Virtual Object System: A new generation of Internet communications

The Virtual Object System (VOS) is a hierachical distributed object system, a dessert topping, and a floor wax. It is an infrastructure for object-oriented network communication, and building flexible, distributed object networks for a variety of purposes, but our primary application is multiuser collaborative virtual environments. It also tastes good and will keep your floors shiny.

Learn more about VOS here

Quick Links:

10 Mar 2004: An experimental web site is up here, that is being served by VOS! More info.
3 Feb 2004: Experimental Debian packages available
10 Dec 2003: Progress towards S4 and Embedded web browser on 3D objects, coming soon.
29 Sep 2003: Version 0.12.2 has been released: this fixes several building/packaging bugs in 0.12.1 source release. (The functionality is the same) Download source code here. The 0.12.1 binary package for Windows is still available and is compatible.
The VOS manual
The "virtual webcam", a live view of the virtual world.
News...

Developers	Artists	Package Maintainers
Try out the code; provide feedback on the API and tools; add missing features, or create something entirely new based on VOS. Download Manual API Reference TODO lists: General, TerAngreal Mailing lists	Build some worlds; run servers listed in the interreality.org servicelist (metaserver); provide feedback on converters and tools; let us know what you need to create the worlds you want. Download Manual About the 3D software Mailing lists	Help get it running on and maintain a binary package/installer for your favorite platform/distribution (we are especially in need of Debian, RedHat, Gentoo, Macintosh and free *BSD packages.) Download Manual Mailing lists

Developers

Artists

Package Maintainers

Try out the code; provide feedback on the API and tools; add missing features, or create something entirely new based on VOS.

Build some worlds; run servers listed in the interreality.org servicelist (metaserver); provide feedback on converters and tools; let us know what you need to create the worlds you want.

Help get it running on and maintain a binary package/installer for your favorite platform/distribution (we are especially in need of Debian, RedHat, Gentoo, Macintosh and free *BSD packages.)

VOS is intended to be general purpose, and extensible for a variety of purposes and applications, but our primary application is multi-user 3D graphics environments. At this time, the application software is in heavy development; the core libraries continue to be improved, but are mostly stable at this point. We are looking for programmers to give VOS a try, and let us know what they think.

Our vision for multiuser 3D is outlined here, in the manual.

From this website you can learn more about the VOS project, download software for libraries and applications, read documentation of protocols and the library API, browse object type definitions, and participate in mailing lists. If you have any questions or comments feel free to email Pete (tetron @ interreality . org) or Reed (reed @ interreality . org) or post a message to the mailing list.

About the Applications

See the pages below for more information and screenshots.

Ter'Angreal, the multi-user 3D VR client -- the idea that started it all, is well underway using the CrystalSpace 3D engine and VOS to open the doors to the Metaverse...
mesh (MEtaSHell) is a command-line interface to a running VOS object system, modelled after a Unix shell.
The MP3 Jukebox keeps a playlist of song files, and includes a script to remotely play, stop, skip, shuffle, etc, a web interface, and rudimentary support for Icecast streaming over the Web.
The Metatronic remote GUI display client lets GUI components be distributed accross networks (just like Ter'Angreal's 3D objects), dynamically modified, and used collaboratively. This system also provides a VOS-based GUI system to other VOS applications.
Extra libraries written for VOS but usable by anyone (they don't depend on VOS):
- Use the Service discovery library to advertise and query for services on a local network or on a specific host
- Use libASE to parse information out of 3D Studio/3ds Max "Ascii Scene Export" files