FTP Guide to VR sites
HIT Lab 
Toni Emerson
diderot@hitl.washington.edu
last update: May 2, 1993

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Note: This list is a compilation from sources: _What is Virtual
Reality? A Hombrew Introduction_ by Jerry Isdale *, _Virtual
Realities: Industry and Culture, A Guide to the Literature_ by Tim
Anderson of Carnegie Mellon, the file <vr_sites> by Bill Cockayne at
<ftp.apple.com>, readme files and my information gathering on the
Internet.  Corrections and additions are welcomed.  This is a first
draft and by no means complete.

* _What is Virtual Reality?  A Homebrew Introduction_ is available via
ftp at <sunsite.unc.edu> (152.2.22.81).  Directory path:
/pub/academic/computer-science/virtual-reality/papers, filename
<whatisvr.txt> or <whatisvr.zip>.  This is an excellent resource,
check section _9.3.  Internet FTP Sites_

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FTP site at <ftp.apple.com> (130.43.2.3) This site is the repository
for information on Macintosh VR applications.  Directory path is
pub/vr.  Questions and suggestions should be directed to Bill
Cockayne, <billc@apple.com>.  This site includes a list of FTP sites
filename <vr_sites>.

FTP site at <ftp.u.washington.edu> (128.95.136.1) Directory path:
/public/virtual-worlds.  Sci.virtual-worlds archive, information
include _TheRealFaq_.  The faq is old and is in revision.  New VEOS
code will be added in May, 1993 as well...it will be in a new
directory, /public/HITLab.  Techical reports from the HIT Lab will
also be uploaded.  *Warning* this is in progress and NOT available
yet.

FTP site at <karazm.math.uh.edu> (129.7.128.1).  Files include code
for power gloves, etc.  Directory path: /pub/VR.  Note: as of May 2,
1993...this directory is gone.  I ftp'ed to this site and in the pub
directory, there was no subdirectory of VR.  I checked all directories
under /pub and found no mention of vr, except in the Incoming
directory in which someone has uploaded the <whatisvr.txt>.

FTP site at <sugrfx.acs.syr.edu> (128.230.24.1).  Syracuse, NY:
Syracuse University.  Files include virtual reality demonstrations,
Iris information and mirrors some of sci.virtual-worlds site at
University of Washington.

FTP site at <sunee.uwaterloo.ca> (129.97.50.50).  Waterloo, Ontario,
Canada: University of Waterloo.  Site contains freeware REND386 in
freeware VR -- directory path: /pub/rend386.

Excerpt from readme file <WHATS_WHAT.README>:

pub/glove contains files related to the PowerGlove
pub/netgame contains ideas related to networked games and shared VR's
pub/raytracers contains a selection of raytracing graphics packages
pub/rend386 contains Dave Stampe and Bernie Roehl's fast screen renderer
pub/sound contains C source for playing soundfiles on a PC
pub/vgif contains a GIF viewer
pub/vr contains miscellaneous files related to Virtual Reality

In the pub/vr directory there are: /demos and /documents.  /demos
contains a wireframe object-viewer, a SuperScape demo, the UltraForce
demo, the REND386 demo, and the Virtual Reality Studio demo.
/documents holds <whatisvr.txt>, Jerry Isdale's "What Is VR?"
document, a description of Sense8's "nff" file format, a document on
DIS, paper on GAlilean anti-aliasing and OFF specs.

FTP site at <avalon.chinalake.navy.mil> (129.131.31.11).  This site is
now mirrored on ftp.kpc.com (144.52.120.9) in /pub/mirror/avalon.  The
Avalon site was created to be THE Internet 3D object repository.  3D
object files are archived in various formats, utilities to convert
between the different formats and documents explaining the file
formats.

Directory paths: all under /pub (excerpt from README file):

        pub/FAQs          FAQ documents from the comp.graphics newsgroups
        pub/format_specs  Documents that explain the different 3D object
                          file formats available.
        pub/incoming      Directory for incoming stuff. See below.
        pub/misc          Anything that doesn't belong anyplace else.
        pub/objects       3D object files. Subdirectories exist for
                          different formats.
        pub/utils         Any utilities that help manipulate, view or
                          convert between the different object formats.

FTP site at <sunsite.unc.edu> (152.2.22.81) This is an "information
gather's heaven" site.  A wealth of information,
/pub/academic/computer-science/virtual-reality the directory contains
VR demos, partial mirror of sci.virtual-worlds and glove-list, papers,
articles, and much, much more.

Excerpt from INDEX file:

3d --  Images and software related to 3D viewing 
general --  Files that don't fit anywhere else
glove-list --  Partial mirror of the Powerglove Mailing list archive
ibm --  VR programs for use with MSDOS computers
irc -- Papers and logs concering the Internet Relay Chat network
sgi --  Various graphic and powerglove programs for the SGI Iris workstation
papers --  Research and Newspaper articles 
powerglove --  Software and information for the PowerGlove
rend386 -- A fast MSDOS VR rendering package (Mirror of sunee.uwaterloo.ca)
standards --  Proposed standards for file formats, network protocols
uforce --  Software for the nintendo Uforce
virtual-worlds --  Mirror of the sci.virtual-worlds archive

FTP site at <src.doc.ic.ac.uk> (146.169.2.1).  Site contains usenet
archives from sci.virtual-worlds and comp.sys.isis.  Directory path is
/usenet/comp.archives/auto/comp.sys.isis
/usenet/comp.archives/auto/sci.virtual-worlds

FTP site at <wuarchive.wustl.edu> (128.252.135.4) This site is a
complete mirror of the usenet group <sci.virtual-worlds>.  There is
also a graphics archive with graphics related information and source
in /graphics.

FTP site at <parcftp.xerox.com> Site of the great MOO Mud. Directory
path: /pub/MOO/papers.  Directory contains are reports and other
papers written on the subject of mudding.

Excerpt of README file:

   _Mudding: Social Phenomena in Text-Based Virtual Realities_
   _MUDs Grow Up: Social Virtual Reality in the Real World_
   _Better Living Through Language: The Communicative Implications of a
         Text-Only Virtual Environment, or, Welcome to LambdaMOO!_
   _Conversational Structure and Personality Correlates
         of Electronic Communication_.
   _Electropolis: Communication and Community on Internet Relay Chat_
   _Virtual Reality: Reflections of Life, Dreams, and Technology
         An Ethnography of a Computer Society_
    _Identity Workshop: Emergent Social and Psychological Phenomena
         in Text-Based Virtual Reality_


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