Program makes virtual reality a reality

March 14, 1996
Web posted at: 10:40 p.m. EST

From Entertainment Correspondent Dennis Michael

(CNN) -- Create a virtual world -- easily -- with the "Virtual Home Space Builder." The idea may seem a little complicated, but actually, building a world is relatively easy.

"You just build the space," says Russian computer designer Stephan Pachikov, the program's creator. "And you see the space here in front of you. You can walk around this cube using our navigation tool -- you have a camera, which goes up and down."

With a little practice, you can build whole environments, which can serve as a family photo album or a launch pad for computer applications. In future versions, you'll be able to make yourself into an animated character -- an avatar, as it's called -- and explore your world. In this case, you're a butterfly in virtual space.

"This is your own world," says Pachikov. "It belongs to you. You decide, switch it on or off; you decide if it is a Friday or Sunday; you decide how many friends come."

Such virtual worlds will serve as Web sites in the near future, Pachikov says.

Related Sites

• Paragraph International Home Page
• Paragraph International's Russia Page
• TCP's VRMLvision Page
• Internet Magazine's Free Software Finder

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