Project Wonderland v0.5 User FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

General Questions

What is Project Wonderland?

Project Wonderland is a 100% pure Java, free and open-source toolkit for building 3D interactive virtual worlds.

How much does Wonderland cost to an end user?

Nothing! It is free and open source. It is licensed under the GNU General Public License v2.0 + Classpath Exception. (We are also open to dual-license Wonderland for commercial customers).

Who makes Project Wonderland?

Project Wonderland is under active development by Sun Microsystems Laboratories and the open-source community.

Is Project Wonderland a product?

No, Project Wonderland is experimental technology that is in its early stages of development.

What is the current version of Project Wonderland?

Version 0.5 is currently in an "early access" release and available to the public.

What are the minimum system requirements I need to run Project Wonderland?

A modern PC (1.5Ghz+, 1GB RAM) with hardware-accelerated OpenGL drivers installed. For Solaris and Linux we strongly recommend Nvidia cards/drivers. In our experience, their drivers are more stable and feature complete than others. You will also need an accelerated graphics card, typically geared towards running 3D games. We recommend a graphics card with 256MB of video memory for the best performance, but 128MB should also work.

What operating systems will run Project Wonderland?

Since Project Wonderland is based upon Java, the client will run on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Solaris. For the application sharing feature to be enabled, either the Wonderland server must be running on either Linux or Solaris.

What is the minimum network speed required to run Project Wonderland?

We have found that it is best to be connected to wired ethernet (not wireless) over at least a DSL-speed link.

What software do I need installed to run Project Wonderland?

To run the client browser, you'll need the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 6.

I don't have Java installed. How can I install it?

You can download Java for free at: http://developers.sun.com/downloads/top.jsp#javase.

Download, Install, and Run

Where do I download the Wonderland client browser?

Project Wonderland uses a Java technology called "Java Web Start", so if you are connecting to a publicly available world hosted over the internet, you do not need to explicitly download the client software. Typically, those who run the public Wonderland virtual world will publish a URL; simply point your web browser to that URL and the client software will download automatically (and be cached on your client for future use).

Where can I find a list of publicly available Wonderland worlds?

TBD

Can I run an instance of the Wonderland server myself?

Sure! Visit our binary download page at https://wonderland.dev.java.net/binary-builds.html to download the latest software release. To test things out, you can run both the client and server on your machine. At this point you are crossing over the boundary from an "end user" to a "system administrator" of Wonderland. Consult the Project Wonderland documentation wiki for complete instructions on how to configure Wonderland: http://wiki.java.net/bin/view/Javadesktop/ProjectWonderland.

Problems Running Wonderland

When I try to log into Wonderland, all I see is the Connecting... message and nothing further.

This happens when the client is attempting to connect to the Wonderland server, but is unable. Recheck that the hostname and port specified in this dialog is correct. (It should be correct if you started the Wonderland client via Java Web Start). Also, firewall software may be blocking network access, see PlatformTips for more details. STILL TRUE?

When I try to log into Wonderland, I get a Connection Refused. Please Try Again message.

This happens either when firewall software may be blocking network access (see PlatformTips) or the Wonderland server to which you are trying to connect is not running. TBD

When I start Wonderland, all I see is a black window and nothing else.

Occasionally when you launch Wonderland, you will see a black Wonderland window, but the login dialog never appears. Quitting out of Wonderland using File --> Quit and restarting usually solves the problem. The next time Wonderland launches, the login dialog should appear, although some users have reported that they needed to restart a few times before the dialog showed up.

In case you're interested in the details, we believe this may be caused by a bug in Java. There is at least one report that moving to a newer version of Java (e.g. 1.6.0_06) solves this problem, but we haven't been able to confirm this yet. There is a P1 issue (#429) to track this problem. TBD

I enter into Wonderland, but can't hear anything.

The fact the audio portion in Wonderland is not working can be caused by one of several reasons. First, make sure that audio is configured properly on your system and that your speaker volume is turned up properly. A common problem is that firewall software is blocking the necessary network traffic for audio to work. Please consult the PlatformTips for more information about network port access for audio. For general audio setup issues, there is a guide to help you at https://lg3d-wonderland.dev.java.net/source/browse/*checkout*/lg3d-wonderland/src/classes/org/jdesktop/lg3d/wonderland/scenemanager/resources/audio.html.

My audio sounds pretty bad, is there anything I can do?

Poor quality audio is most likely due to limited network bandwidth between your Wonderland client and the Wonderland server. If you are using wireless, and have the option of switching to wired ethernet, that helps tremendously. You may also reduce your audio quality via the Tools -> Audio Quality menu item. Switching to 8 kHz stereo or mono generally improves the audio quality.

