Tip's Virtual Worlds

One of the main strengths of VRML is that it is totally platform independent, which means that it can run on ANY machines - PC's, Mac's, SUNs, etc... . HOWEVER, this platform independence comes with a price - each platform (type of machine) has performance enhancement program code which makes programs run MUCH faster and smoother, BUT, if this code where put into VRML, then although it would run faster and smoother, it would ONLY work on the that machine type. . There are techniques that I am learning to make things faster and smoother, and I will apply these where and when I can, but there are a few things you can do to get the most out of your machine when using VRML, these are:

Your web browser (for example Netscape or Internet Explorer) uses a LOT of memory when rendering (drawing) the images while you walk around the virtual worlds. Unless you have LOADS of memory (128 megabytes of RAM or more) then it will use something called VIRTUAL MEMORY. Virtual memory is where your computer uses your hard drive as extra temporary memory, so that it can do tasks that require a lot of memory. By default, your machine will use your primary hard drive for virtual memory (this is C: drive on PC's). So to get the best performance out of your computer for VRML worlds, and indeed a faster performance in general, try to keep as much space free on your primary hard drive as possible - preferably at least 100 megabytes free, but the more the better, and the faster your computer will run when running programs that require a lot of memory, such as CosmoPlayer.

As mentioned above, your machine uses virtual memory a lot, so besides keeping a lot of space free on your primary hard drive, you could try restarting your computer if things seem to be chugging (meaning that the graphics seem to be jumpy and slow rather than smooth and scrolling). Restarting your computer causes the virtual memory to be wiped clean again - I have notices that when using CosmoPlayer, it does NOT wipe away the virtual memory information it stores on your hard drive when it has finished, so viewing several VRML worlds in a row will cause a build-up, and lead to a reduction in performance. As I said, the best way to clear this build-up is to restart your computer.
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Finally, as you may or may not know, the image made up on your computer screen is made up of thousands of little dots called pixels. By increasing the number of pixels in a fixed space, you are increasing the 'resolution'. Increasing the resolution increases the amount you can see on your screen at once, and reduces the 'blocky' effect (meaning when, for example, letters seem to be made up of little squares, they don't look very smooth - they look 'blocky').
HOWEVER, increasing the resolution ALSO increases the amount of work your computer has to do to deliver an image to your screen. Contraversly, decreasing the resolution will decrease the amount of work your computer has to do to deliver an image to your screen, and so this allows your computer to do other things (like drawing) a LOT faster and smoother. The average resolution on computers with a 14 inch screen is 800 X 600 (meaning 800 pixels across by 600 pixels down), although resolutions can be turned as low as 640 X 480, or as high as 1800 X 1600 - the resolution you can set depends on 3 things: (1) The power of your graphics card - more powerful graphics cards can manage higher resolutions than cheaper graphics cards, (2) The amount of memory (RAM) you have, (3) The limitations in the resolutions your monitor can handle - for example, you should never try to run at a resolution of 1800 X 1600 on a 14 inch screen, if you wanted to run in a resolution that high you should by a 21 inch screen.
Summary: CosmoPlayer will run a lot smoother and faster in a lower resolution, so if the graphics seem a bit jumpy, then try turning your resolution down.
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If non of the above 3 techniques help, then, unless there's something I don't know about listed on the CosmoPlayer site, if you want to increase the smoothness of your computer, you will have to increase your hardware power. The 2 critical speed limiting component on your computer are your CPU (Central Proceesing Unit - the 'brains' of your machine) and your RAM (Random Access Memory - the memory of your computer). If you have less than 32 Megabytes of RAM, I STRONGLY suggest you upgrade to at LEAST 32 Megabytes of RAM, as it is the minimum amount of memory to get any kind of decent performance out of you computer for modern programs. Alternatively you could get a faster CPU - the speed of your CPU is measured in Hz, so a Pentium 100 Hz is only half as fast as a Pentium 200 Hz. If you are thinking of upgrading, then for PC's I would suggest you don't by anything less than a 200 Hz chip with MMX (MMX is a special set of instructions inside the CPU which allows it to run certain types of calculations much faster). I personally would recommend you get an AMD K6 200 Hz - these have MMX and run as fast as the Intel Pentium II 200 Hz machines, but cost at least 1/3rd less. Your best bet is to phone a computer shop and ask them about upgrading - DO NOT let them talk you into buying a TOTALLY new machine; this is a common ploy to get more money out of you, and is usually TOTALLY unnecessary - you only ever need to replace PARTS of you computer. The most you would have to do to upgrade your CPU is to buy 2 things: (1) A new CPU, (2) A new motherboard. If they say you need anything else THEY ARE LYING. Obviously if you upgrade other parts of you computer, you will improve the overall performance, BUT, to increase the processing speed, the VERY most you need is a new motherboard and a new CPU. PLEASE NOTE: The amount of RAM your computer has is can be a bottleneck - it is usually far cheaper to just buy more RAM, and you will get a large performance increase (I went from 32 meg to 128 meg, and the speed of my machine more than doubled) and RAM is quite cheap at the moment.

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