Dreamworld viewer
From Dreamworld Virtual World
The Dreamworld viewer explained
It is important to understand and familiarize yourself with the tools you are using in Dreamworld. Because many people have questions about the computer program they are using at the moment to make a connection to a virtual world we will try to answer and describe what exactly a virtual world viewer is.
What is a virtual world viewer?
Many people tend to think that a viewer is a video game they just download on their computer while this isn't the case. A viewer can best be compared with a browser, the program you use to explore the internet and view webpages. While a browser is used to explore the internet a viewer is a software application used to explore virtual worlds. Besides offering a way to move your avatar around inside of the virtual world enviroment the viewer contains also many different tools to interact with the simulation enviroment. A viewer allows you to upload media from your pc such as images in different file formats (.jpg, png, gif) but also sound files in wave format. Inside of the virtual world animations are used which are also known as gestures, these animations allow that your avatar can interact with other avies and even perform certain ways of acting in world. Gestures can be created with 3D software programs outside of the virtual world, once ready the viewer can be used to bring them in world.
Another well known aspect about the viewer is that a viewer is also a basic building tool. Everybody uses the viewer to rez their first primitive in world. The viewer contains a basic set of prims allowing the construction of 3D objects inside of the artificial enviroment. Next to offer basic building the viewer is also used as a programming tool on it's own, for those who whish to write scripts the viewer contains a build in compiler tool and various technology to handle scripted objects. This is a great way for people who are new to virtual reality to discover and explore the many possibilities the metaverse has to offer.
Another frequently used aspect of the viewer application are the built in social tools such as 3D chat, a way to keep track of your friends, group conversation and chat sessions, being able to see who of your friends is online when you are and so on. Keeping track of notecards, sending and receiving files inside of the virtual world between avatars. The Dreamworld viewer offers a very wide and versatile range of aspects making it a robust solution to explore and interact with others inside of the cyberworld.
Why are there different viewers out there?
In the beginning there was only a single viewer first created by a company named Linden Lab, others wanted to change certain aspects of this initial viewer to better suit their specific needs or to improve this virtual world explorer application. This has resulted in the release of many viewers which are on the market these days. A few well known viewers are:
- Dreamworld viewer
- Nicholaz viewer
- Hippo viewer
- RealXtend viewer
- Linden viewer
Every viewer has its specific distinguishing mark over the other as people see need for them. One example which is becoming very popular at the moment is the large scale object building potential which has been unlocked. This feature is getting picked up by object creators at a very fast pace as it offers a entire new way of creating 3D content which wasn't possible in the past. The best way to explain why there are different viewers out there is again to reference to web browsers, people and companies create viewers to release better and new options as they have need for them or as they become available. The viewer market is still in it's very early stages, virtual world viewers are much more complicated compared to webbrowsers as the technological aspects are more advanced and the way simulated scenes are rendered are completely different from how the web works.
Which viewer should I choose, what is best for me?
Our suggestion is to try out the different viewers which are out there on the market. It really depends on your own preferences and what you normal behaviour is inside of a simulated enviroment. If you just like to explore and interact with others a basic viewer might be just the thing for you. If you are into content creation then you might want to start looking at the more advanced viewers. Again then it depends on what type of content creation you occupied yourself in. If you are a clothing designer the Nicholaz viewer might be the best tool for you. If you create architectural builds on the other hand then you can benefit best from the Dreamworld viewer.
What is special about the Dreamworld viewer?
To interact and explore the Dreamworld grid we do recommend using Dreamworld viewer as this viewer has been optimized to offer the best possible experience inside of Dreamworld.
First point of importance is the extremely friendly way the viewer allows you to connect to the Dreamworld grid, no need to tinker with icons or special command lines to get access. Only filling in your avatar's name and password will guarantee you instant access to the virtual world.
You will notice an increase in FPS (Frames Per Second). In human language this means you will be able to explore and fly around in a more smoother way (no lag) when using this viewer and on top of that it will also offer you the option to experiment with new forms of building such as building with large scale objects.
Where do I get the Dreamworld viewer?
How do I install the viewer?
The viewer comes with an easy way to install it on your computer system. The install wizard will guide you through the setup process, installation takes about 1 minute to complete, we have done everything to make this process as smooth and self explanatory as possible. At Dreamworld we think that when there is no need to make things overly complex we should try to offer a solution that will be understandable for every pc user out there.
Beware that the Dreamworld viewer will only work on a windows computer, versions for Macintosh and Linux powered pc's will follow.
What do I have to do in order to connect to the grid?
Once the installation completed you will see an icon created on your desktop during the install process, just click it and the viewer will launch. You will be presented with the login screen, in the bottom left corner of your screen you will see the box to fill in your avatar name and password, you can just fill in your avatar name and pass for the account you created before. If you didn't create an account so far you can do this by going to the registration page. Once you completed the form and verified your account through email use your avatar name and pass and fill these in the appropriate boxes in the viewer. Click the connect button and you will be able to log on to the grid and explore the wonderful virtual world of Dreamworld.
I can't connect, what isn't working correctly?
There are three possible causes for this:
- Most likely you didn't fill in your avatar name or password correctly, do check these and try again.
- You registered an account but haven't confirmed your Dreamworld account yet, go to your email and look for the mail you received from Dreamworld, then click the link in the email to verify your account. When you completed this step you should be fine to enter the grid.
- The grid is offline, if you see a box in the top right corner of the viewer window stating that the grid is offline you will not be able to make a connection. If this is the case check the blog or the system message in the viewer window for more information.