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inDuality™
3D Universal Client (Alpha)
At present there are currently no effective standards in place for the 3D Internet, so a user is unable to seamlessly browse the 3D internet and is forced to install the correct browser plug-in for each type of 3D content they view. If a user views 10 different types of 3D content they need to install 10 different plug-ins.
As additional types of 3D content become available the level of complexity will increase with Virtual World vendors launching proprietary clients and end users resisting the installation of yet another plug-in.
The inDuality 3D Universal Client (Alpha), developed by Pelican Crossing provides a single solution for browsing the 3D Internet. The inDuality client runs as a plug-in for Web Browsers. It is responsible for identifying 3D content and ensuring that the correct software is in place to render it. Because inDuality is content-agnostic, users can seamlessly browse the 3D Internet with impunity.
How it works
The inDuality client is embedded in a Web page using standard HTML. The type of content to be viewed, its location and any other needed parameters are also specified in the page. When the page is loaded into a Web Browser, the inDuality client determines the type of content to be rendered. It then checks to see if the needed files have been installed to support the content. If they have, a check is then made to ensure that they are up to date. If the files are not already installed or they are out of date they are automatically downloaded in the background. Once the needed files have been downloaded the 3D content is then displayed. The user then interacts with the Virtual World in the same manner as they would with the original Virtual Worlds client.
Second Life running in Internet Explorer using inDuality
Non Web based Virtual Worlds
A large number of Virtual Worlds use a stand alone client and do not currently run inside a Web Browser. inDuality is designed to be able to support these non-web based Virtual World clients. As a proof of concept, inDuality supports Second Life which means users can now embed Second Life worlds directly into Web pages.
Embedding & Linking
With inDuality’s support for in-world linking, a user can move from one Virtual World to another without the need for the hosting Web page to change. These links can be portrayed as doorways or simply proximity driven triggers. The way the links look and work will be dependant on the Virtual Worlds client itself. In-world linking is ideal for Social Networking applications such as Facebook, MySpace and Blogs. The inDuality client can be embedded into the user’s home page. Visitors to the page can see the embedded 3D content and jump to other Virtual Worlds without leaving the home page. Any advertisements or branding that exists on the page is still displayed.
Bi-directional communication between the hosting Web page and the Virtual World is supported. Embedded Virtual Worlds will be able to execute JavaScript in the hosting Web page. Likewise, the hosting Web Page can trigger the Virtual Worlds scripting language. Note: this feature may not be available for all Virtual Worlds and is dependant on the scripting language used by the Virtual World.
Regular HTML style linking is also supported. This is particularly useful when the 3D content expects to interact with a specific Web page as opposed to a generic Web page. For example, the Web page has buttons and controls that control the Virtual World or the Virtual World is designed to modify the Web page based on user’s actions.
Q. What will the inDuality 3D Universal Client cost?
A. The inDuality 3D Universal Client is free for both commercial and non-commercial use.
Q. When will the inDuality client be released?
A. No official release date has been announced. To sign up as a Beta Tester and to receive news about the progress of inDuality please go to http://www.pelicancrossing.com/inDualitySignup.htm
Q. What Virtual Worlds will inDuality initially support when it is released?
A. The list of supported clients is still being established. The alpha version demonstrated a the Virtual Worlds Conference supported: Second Life, X3D, Flash and Blink 3D.
Q. What Web Browsers and Operating Systems will be supported?
A. The initial release of inDuality will support Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera Web Browsers running on Windows XP and Windows Vista. Support for Linux and Mac is on the roadmap but currently no timeline is available
Q. Will the inDuality client be automatically installed when a user hits a Web page?
A. Yes, like many Web Browser plug-ins, if you hit a Web page with inDuality embedded in it and you do not have the inDuality client installed you will be asked if you want to install it. If the answer is yes, the install will complete with little or no further input from the user.
Q. My company is a vendor of Virtual World technology, how can we get involved?
A. Send an email to info@pelicancrossing.com and we will organize for someone to contact you.
Q. What is an inDuality plug-in?
A. An inDuality plug-in is a Virtual Worlds client that is supported by inDuality. Example plug-ins include: Second Life, Adobe Flash and Blink 3D.
Q. Will Pelican Crossing be responsible for fixing bugs in the in the inDuality plug-ins?
A. Yes, bugs that are introduced as a result of supporting the Virtual Worlds client as a plug-in to inDuality will be the responsibility of Pelican Crossing. It will be the responsibility of the Virtual Worlds vendor to fix bugs in the core technology.
Q. Can you do in-world linking from any Virtual World supported by inDuality to another?
A. We expect to support in-world linking between most of the inDuality-supported Virtual Worlds. However, this does depend on the technology used for the individual Virtual World.
