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Publishing and File Conversion with the Shout3DWizardThe Shout3DWizard is an interactive tool that helps you publish 3D applets to the web. You can also use the wizard to convert VRML 97 files into the Shout3D format. If you haven't done so already, click hereto try the 10-minute QuickStart Tutorial, which will get you acquainted with the Shout3DWizard and what it does. This document contains a more detailed guide to the Shout3DWizard's functionality. It is divided into the following sections:
Launching the Shout3DWizardWindows users can take a short cut and use a windows executable file, while other users will need to run java on the java class Shout3DWizard.class, as follows: Windows Users:
Macintosh Users:
Other Users:
If you can not successfully launch the Shout3DWizard, check the system requirements. When it starts up, the application should look like this: Loading a VRML97 or s3d sceneInitially, a VRML or Shout3D file must be opened using the menu command File » Open VRML... or File » Open S3D... Select a file and click Open. Once a file has been opened, the Save As S3D..., Preview... and Publishing Options buttons are enabled. Converting a VRML97 file to a Shout3D (s3d) fileShout3D has its own file format, which resembles VRML97 but is more compact and also may contain new types of nodes not found in VRML97. Files in the Shout3D format have the extension .s3d. The Shout3D format also has a non-human-readable, compacted (using gzip) version, and these files end in the extension .s3z. When you publish with the Shout3DWizard, two files will typically be referred to in the final .html output -- an .s3d file and an .s3z file. Newer browsers will be able to read the .s3z file, which is smaller and hence downloads faster. Older browsers will default to reading the larger (but equivalent) .s3d file. When the file currently loaded into the Shout3DWizard is a VRML97 file, the Save As S3D.. button will be enabled. The Save As S3D... button opens a dialog to save the converted content by itself in the Shout3D format (without the associated Shout3D runtime files). When you save as s3d, two files will be saved into the directory you select, an .s3d file and also an associated .s3z file. The .s3z file will be a gzipped version of the .s3d file. Previewing a SceneThe Preview... button allows the Shout3D file to be previewed in a browser. Each time you change the setting of an option in the Shout3DWizard, the following preview will reflect those changes. The wizard has been tested using Netscape, Internet Explorer and appletviewer as browsers. In most cases, the Shout3DWizard will be able to locate and launch a browser. If the Shout3DWizard can not do so, it will launch a File Chooser and ask you to find and select your preferred browser. Note: The browser in which the file is previewed can be set in Publishing Options (see below). The first time you try to preview a file, the wizard will try to use the system's default browser. If preview does not initially work, the browser path may need to be set manually. Go into publishing options and click in the empty path cell labeled Browser path under the Preview category to display the browser selection dialog, and use it to find and select your browser. Then try again to preview your file. The browser path needs to be set only once; thereafter, the wizard will remember it between sessions. Opening the Publish AreaThe Publishing Options button can be used to display or hide the Publish button and the set of option values for editing. Registration CodesShout3D ordinarily displays a black band across the bottom containing the Shout3D logo. This black band may be disabled if the html file that invokes Shout3D contains a valid registration code. When you purchase a license for the
Educational or Professional version of Shout3D 1.0, you will receive
an email with a registration code and name. Attached to the email
will also be a small registration file. Copy this file into your For more information about registration codes, click here. PublishingThe Publish
button below the options table will place all the files required to
run your Shout3D-enhanced document in the Automatically-generated HTML files will have
a prefix of After you publish, you can read the Publishing OptionsClicking the Publishing Options button will produce a table filled with parameters that enable you to quickly set up a Shout3D-enhanced HTML file, as well as the Publish button to publish the project to a directory. Most of the options correspond to applet parameters of the Shout3DApplet. If you look at the generated html file's source, you'll be able to see your actions reflected in changes to those values. For information about the Shout3D applet parameters, click here. The available option sets are organized in the following categories and sub-categories:
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