I can hear other people, but they cannot hear me.

Since you can hear other people, it means that your microphone may not be setup properly. Select the Tools -> Audio -> Test Audio menu item to check whether your microphone (and speaker) are setup properly.

When I talk, I hear an echo.

If you can hear an echo, it most likely means that someone else inside of the world does not have an echo canceling microphone and is not using a headset. The quickest solution is to have the other party use headphones and the echo should go away.

I have a problem I just can't resolve. What should I do?

The best way to resolve a problem with Wonderland is to post a message to the Wonderland community forums at http://forums.java.net/jive/forum.jspa?forumID=112. It also helps if you post copies of your client-side Java console. You can read how to enable this console on our TroubleshootingGuide.

I don't want anyone to hear me. Can I mute my audio?

Yes, the [ key toggles muting audio. When your audio is muted, there will be square brackets ([]) around your avatar's name. To unmute, hit the [ key again.

Wonderland is reporting a really bad frame rate. Is there anything I can do?

Wonderland has a frame rate goal of 30 frames per second, but depending on the graphics and cpu capabilities of your system, this may result in heavy cpu load and reduced performance. This will manifest itself as jerky motion of the avatars and pauses when turning. If you're seeing more than 20 frames per second in the Status window (Asset Manager), but your cpu load is 100% it might be worth experimenting with using a lower maximum frame rate. To change the frame rate use the View->Max Frame Rate menu item. Try setting it to 20 or 15 fps. You'll see more flicker as you move around, but your avatar motion might be less jerky.

Getting Around Wonderand

How do I move my avatar around a Wonderland world?

You can use the arrow keys to move your avatar around the world. Up/Down arrow (or w and s keys) moves forward and back. Left/Right arrow (or a and d keys) turns left and right. You can also side-step left and right with the z and x keys. There is a quick reference sheet for all of these movements.

How can I stay in one position but change where my avatar looks?

Hold down the right mouse button and move the mouse. That will change the "look direction" of your avatar.

Is there any way to walk quicker? How about more slowly?

Yes, if you hold down the Shift key while moving your avatar around, it will speed up movement. You can also use the + and - keys to permanently increase or decrease the speed at which your avatar moves.

Can I fly in Wonderland?

In Wonderland, avatars are subject to gravitational effects, and they usually remain on the ground. If you're used to jumping and flying in Second Life, you might find the ground based experience a little limiting. There are several things you can do to defy gravity in Wonderland. First, if you hold down the Page Up key, your avatar will slowly rise off the ground like a helium balloon. Hold the Shift key to increase your rate of ascent. When you release the key, you'll fall back to earth. If you'd rather hover, turn off gravity (press 'U') and try Page Up and Page Down (or the q and e keys) to ascend and descend. Once in the air you can turn and move, just like you do on the ground. It's not exactly as elegant as flying in Second Life, but it can be useful (it's a great way to get aerial views for photographs for instance.) If you hit the roof and and want the take a peek outside, hold down the 'G' key as you ascend. To get back in, hold down the 'G' key and use Page Down. Note the 'U' toggles gravity, so once you're ready to return to the ground, press it again.

Can I make any gestures in Wonderland?

TBD

Wonderland currently supports several simple gestures, such as waving (the 5 key), pointing (the 4 key), shaking your head (the 3 key), and nodding your head (the 2 key).

If you want to point at something, first move your mouse to what you want to point at and press the middle mouse button. Your avatar will point in that direction (subject to joint constraints, of course!). Hold the button down for as long as you want to point.

Is seems like I have tunnel vision in Wonderland. Can I increase the field of view?

Wonderland has a field of view of 59 degrees by default, whereas the human eye has a field of view close to 180 degrees. With the default setting you might feel a little like you have tunnel vision when you're exploring Wonderland. Most of us in the Wonderland team widen the field of view. This gives a more immersive experience, since you gain some peripheral vision, for example 108 degrees. To widen your field of view, select View->Properties... and adjust the Field Of View slider. When you release the slider, the view will update, so you can experiment with different values. At very wide angles you'll see some bizarre distortions.

Next Steps

I've successfully been in Wonderland worlds. I want do to more! Where should I go?

There are nearly limitless possibilities with Wonderland. Once you have become a proficient end user, and possess the necessary visual design or software engineering skills, you can build new worlds and even extend the core functionality of the Wonderland software. We maintain a comprehensive documentation wiki site that describes these advanced topics: http://wiki.java.net/bin/view/Javadesktop/ProjectWonderland.