Q. Can the developers of inDuality-supported Virtual Worlds programmatically communicate with the hosting HTML page and vice versa?
A. Most inDuality plug-ins should be able support 2-way communication with the hosting HTML page. However, exact capabilities will depend on the technology used for the individual Virtual World.
Q. Will inDuality be able to support any Virtual World client as a plug-in.
A. We certainly believe we can support the majority of Virtual Worlds clients that exist today. Typically it will depend on the technology used for Virtual World client and the way it was architected.
Q. Can a Virtual Worlds vendor’s original client and the inDuality client both be installed on the same machine?
A. Yes, where it makes sense we keep both clients separate so for example, registry settings are different. Conversely, where it makes sense we keep them together, for example if you make changes to you Second Life profile in the Second Life client, the inDuality client will see the changes and vice versa.
Q. With Pelican Crossing now putting effort into developing the inDuality client, are you still committed to Blink 3D.
A. Yes, Pelican Crossing believes in Blink 3D more than ever and is very comfortable with its technology. This level of comfort allows us to work with vendors whom some would consider competition. As a company, Pelican Crossing sees a future where no single Virtual Worlds technology dominates, a future where moving from one virtual world to another becomes seamless. We believe that inDuality can make that happen and that we need to form alliances to make inDuality happen.
Q. Why is the ability of inDuality to support 2D Flash content significant?
A. The ability to embed Flash content into a Web page has obviously been around as long as Flash has. However, with the inDuality client you can have in-world linking that takes you straight from say Second Life into a Flash application and back again without the underlying Web page changing. This is particularly important when you want to keep people on the same page either because it’s your MySpace or Facebook home page or because you are deriving revenue from advertisements on the page.
Q. Do the inDuality plug-ins work exactly the same way as the original client versions?
A. Yes, for the most part. Changes in functionality are only made to ensure the smooth usage of the plug-in in the context of a Web Browser. Typically this means removing options to quit, options to change screen resolution and the ability for any scripting language to read or write files or to directly access the OS.
Q. Why is it better to use inDuality as opposed to using the original Virtual Worlds client?
A. It is not always better to use one approach over another. By using inDuality, the user experience is greatly improved across Virtual Worlds. The inDuality client will take advantage of new standards as they emerge to the benefit of all supported Virtual Worlds. Installation of additional Virtual Worlds is easier and faster. Some Virtual World clients don’t run in a Web Browser but with inDuality they can. Essentially the user can let inDuality take care of everything allowing the user to focus on the experience, not the technology.
Q. Are there plans to have a non browser based version of inDuality?
A. Thought has been given to a stand alone non-browser based inDuality client. It is on the roadmap but currently there are no timelines.
Q. Can a Virtual Worlds vendor’s original Browser plug-in and the inDuality plug-in both exist on the same HTML page?
A. Yes, it is possible to write JavaScript code to detect the presence of either and then to use one over the other.
Q. Will the Blink 3D plug-in be replaced by inDuality and if so will there be any differences ?
A. Yes, inDuality will replace the Blink 3D plug-in. You should not experience any differences when using induality.
Q. How big is the download going to be?
A. The initial download will be 6MB additional components will be downloaded on a Just In Time (JIT) basis to render the 3D content.
Q. Can I have two instances of a Virtual World running on the same or different web pages?
A. It depends on the way the Virtual World client is architected. For example currently with Second Life and Blink 3D only single instances are supported but multiple instances of Flash are supported.
Q. Will the software license for inDuality be different to the Blink 3D plug-in?
A. No, the same license terms that applied to Blink 3D will apply to inDuality.
Q. Will the entire plug-in need to be downloaded every time there is a version change?
A. No, inDuality will try to minimize the download of updated and where possible only download components that have changed.
Q. Is there any loss in functionality when using inDuality as opposed to using the original Virtual World client?
A. There may be some loss of functionality but the loss is normally limited to making the Virtual World client compatible with a Web browser. For example with Second Life the functionality is exactly the same as with the regular client with the exception that any options to quit have been removed and any ability to change the screen resolution have been removed. Neither of these options is compatible with a Web browser.
Q. Why is the product called inDuality, what’s the significance?
A. The name inDuality is intended to reflect the duality of a real world existence and a virtual world existence.
Trademarks
Pelican Crossing, Blink 3D and inDuality are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Pelican Crossing, Inc, Second Life is a registered trademark of Linden Labs, Inc., Adobe and Flash are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. MySpace is a registered trademark of MySpace.com, Facebook is either registered trademark or trademark of Facebook, Inc.
