Deploying Virtual Worlds¶
- Deploying Virtual Worlds
- IMML vs PIMML
- Single user interaction
- Multi-user interaction
- Multi-user interaction with alternative IMML host
- See Also
- Comments
Deploying virtual worlds with VastPark is a simple process, in fact, it can be as simple as sharing a small file via email. IMML documents are typically a few hundred kilobytes and compress extremely well.
The following are some of the ways to access a virtual world powered by VastPark:- Directly opening an IMML document
- Directly opening a Portable IMML (PIMML) document
- HTTP link to a server hosting an IMML document
- HTTP link to a server hosting a Portalble IMML document
- HTTP link to a VastPark Server
IMML vs PIMML¶
Portable IMML is a file-format that contains the IMML and any referenced media. PIMML is a great deployment choice when you are wanting to guarantee media availability or are offline (ie: a presentation in front of an audience) or where you want your end user to be able to access the world without having to wait for assets to download.
IMML on the other hand, contains only references to the media and as a consequence is substantially smaller. IMML is a great choice when you want your users to have no initial download and a more dynamic experience where the document or media it references are updated. Deployment via IMML is recommended for most scenarios.
Single user interaction¶
For worlds that contain only a single-user experience, deployment can as simple as sharing the IMML file via email. IMML files are often very small and compress very well.
Multi-user interaction¶
Refer to the VastPark Server guide.
Multi-user interaction with alternative IMML host¶
It's possible to use an alternative host for the IMML that describes your virtual world. Some examples alternative IMML hosts are IIS, Apache or data storage providers like AmazonS3. It's recommended the host supports GZip compression as this can significantly reduce the amount of bandwidth required to transfer the IMML.
To do so, follow these steps:
- Store your client and server IMML in the root hosting directory as described in the VastPark Server guide
- Upload another copy of the client IMML to your alternative host, ie: AmazonS3
- Edit the HostUri to point to the correct VastPark Server address
- Point end users to the alternative IMML.
See Also¶
The guide to Deployment_on_EC2
