3D-dvshop: a 3D Dynamic Virtual Shop
A. Sanna, B. Montrucchio, P. Montuschi and C. Demartini
{sanna, montru, montuschi, demartini}@polito.it Dip. di Automatica e Informatica
Politecnico di Torino (ITALY)
Outline
• Background
• Goals
• Basic idea
• 3D-dvshop architecture
• Demo
• Conclusion and future work
Background (I)
• Cult 3D
– 3D Studio Max
– export using Cult3D Exporter
– effects using Cult3D Designer
• 3D Anywhere
– written in Java; no plug- in
• Shout3D
– Javascript from VRML
• Superscape e-Visualizer – 3D objects regenerated
using a polygon model
• Blaxxun 3D
– Java applet; no plug-in
– compatible with VRML/X3D
• Janet3D
– interactive 3D applications for the Web
Background (II)
• Anfy3D is a fast renderer (with shading)
– Java based
• Kaon
– 2D images converted in 3D polygonal
model
• However they are not 3D environments, only realistic and interactive 3D objects
• PanoramIX
– a set of photos is used to generate a virtual
environment
• Photovista
– produces compact files – no plug-in
• QVTR (QuickTime VR)
– panoramas
– view from multiple points onto a single point
– scenes overview
• They are environments, but not interactive
Background (III)
• VRCommerce is a
solution for immersive e- commerce
– VRML 2.0: dynamic worlds and scripting capabilities
– Java
• Java3D
– high level
– incorporates geometry compression – write once, run
anywhere
• User interface metaphor
– metaphor-aware navigation
• In e-commerce it
mainly means to find wished products
easily
Goals
• standard 2D on-line catalogs are common
• PCs performance are now sufficient, but
not used
• modem connections are slow
• it is not easy to find the objects of interest in a 3D virtual shop
• use of a 3D immersive environment
• use of modern PC performance
• reduced complexity of the scene in order to address:
– slow connections – easy product
retrieval
Basic Idea
• Ad-hoc shop for each user
• Dynamically
generated virtual shop
– metaphor-aware navigation
• Only products of interest are placed in the virtual world:
– reduced amount of data for a scene
– augmented feeling for the user
3D-dvshop architecture (I)
• Three components
– database server – web server
– clients
• Database and web server can be on the same machine
– logically are two separate entities
• Oracle can manage BLOBs (Binary Large Objects), text, images, sounds and so on
• Apache web server
– dynamic generation of the shop
– Java and Servlet (Apache Servlet Engine)
• VRML 2.0 browser
– egocentric – exocentric
3D-dvshop architecture (II)
• Each product
– belongs to a specific category
– can be a composition of more objects
– can be represented by more than one VRML model
• a VRML model is a collection of files
– VRML code – textures – JavaScripts – Java code
• A bounding box
encapsulates the VRML model to avoid collisions
• Also rooms are
represented by VRML models
Database
3D-dvshop architecture (III)
• Table generation
– SQL commands – Administrator Tool
• The Administrator Tool uses
– Java
– JFC for graphic interface
– JDBC for database connection
• Database Panel
– connection to the database
• Categories Panel
• Products Panel
– assigns a product to a category
• VRML model
– object VRML model
• Show Room Panel
– room VRML model
Database
3D-dvshop architecture (IV)
• 3D-dvshop
generates a virtual shop by
SceneServer servlet
• ServForm servlet allows the query from the user by a form
• The user can specify desired objects and categories
• 3D scene is on the right and a list of found objects is on the left
• The number of rooms depends on the number of objects
– connection doors are eventually generated
Engine for shop creation
Demo
Conclusion and future work
• The proposed architecture
provides a tool for 3D e-commerce
based on VRML and Java
• Customers can interact with a
personal shop built on their own will
• Future work will be aimed:
– to allow different users to interact each other – to add intelligent
avatars automatically controlled
