WalkTheWeb v3.8.1

This software is a hosting software for 3D Websites as part of 3D Internet Metaverse that combine 3D Gaming with 3D Shopping. It is a 3D CMS for 3D Games and 3D Plugins.

Demo 3D Website: https://3d.walktheweb.com/

This update includes implementation of Havok Physics to the meshes. It has been implemented to the tables, connect, functions, handlers, and scripts. It also includes updates to Babylon and Havok engine files.

Here are the details for this release:

Physics Fields added to Tables - There are 23 new physics related fields added to the communitymolds, buildingmolds, and thingmolds tables. These values have been added to every connect, share, read, edit, and save related function and process. This update can be seen in the connect, functions, handlers, and many scripts, especially mold admin related scripts.

Add Mold Physics Function Added - There is now a function called addMoldPhysics that checks for set values and applies them to the mesh. This functions is called in the complete mold function and for 3D Models, is it called after the 3D Model is fully loaded.

Added Physics to Extended Ground - The extended ground now has physics enabled with a mass of zero. Objects will not fall through it with gravity.

Enabled Havok Physics - Made some changes to the init for the Havok Physics Engine. It now loads properly and is active for the scene.

Corrected Form Options Alignment - On the Admin Edit Mold Form, corrected the alignment of the checkboxes.

Physics added to Mold Form - The mold form now allows you to enable physics for a mold. When editing a mold (right click a mold), under Advanced Options, if you click Enable Physics checkbox all of the options will appear for the physics aggregate. This includes: isTriggerShape, startAsleep, mass, friction, radius, restitution, center (x,y,z), extents (x,y,z), pointA (x,y,z), pointB (x,y,z), and rotation quaternion (x,y,z,w). The only required setting is mass. (0 for not movable, any other number for movable).

Updated BabylonJS Version - Updated BabylonJS to version 7.32.5. This includes updates to all core Babylon and the Havok physics engine.

New Avatar without Idle Animation - When you add a new avatar without an onwait animation, the avatar was not saving without a start and end frame. This code checks and makes it a zero to zero frame reference.

Child Mold Shadows Update - We added code to support the child meshes under a 3D Model. Now the shadows fully work for the models.

WalkTheWeb v3.8.0

This software is a hosting software for 3D Websites as part of 3D Internet Metaverse that combine 3D Gaming with 3D Shopping. It is a 3D CMS for 3D Games and 3D Plugins.

Demo 3D Website: https://3d.walktheweb.com/

This update includes enhancements to lighting admin, shadows, and streamline changes to the startup, login, and avatar selection process.

Here are the details for this release:

Cast Shadows Setting - When editing a mold, under Advanced Settings, there are two options that effect shadows; Allow Shadows on Surface and Allow to Cast Shadows. By default these are not set. Each item you select adds to the workload to generate a smooth scene. You may need to balance what is included with the ability to keep smooth animation, especially in larger scenes.

Cast Shadows Field Added - For every instance of receiveshadows in relation to molds (communitymolds, buildingmolds, and thingmolds) we added the field for castshadows. This field will allow us to select which objects can cast a shadow. The reason for this field instead of just allowing all shadows from all objects, is that some large objects may distort the resolution of the shadow map. When this happens, the shadow may appear as one large rectangle instead of the detailed pattern based on the object. This setting allows you to test objects shadows and select which ones are most effective in your scenes. Note that a 3D Model cast shadows setting affects the full model. To change this to a more selective shadow pattern, you may need to separate the 3D Model into multiple models.

Communities Sun and Back Light Positions - We added fields for the sunpositionx, sunpositiony, sunpositionz, backlightpositionx, backlightpositiony, and backlightpositionz. These values propagate through all levels of code including: connect, handlers, class functions, forms, and JavaScripts. Everywhere the sundirection or backlightdirection are called, the position fields were added. Even though directional light does not use the position, we added it to the fields so we can test various light settings present and future. Note that the back light currently is set to use a point light which can use position.

Avatar Shadows Engaged - When we add an avatar, we now have the initial shadows enabled at the time of avatar creation. This also includes the ability to receive shadows on the avatar meshes.

Form Field for Z3 - A number of form fields using position were mislabeled where positionx3 was duplicated instead of showing positionz3 for the z axis position. These are all corrected in the code.

Set Sun Light Function Updates - We fixed the setSunLight function to load the proper values for adjustable lighting. It now works in admin when you adjust the values. Note that the sunlight and the back light are at values near 1000 (positive or negative). Closer values tend to show a strong light reflection on the ground. This can also be adjusted in the light color settings.

New Reload Shadows Function - We added a new function called reloadShadows that will check the existing molds for the castshadows flag and add them to the newly created shadow generator. This is most helpful when in admin and changing settings.

Updated Set Shadow Settings Function - The setShadowSettings function is used to initiate the shadow generator and apply the initial settings. We have streamlined the used shadow options. Note that there are many more options not in use and yet some are referenced in this section of code.

Added new Edit Lighting Settings - We redesigned the edit lighting settings form. In general, we have Sun light from one direction, then a back light from the opposite above angle to give the objects a hint of light in the shadows. This helps differentiate between day and night shadows in a scene.

Edit Profile added to Open Login HUD - The openLoginHUD function now supports the 3D Mold for the Edit Profile 3D Form, all of its button animations, and load border focus on the fields.

HUD Login Click Function Updated - The hudLoginClick function was updated to now support the new Edit Profile 3D Form, including: Open the Edit Profile 3D Form from the User Menu 3D Form, Save Profile, and X to close the form. Furthermore, the X to close the 3D Forms has been added to all of the HUD Login Menus and Forms.

Change Login HUD Focus Field - The changeLoginHUDFocus function basically grays all of the form field borders then changes the one form field receiving focus to have a selected field color. The additional field names required for the edit profile form had to be added to this function.

HUD Login Focus Text Form Controls Updated - In the hudLoginFocusText function, the form fields for the Edit Profile 3D Form were added to the tab order listing and the offset for each text entry was also added to the second part of the function that helps with the alignment of the text entered into the form fields.

HUD Login Load Profile Function Added - A new function was added for the HUD Login (3D Forms) to load the profile when the form is opened; hudLoginLoadProfile.

HUD Login Save Profile - A new function was added for the HUD Login (3D Forms) to save the profile; hudLoginSaveProfile. This uses the saveMyProfile wtwusers Class function.

