DeepMatrix 3D multi-user system

Draft

Introduction

“DeepMatrix is an open-source Java server/client 3D multi-user system capable of both chat and shared events working in conjunction with VRML/X3D browsers. Users appear as avatars in a shared 3D scene. [...] The latest version of DeepMatrix is composed of a Java server and Java standalone-client application. It uses the latest Sun Java Runtime Environment and is designed to work with standalone VRML/X3D viewers that have Java EAI or External SAI capability.” (deepmatrix.org)

Presently, DeepMatrix works with the free Instant Player client.

DeepMatrix was originally developed by a team led by Gerhard Reitmayr from the now-defunct Geometrek.com site in the late nineties. This project in turn was based on the VNet EAI applet by Steven White and Jeff Sonstein.

The new version seems to work better and has additional features. Active project when last checked in Sept. 2010 - Daniel K. Schneider

Short how to

So far I did not manage to run server and client properly. E.g. as of sept. 8, there is a bin/instantreality.jar archive missing in the Instant reality distribution for Ubuntu (I took the one found in the windows distribution). Servers seem to start up properly, but the clients can't connect. In addition, default configuration files won't work, e.g. server and client port numbers do not match.

The only program that ran properly was the Windows public client (the difference between local and public are just server and port numbers in the configuration files). It did connect to a remote VRML (or X3D) world.

Prerequisites

(1) Java 1.6 or higher (as of Aug. 2010)

(2) Install the very latest Instant Reality X3D/VRML player

Find your version in the FTP archive. Be careful to select the player and very right version

e.g. File InstantReality-Ubuntu-10.04-x86-2.0.0.20206.deb File for a typical 32-bit 10.04 LTS - the Lucid Lynx - install of April 2010.

or InstantReality-Windows-vs2008-x64-2.0.0.20206.msi for Vista/Win 7 64-bit versions.

Do not install the "official" public version you can find on the Deep MatrixIP9 web site.

Windows Vista / 7

(for version 1.03, downloaded sept. 8 2010)

(1) Install the prerequisites (above)

Remark: On my Windows 7 I had to fix the path to include Java (first time since Win95 ....)

(2) Download and install the DeepMatrix MU server from deepmatrix.org or Source Forge

Dezip the archive to c:\DeepMatrixIP9-v1_03

If not, you will have to fix the file paths in several bat files. See the next step

(3 - optional) Fix the path in the bat files if needed.

Replace "DeepMatrixIP9-v1_03" by "soft\deepmatrix" in all the bat files

(4) Copy missing files or fix the path

From the \client_application folder, copy root.wrl Screen.x3dv to \Win_Local_Client

(5) Use

• open the DeepMatrixIP9/server_application folder, double click the DeepMatrixIP9Server.bat file and give the server time to finish starting up.
• open the DeepMatrixIP9-v1_01/client_application/Win_Local_Client folder and double click the DeepMatrixIP9_MU_Local_Client.bat' file

If everything goes well, the server will listen on port 7744. Else, open a shell (command prompt), cd to the directories and type the *.bat files

Ubuntu

(for version 1.03, Aug 2010)

Download the whole package

• Get V1_03 from the Downloads

(2) Read the documentation (Remark

As of sept. 8 the documentation button in the homepage was broken ...)

(3) Unzip the archive into a folder /opt/DeepMatrixIP9-v1_03 and fix permissions

• Folder name should be precisely /opt/DeepMatrixIP9-v1_03/, else you'll have to change the sh scripts.

sudo mkdir /opt/DeepMatrixIP9-v1_03

Then unzip, e.g. type

unzip -d /opt/DeepMatrixIP9-v1_03/ the_zip_file.zip

(4) Fix permissions for the shell scripts

Then change permissions for the the shell scripts. Remark: Using such fixed pathes in a shell script is a bit strange, probably the developer is used to Windows. Anyhow, just make sure that you fix at least the three following ones:

cd /opt/DeepMatrixIP9-v1_03
chmod a+x server_application/Linux_DeepMatrixIP9Server.sh
chmod a+x client_application/Linux_Client/*.sh
chmod a+x client_application/browser_scripts/*.sh

(5) Fix hostname and the port numbers

• Ports in server and client must match ... and they don't! E.g. fix the files win_local_matrixclientrc and win_public_matriclcientrc

localport XXXX

• Also, there should be only one hostname (yours)

(6) Start the server (otherwise you also can use a public server somewhere else ...)

/opt/DeepMatrixIP9-v1_03/server_application/Linux_DeepMatrixIP9Server.sh &

You should see something like:

........
MatrixD listening on /127.0.0.1:7744
9/8/10 5:10:28 PM main : MatrixD listening on /127.0.0.1:7744

(6) Run the client

/opt/DeepMatrixIP9-v1_03/client_application/Linux_Client/Local_Linux_Client.sh

Links

Deepmatrix.org

• ReadMe file
• Screenshots and comments
• forum

Research using (old) Deepmatrix

• Ott, David (1999). Collaboration dans un environnement virtuel 3D : influence de la distance à l'objet référencé et du 'view awareness' sur la résolution d'une tâche de 'grounding'., Master thesis, TECFA. University of Geneva. (in french)

Articles of historical interest

• DeepMatrix: An Open Technology Based Virtual Environment System (G. Reitmayr, S. Carroll, A. Reitemeyer, M. G. Wagner) by Karine Delhom, 1988 (in french)