Carina

Open source; $0

Current Version: 20060520 (May 22, 2006)

Carina is an application written in C++ for viewing various 3D graphic file formats. While focusing on the xVRML file format, Carina also supports the X3D and VRML97 formats. Since Carina is still in development, a list of the currently supported parts of the formats is available at the web site.

Mostly for viewing files, it also contains some debug support to help people creating xVRML content. Carina can save any file it can open as xVRML. Carina is available as a binary download for Windows and OS X, and as source code for Linux. Carina is free and open-source software released under the GPL.

(xVRML is an XML-based virtual reality language. Classroom testing has shown that new users who are already familiar with HTML code can become proficient in xVRML with just a few weeks of study and practice. Documentation and example files for xVRML can be found at http://www.xvrml.net/.)

Version 20060520 adds/changes the following:

• New VRML97/X3D Classic parser
• Saving files saves all inlines and images into separate directory
• Compressed files loaded with transformations (like X3D) no longer need a separate decompression stage (faster)
• Ability for users to add XML transformations (XSLT) to import other file formats
• Update to Qt 4.1.2
• Added a bookmark manager
• Main window and bookmark manager window save window positions and sizes
• Better handling of international characters in filenames
• Linux: Switch back to autotools build system
• Linux: Return of command line conversion utility
• Linux: Command line conversion utility now supports inlines, images, and remote files
• Mac: Universal binary (Runs on both older PPC based Macs and newer Intel based ones)
• Bugfix: Saving of empty node names fixed
• Bugfix: Saving of Viewpoints now adds name if none supplied on VRML import

Cortona VRML Client

Current Version: 1.1 (January 23, 2002)

Cortona is a new (first non-beta release: 2/2002) VRML client for the Mac that has full VRML 97 support (with the exception of EAI). It works as a plugin for Netscape or Internet Explorer, and even the early betas installed and worked incredibly well. Cortona for Mac offers:

• Navigation paradigms (such as walking or flying) that enable the user to move the viewer through a virtual world;
• A mechanism allowing the user to interact with a virtual world through a sensor in the scene;
• A hardware renderer based on OpenGL.

Cortona also includes support for ParallelGraphics' proprietary VRML extensions: NURBS, Spline, Keyboard Sensor, DropSensor and Text3D. It's been a very long time since a new VRML client for the Mac has been introduced, and this one's a genuine winner (it's so good that it was the first VRML client to whom I awarded an "Essential" badge). If you've never enjoyed VRML on your Mac, then download Cortona as soon as you can for an exhilarating experience.

ExpressVR

Current Version: R5

ExpressVR is a Netscape plug-in that works on 68k and PowerMacs with Netscape 2.0 or Microsoft Internet Explorer2.0b3 or higher. Version R5 includes gzip decompression, a little VRML 2.0, texture mapping, much better memory management (meaning less crashing), and a bunch of tweaking.

GopherSurfer

Current Version: 1.1b3r2 (April 3, 1995)

GopherSurfer is a Gopher server from the University of Minnesota - the same team that brought us not only TurboGopher, but the Gopher protocol as well.

MacGopher

Final Version: 0.5b14

MacGopher is a somewhat dated Gopher client that uses a two-paned interface. It is neither as fast nor as feature-filled as TurboGopher, but it's worth a try if, for some strange reason, you don't like TurboGopher.

MacLookat

Current Version: 0.9.5

From the MacLookat home page: "MacLookat is a VRML 97 viewer for the Mac OS by Michael Louka. It can be used to view, and interact with, 3D objects and virtual worlds defined using the VRML file format. It supports most of the ISO VRML97 standard, including almost complete support for the JavaScript scripting interface and is therefore capable of displaying most interactive, animated, VRML content." MacLookat requires a PowerPC with Mac OS 8.1 or later and Apple OpenGL (InternetConfig 2.x is required for Mac OS 8.1). Version 0.9.5 addresses the following:

• Uses latest OpenVRML 0.10.0 library
• Removed dependency on DriverServicesLib (which requires a PCI Mac)
• Increased default window size at startup so it now fits nicely on the screen if the screen resolution is set to 640x480.

MacWAIS

Final Version: 1.29

As interest in WAIS seems to be a thing of the past, there's no point in recommending any tool other than this one. It's good at what it does, but most WAIS services today are being handled on the Web.

TurboGopher

Final Version: 2.0.3

TurboGopher is one of the fastest, most powerful Gopher clients available on any platform, from the very people who created Gophering. It's multithreaded, and comes with a copy of Thread Manager 2.1 just in case you need it. There are other gopher programs out there, but they all stopped being developed a long time ago. TurboGopher is really the only viable choice--and that's not a bad thing!

TurboGopher VR

Final Version: 2.1 alpha 4

TurboGopher VR was a grand experiment to provide a virtual reality interface for gophering. Probably frozen forever in this 2.1a4 alpha release, this program is nonetheless worth a look for the sheer novelty. It works on all Macs, but a PowerMac or a Mac with an FPU is highly recommended.