Save My Profile Class Function Updated - In the saveMyProfile function in the wtwusers class, we added code to the function to also update the useravatars table display name. This will make sure the current active avatar receives the display name. Prior to this, only the default display name was updated in the users table.

Save My Profile Update - In the handler, user class, and user JavaScript functions, we updated the code to also pass the user avatar id. This will assist in updating the current avatar display name as well as the default display name under the user.

New Edit Profile 3D Form - The Edit Profile page has now been converted to a 3D Form. This also makes it accessible in-game from VR and AR.

New Local Checkbox on Login Page - We replaced the Login Menu that showed buttons for Global WTW Login, Local Login, and Guest options with the login form with a checkbox that switches the form from Global to Local. Also, after you login, it will automatically load your last used avatar (as long as you allowed cookies to save the settings). This cuts out many steps on login and getting started on a new 3D Scene.

New Startup Sequence - We hid the Enter Button and automatically start the user with a generic robot. We still show the Login button for anonymous users. This prompts them to login or provides options to create an account.

Select Avatar Close X Button - We added a close X button on the top right of the Select An Avatar 3D Form.

Login Menu Close Button - We added a - X - Close button to the Login Menu.

Edit Avatar Loading Sequence Update - There was code in the core script file that checked for Admin View to load the Avatar being edited. The previous reason for adding it there has been removed so it has now been relocated to the Admin Init script file with the other webs checking and loading.

Corrected Copy Thing Function - The Copy Thing function in the things class was not updating the actionzoneid and actionzone2id. This was causing action zones to not fully function after the copy. It is now modeled after the copy building function and works as expected.

Corrected Copy Thing - In Admin Mode, Copy 3D Thing, the object was not copying the thingmolds. It was missing the new actionzone2id field. It has been added to correct the issue.

WalkTheWeb v3.7.6

This software is a hosting software for 3D Websites as part of 3D Internet Metaverse that combine 3D Gaming with 3D Shopping. It is a 3D CMS for 3D Games and 3D Plugins.

Demo 3D Website: https://3d.walktheweb.com/

This update includes Babylon Engine 7.19, added click open swinging doors, click open sliding doors, mirrors, and many issues corrected.

Here are the details for this release:

Added Action Zone ID 2 to Molds Tables - On the communitymolds, buildingmolds, and thingmolds tables we added an actionzone2id field that acts as a second actionzoneid field. The first field was used to group parts in action zones like parts of a door that will swing or slide. The new actionzone2id is used to set the action zone for the mirror (or any other similar type of need). This new field was added to all connect, handlers, classes, forms, and scripts to complete the need and group and save with molds. We also updated the hub to support it in shared items.

Reflective Glass from a Mirror Zone - You can also create reflective glass by setting the opacity level of the mold. You can also set the colors of the mold to tint the glass, solid black (#000000) colors will make the glass mirror even more perfect reflection. The Mirror Zone as a covering will add the reflective objects to the glass.

Mirror Action Zone - We added a Mirror Action Zone. This Zone does not add a mirror, but creates the zone that decides which 3D Objects will be reflected in a mirror. After adding the zone, add a 3D Object and set the Covering to the Mirror Action Zone you added. These two parts create a mirror and sets all objects to add to the reflection list. Note that when an avatar enters the zone, it is automatically added to the reflection list.

Mirror as a Covering (Mesh Material) - The Mirror Covering is actually added by a Mirror Action Zone. By Adding a Mirror Action Zone on your 3D Scene, any 3D Object in the Mirror Zone will be added to the reflection list for the Mirror Covering. Using this method, you can create different zones of objects and add the mirror covering as reflecting any object in that zone. This covering can be used on most shapes. To get started, add the Mirror Zone from Action Zones, it will then show up as an option under the covering drop-down when editing a shape.

Upgraded to Babylon JS Version 7! - We upgraded the Babylon default version to 7.19 and set the defaults to v7.x.x. In admin you can manually select an engine version under Settings, Server Settings.

Showing Action Zones - When in Admin Mode and show Action Zones is on in the quick edit menu, if the action zone was not loaded at the time the quick menu was set, it would not show when loaded. We corrected this condition by updating the processMoldQueue function to check for the button setting when a new action zone is loaded and show the action zone as needed. This change will not activate in Browse mode, only Admin Mode.

Action Zone Render Group - When in Admin Mode and editing an Action Zone, we added the setting to the showActionZone function to set the render group to 1. This will make them visible in the correct layer during editing.

Corrected the Edit Pole Height - When editing an action zone with an axis, the pole that defines the axis was disappearing for some types of zone. We corrected the pole dimensions to make sure it is visible as expected.

Click Open Swinging Doors - We now have click open swinging doors. The click open doors require your avatar to be inside the zone then click to open the door. The door will swing shut when your avatar leaves the zone.

Click Open Sliding Doors - We now have click open sliding doors. Formerly called click activated, the click open doors require your avatar to be inside the zone then click to open the door. The door will slide shut when your avatar leaves the zone.

New Sliding Door Rotation - When adding a new Sliding Door, the axle was 90 degrees off from the avatar position. It has now been corrected to face correctly.

Action Zone Form Decimal Places - When adding a new Action Zone, some fields were not set to show 2 decimal places. Now they are all consistent.

Click Mold added Parent for Conditions - When you click on a mold, the code at inputClick in wtw_inputs.js now identifies the parent. Using the parent you can test to see if the mold is parented to an action zone. In this instance, we test to see if it is a click open action zone. If it is, we test if the avatar is in the action zone then open the door.

Click Move Disabled if not Avatar Camera - The Click to move the avatar has been disabled when in Admin Mode and if the Avatar Camera is not active. This allows you to work with the scene easier to click items for edit without moving the avatar.

Corrected Coins Render Group - The coins were being rendered behind the ground and other objects. We corrected the render group to 1 and now it is part of the same render layer as the other items in the 3D Scene. This corrects the missing coins in scenes.

Edit 3D Model Enhancements - Overall when editing a 3D Model we made a number of improvements; widened the text box showing the selected file, fixed the guidelines to show the full dimensions of the 3D Model, and fixed the ability to highlight all parts of the 3D Model.

Show and Hide Action Zones on List Hover - When listing all Items in a 3D Web, the action zones now will show and hide as the list item is hovered. This will make it easier to find and identify them in the 3D Scene.

