a given applet in a single unit that can be downloaded in a single transaction. This is the most efficient approach to publishing. If you do not create an optimized archive, the standard shout3dClasses.zip archive will be downloaded by users. It will likely contain unnecessary class files and lack others that are needed by the applet, and these must be downloaded individually. Despite the fact that the Optimize archive option is false by default, you will typically want to set it to true.

When you press the Publish button with the Optimize archive option set to true, a preview window will appear with your applet loaded. This previewing process is necessary to identifying the classes needed by the applet. Let the preview load completely and test every aspect of user interactivity provided in the applet. Then close the preview window. When you do so, a custom .zip archive will be created and written to the Published directory. In some cases, the preview may fail to evidence all aspects of your applet correctly, but the .zip archive will nonetheless be correct. In any event, any classes that fail to be included in the archive will be downloaded separately. Thus your applet will always work for users.

Note for Shout 1.0 Users

Shout3D 1.0 used Java 1.02 so as to support the Netscape 3 and Microsoft Internet Explorer 3 Web browsers. Shout3D 2.5 uses Java 1.1, and will therefore run only on Netscape and MIE 4.0 and higher. This change was made to incorporate advantages of Java 1.1 that far outweigh the loss of the small (and diminishing) user base that is still using the oldest generation of browsers.

Netscape 4.0+ and MIE 4.0+ support compressed scene files. Thus it is no longer necessary to publish uncompressed .s3d and .wrl files, either alone or as an option. As a result, the Wizard will generate only a single compressed .s3z file by default. If you wish to use your uncompressed scene file in the publication process, set the Optimize scene option to false.

Shout3D 1.0 users may also notice that the Convert to .s3d option in the Wizard has been eliminated. In Shout3D 1.0, the .s3d format was only a compacted (though not compressed) version of an original .wrl file, in which whitespace and any non-compliant nodes were eliminated. Shout3D 2.5 can load only a single type of file, regardless of whether it is named with a .wrl or a .s3d extension. All that matters is that it is in the correct format and contains only nodes supported by Shout3D. There is no longer any need for conversion from .wrl to .s3d, and all compression is to files with an .s3z extension (regardless of whether the originals were .wrl or .s3d).


Copyright© 1999-2001, Shout3D LLC.