introduction    models    textures    tips    tools All models are VRCreator useable. Click the model group and that model group's page will open in a new window. Click the thumbs and they will open as VRML in new small windows. Use as is, or open in VRCreator for further editing. Further instructions are on the model group's page. Chances are these models can be used in any 3D program that has VRML 2.0 import, but they have been optimized specifically for VRCreator users.

Because so many of you asked, we've uploaded hundred of models here. We found them on an old CD for a VRML program we don't like then ran them through a special converter to make them VRML 2.0 and VRCreator compliant. When building textured models, it is suggested that you build each model one at a time, do a "save as" using a unique filename, then add the new model into a world when needed. This avoids the "unable to group" error.

All models are 100% VRML 2.0 compliant and useable in VRCreator. No model will have those nasty "impossible geometry" problems in Blaxxun either. If you've got models to submit, be sure to preview them in both  VRCreator and Blaxxun. Open it and save it at least once in VRCreator to test for "impossible geometries" - though usually you can see them if you examine the model from both the front and the back. Impossible geometries can be easily seen as:

1. Walls (or similar) that disappear from certain angles
   
2. Object changes shape (or parts of it disappear) from different angles, or
   
3. Parts of the object disappear when inside it (this usually applies to houses, buildings and similar models--many objects are invisible from the inside if they are NOT meant for you to be inside them, this is NOT a flaw).

These "impossible geometry" problems are all artifacts of programs that overchisel, use PROTO's (or invalid child nodes), create defective (or missing) solid="TRUE" tags or models that were originally 3DS (or similar) meshes. No easy method to correct this is known (and we have hunted for years). Such models will be rejected. Please let us know BEFORE you send a model. We need to know the filesize before deciding to accept a submission. Models submitted need to be texture free and should be under 50K and fully gzipped. You will receive full credit and a link on that model's model group page.

We've displayed all models as they currently are in our various VRML folders. You can easily alter them in your favorite plain-text editor or open them in VRCreator for further work. On some of the larger buildings, you may see "impossible geometries" involving just the base floor of the ground stories. This is easily corrected by adding a new base, then raising it 'til it covers the defective base. Alternately, you may Object...Ungroup and see if the base is a separate piece, then Edit...Clear it if it is. On many of the larger buildings, the walls may appear very bumpy (or have strange lights flashing across their surfaces). Once they are textured and the shininess corrected, this will disappear. It is an artifact of stretching a primitive into a mesh.

Be sure to NOT attempt to add textures to semitransparent glass, it becomes a solid object when you do. You may add just color to glass. Be sure to NEVER set the shininess on glass to 0 - it glows when you do. Exterior (or large window) glass looks best if it's a light green or light blue color. Interior glass on furniture and tabletops looks best in medium grey. By switching from Select Mode...Group to Select Mode...Face (or Primitive), you can add texture to just the solid parts and skip the glass parts. You may also Object...Ungroup and see if the glass is a discreet piece. Because the larger buildings all started as meshes, nonpatterned textures are most effective.

Basic Model Groups (will open in new windows):

© copyright 1999, 2002, Pacoima Ranch Offices. All rights reserved.

Best in any Generation 6 Browser (Netscape 6.x+, Mozilla 0.9x+, Internet Explorer 5.5x+, Opera 5.x+ and WebTV Classic or Deluxe Spring 2001). For best viewing, we recommend Internet Explorer 5.5x+ or 6.x+ and Opera 5.x+. These fonts are used throughout the site (click the name, unzip and install if you are missing any--Windows only, please) Arial, Arial Black, Arial Rounded MT Bold, Times New Roman, and Verdana.