New Set Highlight Recursive Function - We added a new setHighlight function that is called by highlightMold and unhighlightMold functions that will now check all children parts for highlighting and removing the highlight. This new function supports child meshes of 3D Models, standard meshes, and complete 3D Webs in a 3D Scene (like a building in a community or thing in the building or community).

Get Mesh or Node By ID - Many objects are parent based on meshes or transform node. this function checks for either when necessary and allows us to check the child objects regardless of the type. We now replaced the use of scene.getTransformNodeByID with WTW.getMeshOrNodeByID in all code.

Edit Guide Lines for 3D Webs - We added support to scale up the guide lines when editing a 3D Thing or 3D Building within a 3D Web Scene. Previously the guide lines were only showing the scale of the base.

Edit Poles Bounding Box Info - The openEditPoles function now checks for the WTW.boundingbox information to determine the guide locations. It also checks the total length of the item and appends the length of the guides to make sure they extend past the object being edited.

Added Bounding Tracking Info to 3D Molds - To assist with creating the bounding box in Admin mode, we append the 3D Model def with bounding information min and max points. This keeps it a one time calculation on creation and reusable each time it is edited. Production Browse mode does not create this extra information.

Enhanced Bounding Box on 3D Models - Up until now, when editing a 3D Model, the guide lines were focused on the size of the parent base box. Now we calculate the bounding box for the 3D Model and extend the guide lines to the outer extremities of the 3D Model. This will help in aligning items in a 3D Scene.

Open List Items Function - The open list items function is used to call and populate the formatted list of available web items from the connect websitems.php file. This function is called from the admin menu item.

Webs Items Connect File - There is a new Connect file for websitems.php that is used to create the list of editable items for any given web (3D Community, 3D Building, or 3D Thing). It is only available to the same site it resides on, per the headers passed. It will show Molds, Action Zones, 3D Things, and 3D Buildings added to any 3D Scene.

Proper Case Function - We added a propercase function to help with mix case titles. Previously there was a propercase construct for strings only, but this change makes it more universally available to code.

Added additional trapping to highlighting - We added additional error trapping to the highlight and unhighlight functions. This helps to not generate errors when items are being loaded and unloaded during highlighting stages.

Items to Edit Listing Highlighting - When available, if you hover over an item on the list, it will highlight in the 3D Scene. The item has to be visible in the 3D Scene and fully loaded to apply. Highlighting Child items of a given item are not yet supported.

List All Items to Edit - We added a menu option to List All Items to Edit under the Edit 3D Webs (Communities, Buildings, and Things). This makes it easier to select an item to edit. This also helps when an item is transparent or not selectable in the 3D Scene. We also added Action Zones to the list to make them easier to select and edit.

Mold Positioning with Action Zone Parent - When adding multiple 3D Things with Action Zones (like a swinging door zone) to a 3D Building or 3D Community Scene, the molds were being adjusted for position multiple times. We resolved this issue by checking the parent name of the mold (an action zone) index and making sure the position adjustment to the molds only took place on the same matching instance.

Set New Action Zone Children Position - When editing a swinging door or similar action zone, when you moved the axle position, the children molds would also move. This was due to an incorrect index on the name parts of the molds. When we added local- prefix it shifted the index of the name parts. Now they are set correctly in the setNewActionZone function.

Axle Pole Rotation - When editing a Swinging Door Action Zone, the pole was not reloading to the correct rotation. The rotation of the pole is actually supposed to be zero, since the parent base is what actually is rotated to make the axle take on an angl...

WalkTheWeb v3.7.5

This software is a hosting software for 3D Websites as part of 3D Internet Metaverse that combine 3D Gaming with 3D Shopping. It is a 3D CMS for 3D Games and 3D Plugins.

Demo 3D Website: https://3d.walktheweb.com/

This update includes Babylon and Havok Engine Updates and other related settings.

Here are the details for this release:

Same Site Cookie Settings - We temporarily disabled sameSite Cookie settings to remove the third party cookie warning.

Havok Condition for Babylon Engine - The Havok code is only available for the Babylon v6.x.x engine. To make sure you do not try to run it with the v5.x.x engine, additional conditional statements have been added. This will keep the Engine and Physics Engine loading properly.

Updated Havok init Code - We updated the Havok physics engine Init Code to include global variables for havokInstance and hk for the Havok plugin. The core file has the init code in the initEnvironment function.

Babylon Engine Settings updated - We updated the settings on the Babylon Engine to disable preserveDrawingBuffer, enable stencil, and disable disableWebGL2Support.

Updated Babylon Engine to Version 6.46.0 - We Updated the Babylon JS Engine to version 6.46.0. This will give us the latest fixes and enhancements available. Note that in your admin, you may need to select version 6 in Settings to use this version.

CSG Rendering Groups - When editing a CSG (Constructive Solid Geometry) objects, the combined object would disappear when editing. It was appearing before the ground layer in the view. Now the rendering group is correct and it is displaying as expected. The image shows then and now as contrast of the edit process shown.

Profile Menu corrected Save Text - On the Profile Menu under the HUD Menu, press M to show, the Save Button was missing the Save Text. The rendering group was not set correctly and caused it to be under the visible layer. It has been corrected.

HUD Menu Rendering Correction - The HUD Menu, press M to show, had an issue with the rendering order of things. This was corrected by adding the Rendering Group ID as 3 to the menu item.

WalkTheWeb v3.7.4

Release Date: 11/28/2023
By Aaron Dishno Ed.D.

This software is a hosting software for 3D Websites as part of 3D Internet Metaverse that combine 3D Gaming with 3D Shopping. It is a 3D CMS for 3D Games and 3D Plugins.

Demo 3D Website: https://3d.walktheweb.com/

This update includes a new method for everyone to edit their user avatars colors and scaling; using a new Edit My Avatar 3D Form.

Here are the details for this release:

Edit My Avatar 3D Form Functions - There are numerous new functions, hovers, click events, and loading conditions that have been added to the wtw_hud_login.js file to support the new Edit My Avatar 3D Form.

Added Save Avatar Scaling Function - We added a function called saveAvatarScaling to the 3D-Avatars plugin to save the scaling values for the local user avatar. We also added a handler case for saveavatarscaling to call this function.

