OWorld Projects
OWorlds has been growing and improving through involvement in projects like the Meet3D project where teachers meet on-line to discuss classroom and financial issues and project work for NASA visualizing workflow for shared human/robot/rover missions.
Other projects are in the works. We currently implement most projects through the use of our Open Source platforms described below. The code base will be released April 2, 2003 after one last round of clean-up work by engineering and computer science students at the Unversity of Washington. Follow the downloads link after that date for your own copy. Email us if your project could use some assistance from the OWorld community.

Current OWorld Open Source projects come under four categorical headings:

  1. Community Instant Messaging (Meetingpages)
  2. Community Real-time Chat (Chatspaces)
  3. Community Real-time Whiteboarding (Drawspaces)
  4. Community Real-time 3-D Meetingspaces (our original raison d'etre)
All three code bases are written in Java 1.1 (without Swing components) as we aim to make the software runnable on as many platforms and within as many Web browsers as possible. Code for all three projects will eventually be downloadable from this download area. All code will be documented and new release messages will be sent to all those OWorld community members that request them.
Consider these overviews of what each code base provides:

1. Meetingpages (Try it without networking)

Meetingpages provide for a tabbed interface to a query-able back-end database (of value since application logic is maintained on the server-side and the client is lightweight as a result -- no additional plug-ins or other hard drive installs). A user clicks between tabs to interact with instant information on community members, messages, meetings, resources, and extras. Updates are provided in the background using a heartbeat strategy whereby the client sends a current status update message to the server every 5 or so seconds. Features where code should be valuable to the community include:
  • Applet implementation of instant messaging solution
  • URL and CGI two-way messaging (the update loop)
  • Canvas-based event model (easy method for older browser participation)
  • Tabbed panel implementation (using messaging between Canvas objects only)
  • Linked list implementation of Folders and Documents
  • Examples of message parsing and GUI painting
  • Flexible skins and branding
The Meetingpages code base is the most recent to start development by the OWorld community (but perhaps the most important given the growth of instant messaging). So, we have no success stories to share of multiple implementations. Digitalspace.com is testing out the code base with a Java implementation to their Meetingpages software.

2. Chatspaces (Try it without networking)

Chatspaces provide for real-time chat spaces connected via the VNet community server. Again, the focus in on lightweight clients (no plug-in or hard drive install) that connect the most possible number of Web browser users. Features where code should be valuable to the community include:
  • Applet implementation of popular chat GUI
  • Message Dispatcher for VNet integration
  • Canvas-based event model (easy method for older browser participation)
  • Tabbed panel implementation (using messaging between Canvas objects only)
  • Examples of message parsing and GUI painting for advanced text expression
  • Flexible skins and branding
The Chatspaces code base was provided to students in an undergraduate course on Web-enabled collaborative software. Six product teams successfully implemented the code base into their collaborative communication projects.

3. Drawspaces (Try it without networking)

Whiteboarding provides for real-time shared picture drawing connected via the OWorld community server. Again, the focus in on lightweight clients (no plug-in or hard drive install) that connect the most possible number of Web browser users. Features follow along the lines popular paint controls (colored shapes, lines, text, and erasing).

4. Meetspaces (Try it without networking)

Meetspaces provide for real-time chat spaces connected to shared virtual environments via the VNet community server. Again, the focus in on lightweight clients (no plug-in or hard drive install) that connect the most possible number of Web browser users. 3-D renderer connectivity is demonstrated. Features where code should be valuable to the community include:
  • Applet implementation of Java-based 3-D renderers
  • Message Dispatcher for VNet integration
  • Canvas-based event model (easy method for older browser participation)
  • Tabbed panel implementation (using messaging between Canvas objects only)
  • Examples of message parsing for advanced expression in 3-D
  • Flexible skins and branding
The Meetspaces code has been used to connect users with the Shout3D, Anfy3D, Java3D and soon Atmosphere renderers. Performance was tolerable for both the Shout3D and Anfy3D renderers for basic virtual environments (less than 10000 polygons) in a Web browser and Java3D in a Java application. We expect performance to be best with Adobe's Atmosphere browser (but you can connect to your own favorite renderer, including a 2-D one if 3-D is not your cup of tea).