• Preliminary Proof of Concept
• High-Level Design
• Working Prototype
• Demonstrate basic functionality of Virtual Midtown.
  • Interactive 3-D Environment
  • Multiple Clients with Single Server
  • Client Perception of Other Clients

2.3.1 Winter 1998
The goal for this quarter is the proof of concept needed to assure our
goals can be met, an overall design plan for the project, and the
development of a working prototype.  This prototype should demonstrate
the basic functions of the Virtual Midtown, such as an interactive 3-D
demo environment that uses existing object models and allows multiple
users to navigate the environment and for each to view the actions of
the other.  

2.3.1.1 Virtual Representation of Midtown
As the accurate 3-D representation of Midtown stands to be the most time
consuming element of the project, as well as the least functional
component, little is required this quarter in the way of creating
accurate models, or models in general.  Hence, virtual environments used
by previous projects will be used for this quarter's demonstration.
The demo must be able to display and navigate through one of these
environments.

2.3.1.2 Platform
The demo must run on the Silicon Graphics workstations in the Graphics,
Visualization and Usability lab.  This is because the virtual
environment rendering engine in use has been developed for this
platform.  Portability issues will be covered in later quarters. 

2.3.1.3 Client-Server Communication
The demo must be able to run on a client machine and be able to
communicate with a server which coordinates the positions of all clients
on the network.  The demo must be able to communicate the positions of
up to five simultaneous users and each user must be able to see a
virtual representation of the others.

2.3.1.4 Agents
The demo will include at least one autonomous agent which executes a
simple behavioral pattern.  This agent must be seen by all clients.

2.3.1.5 User Interface
The user interfaces will be handled by the Simple Virtual Environment
(SVE) libraries.  These functions will control all aspects of the
rendering and interfacing process.  Users will be able to navigate
through the world using the standard keyboard and mouse interfaces
provided by SVE.  The demo environment must include at least one user
input not handled by SVE which elicits a response in some autonomous
agent in order to establish the protocol that will be used in the
future to provide complex interactions with the virtual environment.