Added Scaling to 3D Form for Edit Avatar - You can now edit the scaling of the local User Avatars. When you open the User Menu (from the bottom browse menu, profile), you can select Edit My Avatar. This opens a new 3D Form for editing your avatar, Select the Size button on the left, then adjust the scale on the right. Click Save to keep the settings.

Added 3D Form for Edit Avatar Colors - You can now edit the colors of the local User Avatars. When you open the User Menu (from the bottom browse menu, profile), you can select Edit My Avatar. This opens a new 3D Form for editing your avatar, Select an avatar part on the right then edit the colors. Click Save to keep the settings.

Removed Save Avatar Color Handler Call - We removed the function for saveAvatarColor from avatars.php handler. This same handler call is available in the wtw-avatars plugin, /core/handlers/wtwavatars-saveavatar.php.

Removed Save Avatar Color - We removed the function for saveAvatarColor from class_wtwavatars.php. This same function is available in the wtw-avatars plugin.

Added Cancel to User Menu - We added a cancel button to the User Menu so that you can close it. This included renaming some buttons, resizing the log off button, and adding the new cancel button with animation. The animation also required setting changes in the HUD JavaScript file.

Global Avatar Update missing Parameter - In the 3D Internet plugin, downloadUserAvatarVersionResponse function, the zrequest variable was not set, therefore not passing the right parameters. It has now been set to the correct values.

Corrected link to Edit Community - When browsing a 3D Community Scene, the link on the bottom was not showing a link to edit the community when there are no 3D Buildings in the scene. This update to the wtw_core.js file sets the edit community link.

WalkTheWeb v3.7.3

Release Date: 11/6/2023
By Aaron Dishno Ed.D.

This software is a hosting software for 3D Websites as part of 3D Internet Metaverse that combine 3D Gaming with 3D Shopping. It is a 3D CMS for 3D Games and 3D Plugins.

Demo 3D Website: https://3d.walktheweb.com/

This update pertains to the 3D Internet Multiplayer enhancements and updates. We updated Linux, NodeJS, Socket.io, Discord functionality, and all related elements.

Here are the details for this release:

Extreme Load Zone in Community - To assist in 3D internet when entering zones, we are now returning the Extreme Load action zone id as the extremeloadzoneid. This applies to connect/community.php and connect/communities.php.

Admin Check Connection Functions removed - In the 3D Internet admin channel, there was a loop interval for checking the connection like a heartbeat. This has been removed since the new code enhancements and socket.io update handles the connection and reconnect a lot better.

Movement Tracking Updates - In the 3D Internet plugin, the movement tracking has been updated to always connect (when movement is turned on in admin), but now it only tracks when you enter or exit an extreme load zone for the community using socket.io rooms.

Added Try Catch to Animation Loading - We added a try-catch around the functions that load new avatar animations. This allows us to suppress errors in loading if an animation is not found, while still loading the remaining animations.

Avatar Transitions with Smoke - The numerous transitions for avatars that use smoke to enter a scene were sometimes causing errors if the smoke was removed before the process completed. We added conditions to check for smoke before using it in the function.

Updated Actionzone Object - The actionzone object uses moldname but it was not in the original newActionZone function. It has been added.

3D Internet Plugin Massive Update - In the past couple months we have fully rebuilt the Multi-player server. Latest Linux version, NGinx, PHP, Node.js, socket.io, Discord, etc... Then we made big improvements to the connect and disconnect functionality for admin channels, movement, and chat. This project will go on to next month, but it is working much better so we decided to publish out the latest changes. While this update may only have a few posted updates, it has a complete rewrite on the back-end server. It is all for the better in the long run. More to come!

Catch Download Errors - The Download errors from file_get_contents were not being caught by the code. We added the @ and a test and now it catches the errors, keeping them from the users.

Updated Socket.io Client Files - We updated the socket.io client files to the latest version 4.7.2.

CORS transport Update - We added a transport reference pointing to websocket on the 3D Internet Plugin connections for the Admin, Move, and Chat functionality. This appears to have corrected the occasional CORS error.

getAddThingList Moved to 3D Internet Function - getAddThingList JavaScript function was moved to the 3D Internet Plugin under scripts/franchises.js. This includes all references to call it.

getAddBuildingList Moved to 3D Internet Function - getAddBuildingList JavaScript function was moved to the 3D Internet Plugin under scripts/franchises.js

Prep Check Date Function - The prepCheckDate function had the month and day reversed in the conditional output. This caused invalid date format in some cases. It has been corrected.

Add Building to Community Duplication - When adding a 3D Building to a 3D Community, the list of your 3D Buildings was being duplicated. The code was moved to the 3D Internet Plugin, but was not removed from the main admin menu code. It has been corrected.

Corrected Download Image Paths - We corrected the download image paths to point to the 3dnet.walktheweb.com server instead of the 3d.walktheweb.com server.

Width on Email Settings - The Email Settings form was too narrow for the content. We adjusted the width to match similar forms.

Added Missing Animations - The install was not including all of the necessary animations. We added the missing animations to the proper uploads/avatars/3b9bt5c70igtmqux/animations folder. This folder gets copied to all of the initial avatars animations folders during install. You can copy them manually if needed.

WalkTheWeb v3.7.2

Release Date: 9/5/2023
By Aaron Dishno Ed.D.

This software is a hosting software for 3D Websites as part of 3D Internet Metaverse that combine 3D Gaming with 3D Shopping. It is a 3D CMS for 3D Games and 3D Plugins.

Demo 3D Website: https://3d.walktheweb.com/

This update contains the XR and AR support environment. WalkTheWeb will now auto detect your VR or AR equipment and start you in XR Mode. We also included a number of improvements to Teleports to improve reliability.

Here are the details for this release:

Teleport to Other Communities - When teleporting to other communities, the teleport zone was firing multiple times, causing unexpected errors. This has been corrected by removing the status reset update step. Now it only happens once and gets the expected behavior.

Error Path Correction - In the class connecting grids functions, a number of functions were still referencing the previous class as the location for the error if it occurs. The path has been properly updated.

Communities Filter All - Reversed the last update, instead chose to use the filter all querystring to call the communities.php connect file. This allows the list of communities for Mine to only show ones I authored while giving all returned when supplying settings to forms like share and information.

Connect Communities for Admin - When opening communities.php from connect, if your role is admin and you open a community other than your own, the information was not necessarily showing. This update to the SQL fixes that issue and returns what it should.

