Cybertown World Builder's Guild

There are many, many tools which will help you to learn how to craft compelling VRML worlds. The guild members have experience with a wide variety of these tools and will attempt to review them here so you may better decide what fits your needs.

As with any tool kit there is no right or wrong combination of tools. The quality of the final product depends on the tools used to be certain, but mostly depends on the wielder of the instruments. You will have a need for a variety of tools, some small single purpose tools and some monolithic tools.

I want to avoid saying this tool is better than that one. How could I say that a hammer is better than a saw? They are both needed, and both have their roles to play.

This listing is necessarily a work in progress...tools are being created and released continuously. A tool does not determine what you build but it will influence how you build it.

Many of these tools are available as a "30 day demo" so that you may see how they operate and determine if that program might meet your needs. Many will leave you with VRML models or useful utilities after the main program expires.

The text in the Times New Roman font is a direct quote from the program's help file for the programs that I had the information available.

When using a hammer you learn more than just about the tool, more than just driving in nails; you learn good design, best building practices and above all how to visualize and create in 3D.

At the same time, ain't it funny when if all you have is a hammer that everything starts to look like a nail?

Use Your Head

The most powerful tool in your VRML tool kit is your mind. Do some work before you fire up your computer. Get out a pencil and some paper and sketch out your dreams and desires, then when you turn on your computer you will have a better sense of purpose.

VRML Specification

The next most powerful tool in your VRML tool kit is the VRML Specification...the spec. http://www.web3d.org/technicalinfo/specifications/vrml97/index.htm please look at it. I enjoyed learning from the examples at first, but now use it as the reference that it really is. It is good for answering questions such as does creaseAngle go from 0 to 1 or from 0 to infinity? The spec is the "rules of our universe", building will be easier if you have some knowledge of the rules.

Final Words

These are my own personal opinions and not the responsibility of my employer, my Internet service provider, web site host, Cybertown, Blaxxun Interactive, etc... If you take exception to what I say, please email me and I will do what I can to justify or remedy the problem. All these program names are the registered mark of the companies that made the program. If you know of some software that you would like to have represented on this guide, please email me a short description and a link to it and I will add it as time allows. Better yet, just send me a free copy of the program and I'll be sure to evaluate it. And remember, "I am just trying to help"™.

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