Get User Roles - The function for getUserRoles was not returning more than one record in the array. It was missing the increment value. It has been corrected.

Download Queue and Update Badges - When you would Download or Cancel an item from the Download Queue (triggered from the downloads from www.walktheweb.org), the badge for downloads/updates was not being updated. This process now updates the badges.

First Building Cancel - When editing a 3D Community under Options and Settings, if you set the first building for the 3D Community, it removes the 3D Object from the scene. The Save and Cancel worked as planned, but the back arrow on the top was not. It is corrected to be treated as a cancel and remove the 3D Object.

Ser VR Browser User Agent - We used the following test for selecting the VR headset active: Oculus, Vibe, Mobile VR, and MobileVR.

Added VR Camera to XR Setup - We added the VR Camera with Gamepad to the initial XR loading environment. As a default, the VR Camera is now loaded when the browser user agent is VR.

XR Global Variables Added - We added 3 new global variables WTW.environment, WTW.xrHelper, and WTW.isVRorAR.

Enabled XR Environment - Added code to enable the XR Environment for VR and AR use. Currently, it only turns on if Oculus, Vibe, or Mobile VR is detected in the user agent.

Downloads for Teleporting - We decided to limit the Shared Downloads to only teleport within the same 3D Web. This code will set the teleportwebid to the correct new set id as needed when downloading.

Corrected Missing Image on Ground - The Extended Ground was missing an image because it only had an original image id and the SQL was checking for websizeid. It now returns an alternative image based on originalid. This update checks for the alternative and uses it if there is no path already defined.

Added Original Image to Response - Added the original image path to the recordset as an alternative when there is no websize id. This is applied to the extended ground texture, skybox texture, and water bump texture paths.

User Menu Buttons - The button naming for the Select Avatar and Edit Avatar buttons on the user menu were having a name conflict. We updated the 3D Menu Form and the HUD Login code to match the naming so it will work.

Check object before Setting Status - In the checkShownMolds function, the zloadazstatus is now checking to see if the object is null before trying to read the status.

Check Mold before Setting Collisions - We needed to add a check to see if the mold is null before setting the check collisions.

Avatar Animations Correction Globally - When the avatar has multiple animations for core motions such as walk, the avatar will have problems running and loading animations. This change to the connect file for avatar.php groups the animations by avatarevent for the ones that are not Options, and adds the Options grouped by friendly name, both only getting the latest updatedate when it finds duplicates. We corrected the same issue in Copy Avatar, Get Avatar Animations, Share and Download Avatars.

Avatar Animations Removing Duplicates - When the avatar has multiple animations for core motions such as walk, the avatar will have problems running and loading animations. This change to the connect file for avatar.php groups the animations by avatarevent for the ones that are not Options, and adds the Options grouped by friendly name, both only getting the latest updatedate when it finds duplicates.

WalkTheWeb v3.7.1

Release Date: 7/29/2023
By Aaron Dishno Ed.D.

This software is a hosting software for 3D Websites as part of 3D Internet Metaverse that combine 3D Gaming with 3D Shopping. It is a 3D CMS for 3D Games and 3D Plugins.

Demo 3D Website: https://3d.walktheweb.com/

This update is all about the user experience! This includes big improvements to Avatar movement, speed, and click space bar to jump. Additionally there are 3D Menu Updates, copy supports teleports, and Teleport / Spawn Zone enhancements that now allow them to be included in Shares and Downloads.

Here are the details for this release:

New Enter Login Button Menu - When you come to a new scene, we moved the Enter button to a new 3D Model menu called wtw-entermenu.babylon. We then added a button for Login so that you can choose to login before entering the scene (Enter selects a random avatar). We also removed the Enter button from the login menu 3D Model. This change effects the HUD Login code as well as the Login and Core files that call the menus.

Jump Collisions Correction - When jumping, there is an avatar base collision adjustment so that the avatar can jump up on something as they walk or run forward. When the avatar stood still and jumped, the correction was causing the avatar to sink into the ground then slowly correct itself by collision control. We disabled the correction during a jump vertically to rectify this issue.

3D Internet Menu Closing Corrected - When in Admin Mode and click on the 3D Internet Menu, when you select a sub menu item, then click the 3D Internet to close the menu group, it now closes the sub menu item properly. Before, only the first item page was being checked for closure.

Enable / Disable WalkTheWeb Broadcasts - Under the 3D Internet, Multiplayer and Chat settings, in Admin Mode, you can now Enable and Disable the WalkTheWeb Broadcasts.

Move Avatar handling Jumps - We changed the moveAvatar function on how it processes and identifies Jump commands. It now uses an array of possible Jump commands to set the animation weights.

Exclude Space Bar from Key Pressed Remove - The keyPressedRemove function is used to release keys from the active controls. It can be found in the wtw_inputs.js file. We added a condition to the code to not remove the space bar (keycode 32) so that pressing the space bar will continue the action to jump until the jump animation is complete. The code to remove the space bar was added to the end function of the animation. (when loading a jump type animation).

Load Animation End Cycle Function - When executing an animation loop, for example jump, we needed to add code to execute at the end of a cycle before it loops. This allows us to add code to clear the jump before it loops. THis same location can be used to add additional conditions at the end of a cycle before it loops. This can be found in the loadAvatarAnimations function in wtw_loadavatar.js.

Added Space Bar Click Jump - Previously, you had to hold down the space bar to jump and it was an endless loop. This meant that after a jump sequence, gravity would not take over until the space bar was released. Now, jump uses a click on the space bar and always ends at one cycle of the jump.

Removed Opposite Movement from Move Avatar Section - Since the opposite movement cancellation happens on the key stroke end now, we do not need to test for it and cancel on the move avatar code side. We removed the checks and alternate fixes. This effects the wtw_avatarfunctions.js file.

Cancel Opposite Avatar Movements - In the keyPressedAdd function, we now check for opposite avatar movements and cancel the end results. For example, if left turn and right turn are both pressed, the avatar will do nothing (stay idle). Previously, it would jitter between both movements.

Canceling Key Repeat - When moving your avatar, if you hold a key, it was repeating the same process to check and add the key code. We now check to see if it is a repeating key before checking, making it run faster with less processing work.

Swap Avatar Control Keys - We swapped the default movement for the A, D, Q, and E keys. A and left arrow turn left, D and right arrow turn right, Q strafes left, and E strafes right. Note that R and F will look up or down and space bar jumps.

Teleport and Spawn in Copy, Share, and Downloads - The fields teleportwebid, teleportwebtype, and spawnactionzoneid needed to be added to every Copy, Share, and Download related function. It includes but was not limited to the connect, functions, handlers, scripts, and 3D Internet Plugin. The Copy, Share, and Download will now process and preserve these teleport and spawn settings as expected.

Teleport and Spawn Settings when Sharing - When you share a 3D Community, any teleport and spawn settings were not being transferred and included. We now added the teleportwebid, teleportwebtype, and spawnactionzoneid as part of the shared action zones for the community. Note that when downloading a shared 3D Community, only teleports within the same 3D Community will be included. Any additional teleport destinations will be ignored. This may change in the future, but it requires a domain name destination to stay consistent and we do not fully support that yet.

Save Action Zone with Teleport - When saving an action zone not of type teleport, the teleport community was not being cleared from previous use of the form, therefore would sometimes have values when it no longer applies. We updated the code to only set a value for the teleportwebid, teleportwebtype, and spawnactionzoneid if it is a type teleportzone.

Prevent Unloading for Background Tabs - When the browser tab is not the focus, browsers like Google Chrome would automatically unload some of the canvas causing 3D Models to disappear in the 3D Scene. Sometimes the land the avatar is standing on would disappear. This new setting for the engine to renderEvenInBackground will help prevent this from happening by keeping the rendering going in the background. Note that some browsers may throttle down the frames per second for background tabs.

Edit Water Render Corrected - In Admin Mode and working on a 3D Community (under Edit 3D Community, Edit 3D Scene, and Water, Waves, and Wind, select the Advanced Options), when editing the water, it was not rending the changes but removing the water. We now applied the changes using the same render code as the initial load, but with the new possible settings. This allows you to see the changes as you make them. Note that things like land, piers and other 3D objects will not show the refraction in the water until it is refreshed, they have to load after the water to be included in the refraction and it would take too long on each minute change to refresh everything.

Walk Distance and Animation Defaults - We changed the walk distance and animation defaults to 2.6 on the adjustment slider in the browse menu settings under avatar movement as well as the table default.

Walk Distance and Animation Range Increased - When adjusting the Avatar movement speeds in the browse menu settings, we increased the available range of values from .1 to 1 on the low end and 2.9 to 3.9 on the top end. We also increased the default setting from 1.5 to 2.6. This allows higher values for the avatar movement.

Avatar Distance Traveled Increased - We increased the factor that provides the distance traveled for avatars so that the walk, run, and strafe movements all move faster across the ground.

New Avatar Swipe Movement - We have replaced the previous position avatar rotation (horizontal and vertical) with a swipe driven movement. If you swipe a distance less than 1/4th of your screen (horizontal or vertical) you will get a slower rotation. When you swipe more than a 1/4th of your screen, you will get about three times the rotation speed. This change is in the wtw_inputs.js mouse and touch controls (to set the swipe direction, swipe strength, and key pressed array for animations) and in the wtw_avatarfunctions.js swipeRotateAvatar function (to set the rotations).

Touch Timer Changes - Global variables for WTW.touchLeftTimer and WTW.touchRightTimer have been replaced by WTW.touchTimer. With the new avatar swipe movement, there is no longer a need to determine if the touch was left or right side of the screen.

Remove Global Mouse Move Variables - We removed the global WTW.mouseMoveX and WTW.mouseMoveY since adding the new avatar swipe movement, they is no longer needed. The new swipe uses WTW.mouseStartX and WTW.mouseStartY instead.

Avatar Key Runtime Effects Added - In the moveAvatar function and using the new starttime and endtime per animation event (key pressed), we now calculate how long a key is being held down. Using this zruntime variable, we can change the weights of an animation the longer the key is held. For example, when walking or running, the avatar would turn slowly making it easy to adjust and fine tune the direction, but after a second or two, the turn rate will increase to allow the avatar to fully rotate faster.

Added Start Time and End Time to Avatar Running Animations - We added a starttime and endtime properties to the zrunninganims[zanim] array. This allows us to set a time the animation began and ended. When it begins, endtime gets set to null. When an animation ends, the starttime is set to null. These settings are related to when an animation is active = 1, which means that the key, mouse or touch is currently being activated.

Running Events Notation - To assist in reducing code in key functions, we set a zrunningevents variable for zrunninganims[zevent] which effectively is zavatar.WTW.animations.running[zevent] in the moveavatar function.

Running Animations Notation - To assist in reducing code in key functions, we set a zrunninganims variable for zavatar.WTW.animations.running in the moveavatar function.

Added Color Validation to Babylon Files - In th...

WalkTheWeb v3.7.0

Release Date: 6/30/2023
By Aaron Dishno Ed.D.

This software is a hosting software for 3D Websites as part of 3D Internet Metaverse that combine 3D Gaming with 3D Shopping. It is a 3D CMS for 3D Games and 3D Plugins.

Demo 3D Website: https://3d.walktheweb.com/

This release is all about testing and refining WalkTheWeb. It includes a prompt to accept cookies, mobile menu scaling improvements, 131 animations for each initial avatar, reduced initial download size, and numerous smaller fixes.

Here are the details for this release:

Save Avatar Cookie after Select - The save avatar cookie after the select avatar process was missing the number of days to save it. This made it disappear as it saved it. It has been corrected.

Avatar ID Cookie Saving - When a random avatar is added, the setCookie function was not setting the number of days, so the cookie expired as it was written. We added 365 days and now it works.

Pending Cookies Array - We added a global variable called WTW.pendingCookies as an array to store any cookies that would be written before the Allow Cookies prompt is answered. If answered to Allow, the array is processed and each cookie is saved. Either way you answer about the Allow or Deny Cookies, the array is cleared after.

Set Cookie Prompt Protected - The setCookie function in wtw_utilities.js now checks the prompt response with the checkAllowCookies function.

Get Cookie Prompt Protected - The getCookie function in wtw_utilities.js is now using the checkAllowCookies function before use. This has one exception, the allowcookies can be processed to see if it exists.

Replaced Delete Cookie Function - The deleteCookie function was using the setCookie function, but now it has its own stand alone code. This is due to the changes to protect the set and get cookies functions.

Added Check Allow Cookies Function - We added a checkAllowCookies function that will return a true or false depending on the prompt response and possible cookie to remember the setting if cookies were allowed.

Camera Distance Cookie - The Camera Distance cookie was being set before it was being read. This caused it to reset every time the page reopened. We removed the unnecessary set cookie in the init camera function.

Avatar for Edit Code Update - When opening an avatar for edit, the scaleold node was not setting the position and rotation. The code lines were copied from the avatarscaling, showing as a duplicate, but the avatarscalingold node needed to be set. This has been corrected.

Avatar Transition Scaling Corrected - When switching avatars, the old avatar stays until the new avatar is completely loaded. The issue was that the new avatar was resetting the scaling of the old avatar (scaleold transform node), making the avatar jump in size during the transition before it is deleted. We removed the scaling for the scaleold node when the new avatar is being added. This allows it to preserve the scaling of the old avatar while the new avatar loads.

Parent During Avatar Transition - When switching avatars, the child elements of an avatar get set to an alternate parent (-scaleold) for a short time. The code was reparenting all items, but we needed it to only parent items that are part of the current scale parent. This change preserves the sub parent structure.

Allow Cookies Prompt in Sequence - The Allow Cookies prompt has been added to the load sequence. This will make sure it is prompted before any cookies are written from the JavaScript (client) side.

Select Avatar Display Name - When viewing the select avatar 3D Form, The display name was throwing an error when you are set as anonymous. We added a condition to check if the display name or default display name is null to correct the issue. The results will now show Anonymous as the display name when the JSON call returns a null value.

Allow Cookies Prompt Added - We are now asking if the user allows cookies. The menu will show on first use, if the user selects allow cookies, cookies will be used to save user settings and preferences including this allow setting (no longer get the prompt on each visit). If the user selects deny cookies, it will not save cookies, any existing cookies will be removed, and the user will be prompted each time they visit the site. Remember that cookies include the avatar selection, instance number of the user (gives an anonymous user an identity), logins, avatar customizations, and other preferences. This update includes: new menu in class_wtwmenu.php, global variable in wtw_constructor.js, allow cookie functions in wtw_utilities.js, and calls to add the cookie menu in index.php and admin.php.

Avatar Animations Menu Size - When you long click your avatar, the optional animations horizontal scroll is shown with the animations you can play by holding one of the icons. This horizontal scroll was too wide for mobile devices. It is now properly scaling to fit your screen and you can see the close button.

Mobile Browse Menu Height - When using a mobile device in landscape orientation the browse menu was too tall for the screen causing you to not be able to close the menu. We corrected it by adding a div with a vertical overflow scrollbar and set the height when opening.

Enter Zone Process - The Enter Zone process used by the multiplayer was executing 2 times on entry of a load zone. It now uses the status to determine if it needs to run. First time it is status 0 and all following times the status is 2.

3D Avatar Required Plugins - When editing a 3D Avatar, under options and settings - ratings and requirements, the requirements section was not set to open for avatars. This section lets you set any required or optional plugins that will be used when your avatar loads. We added the condition to allow it for avatars. Now this section is available.

Animation Modes Hiding Animations - When selecting Fight Mode or returning to Normal Mode of Avatar movement (after slow click on your avatar), the list of animations to choose from were not hiding the extra animations. An OR clause was added to the avatarAnimationMode function to hide or show the appropriate animations when selected.

Avatar Animation Transitions are Faster - When an avatar changes from one movement to another there is a transition speed set by an increment that determines how fast the animation stops and the new one starts. Previously the increment was 0.2, now it is 0.5. This means that the transitions are now completing 2.5 times faster. This makes the avatar a lot more responsive to changes in direction and movement.

Avatar Walk to Position - The avatar walk to position function has been updated to watch for lack of movement as a method to cancel the walking. We also cleaned up the code by using the cancelWalkToPosition function instead of individual repeated lines of code.

Avatar Walk to Decal - When you click the ground, a decal is added to the ground and the avatar walks to it. The decal was not showing because of the rendering group. It has been corrected.

Added Cancel to Select Avatar 3D Form - We added a Cancel button to the select avatar 3D Form. This also includes the animation code, hover, and action to close the select avatar 3D Form when selected.

Table Character Set Updated - When creating the tables, the utf8 characterset has been updated to UTF8MB4 by a recommendation of MySQL. This change occurred in the main WalkTheWeb tables and all plugins maintained by WalkTheWeb.

Avatar in Groups Table Comma Issue - The avataringroups table was not being created because of a missing comma after the primary key line. This has been corrected and tested.

Avatars in Groups Table - The avatarsingroups table was not being created because of a typo in the varchar size. It said 416 when it should be 16.

Initial Install Download Size Reduction - We reduced the install file size by eliminating the duplicate avatar animation files. Therefore, in the install we now have a process that copies the animations to each of the avatar folders while respecting the unique animations for that avatar. Mostly, the onwait and dances are different per avatar and the male and female walks are also separate selections.

New Install Avatars - During the new install of WalkTheWeb, the avatars are now the latest 1.0.1 or 1.1.1 versions of the avatars consisting of 131 animations each. If you already installed, these are the same avatars you get when you update the avatars in your admin mode.

Content System Avatars folder removed - The /content/system/avatars folder has been removed. The installed avatars are now in the /content/uploads/avatars folder with other downloaded avatars.

Default Avatar Path Updated - The default avatar path has been updated to the unanimous male avatar.

Community Name loading - On occasions, the community name would error while loading. This depended on if the mobile or desktop version of the menu is being used. It now checks the availability of the element before setting the inner HTML value.

WalkTheWeb v3.6.4

Release Date: 5/31/2023
By Aaron Dishno Ed.D.

This software is a hosting software for 3D Websites as part of 3D Internet Metaverse that combine 3D Gaming with 3D Shopping. It is a 3D CMS for 3D Games and 3D Plugins.

Demo 3D Website: https://3d.walktheweb.com/

This release includes the ability to teleport within the same 3D Community! We corrected rendering groups for admin tools, login process extras, admin file functions, and admin right click functions.

Here are the details for this release:

Set First Building Updates - The Set First Building in a 3D Community (under Options and settings) is designed to pick the first 3D Building location when this 3D Community is used in a Create 3D Scene Wizard. (meaning you select the building, community, and the system will know where to place that first building in the community). The building guide was not showing. We added the rendering group id to the building guide and now it shows. Helpful hint: when adding the first building location, select the avatar camera off so you can move the camera anywhere to get a good view of the location (This also helps when creating the snapshot). notice that it may start under the land if you have a hill in front of you when you open the building guide. The avatar camera off will let you look under the ground to find it.

Try Catch for Render - There are times where the scene render can throw an error, like when we update the landscape and it takes longer to reload when you cancel. We added a try catch around the main scene.render() function so that it will suppress the error and just try again if it has any issues. This will keep it from failing and shutting down the render loop.

File Uploads for Admins - Previously, file uploads always went to your own uploadid folder under your user. Now, if you are logged in as an Admin, the upload process with pass the upload object path and put files into that folder on the server. This allows admins to upload to any user, community, building, thing, avatar, or 3D Model folders (all under the content folder).

Updated function call for inputClick - In the functions folder of the plugins, we update the addScriptFunction call to use inputClick instead of onClick.

Plugins onClick function Updated - In all of the existing plugins, we renamed the onClick function to inputClick to match the main function and updated the function to return the zpickedname. We also set up conditions (or added to the existing conditions) to set the zpickedname to ' so that it stops processing the click on return if it already processed the click by name.

Renamed pluginOnClick to pluginInputClick - We renamed the input function pluginOnClick to pluginInputClick to match the new inputClick function where it is being called. We also added a return value of the zpickedname. If you return zpickedname = ' from your plugin functions, the main function will not process it as another click on other objects. This corrects the avatar movement to the item when you click on it.

Teleport in same 3D Scene - We added code to now teleport into the same 3D Scene as initiated. Just set up a spawn zone where you want to land, then add a teleport zone and select the same 3D Community that you are in with the spawn zone. We kept the avatar effect to disappear and use visibility to fade into the scene.

Save Button Text Material - On the Select Avatar 3D Form, the save button text was not loading the proper white text until you hovered over it and hovered away. We reset the texture material for the text to the white.

Display Name Cursor Placement - On the Select Avatar 3D Form, the display name text box cursor was defaulting to the first character in the display name when it opens it with a value. The cursor position is now set to the end of the name as expected.

Remember Me Checkbox Click - When logging in, the remember me checkbox was requiring a keyboard click to set it. Now it responds and changes with a mouse or touch click.

Delete Object Files Permissions - Since we changed the 3D Models to be able to merge like models, some of the file paths are no longer in our own user folders. Therefore, we updated the delete object file function to pass the object folder and check if you are an Admin and delete the file from the server. Otherwise if you are not Admin, it will look to see if it is in your own user folder before deleting.

Admin Mouse Right Click Editing - When in Admin Mode, when you right click to select an object, selecting 3D Things, 3D Buildings, 3D Models, and some 3D Web Objects were not selecting because of the updated name to include local as a location. We added an additional namepart 6 to select the base of those objects. Now it works as expected.

Guide Lines Rendering - When editing an object, the guide lines were not showing. We added the rendering group id as 1 and now they render in the correct layer.

Water not Rendering Corrected - In the 3D Scenes, the water was being created, but not set per rendering group, so it was not showing in the correct layer. This has been corrected by adding rendering group id 1..

Updated Babylon Viewer Path - When working with 3D Models in the Media Library (under Admin Mode), the preview pane was not pointing to the sub folder under the engine folder. This has been updated to use the most recent copy.

Teleport to 3D Community Scene Settings - When you teleport to another 3D Community, it now sets the fog, sun lighting, sky, and scene coloring during a teleport.

Show Action Zone Rendering - When the showActionZone function displays the action zones in the Admin Mode of a scene (Quick Editor Settings), the rendering groupd id needed to be set to 1 so that the drawn zones cut off at the ground.

Rendering Group for Ground - The rendering group for extended ground has been changed to 1. This puts it in the same group as the items on the ground and fixes the cut off of items that go under the ground.

Mouse Right Click now uses Render Groups - When the rendering groups were added previously, we updated the left mouse click to select with respect to the rendering groups. Now the Right mouse click in Admin Mode uses the same accurate selection process with respect to rending groups.

Right Click on 3D Items in Admin Mode - When in Admin Mode, the 3D Objects were not allowing them to be selected unless the checkbox for isPickable was selected in advanced options. This logic has been changed to default to is pickable and always pickable if in Admin Mode.

pluginsResetMoldColor Renamed - pluginsResetMoldColor function in the wtwplugins class that creates JavaScript functions, has been renamed to pluginsSetMoldColor to match the function that is adding the plugins access hook.

Added Check Login Process - We added a WTW.checkLogin() JavaScript function that is executed when the window (tab) receives focus that looks to see if the user session is still active and returns a true or false. If false and if the user is in Admin Mode, they will be redirected to the home page and all values set for logged out. If True, the session continues without change. This process also adds a function to the wtwusers class and users handler for isUserLoggedIn().

Logout Redirect Sequence - We modified the logout sequence slightly to make sure the logout for the session happens before a redirect to the index.php page (when they are on the admin.php page (Admin Mode).

Share Avatar Save Duplicate Decode Removed - During the save Share Avatar process (saveAvatarTemplate function in the 3D Internet Plugin), the handler decodes the name, descriptions, and tags. Teh decode process was being duplicated in the save Templates Class function causing the values to be blank. The duplicate has been removed.

Corrected Animations List - When calling the /connect/avatar.php file, a single animation was being omitted. Turns out that the variable for the index was being reused in the code and would cause it to overwrite one animation with the onwait animation. This has been corrected by renaming the index variable.

Get File Contents with Spaces - We added a space replacement of %20 to the URLs so that the use of file_get_contents will properly support spaces in the file names. This applies to all instances in the WTW code.

Added Verify and Create Folder - Added a verifyFolderExists function to classes wtw, wtwdb, wtwhandlers, wtwconnect, and wtwplugins to make it consistent with adding folders with mods and proper umask procedures. This function is now used and replaced all similar instances within existing functions.

Changed order of Camera Loading - With the new SkyBoxes, some take longer to load causing the camera to not be loaded when the scene render loop begins. We now changed the order of loading to make the camera load before the sky, fog, and extended ground to make sure it completes before the render loop begins. This corrects the occasional no camera defined error message.

Set Content Rating for Mobile - The content rating for mobile field needed to be checked for null before making the update to the rating text.