How do I make a substitute for the VRML control panel that will always stay in front of the visitor?
This is sometimes called a heads-up display or HUD and can contain controls, displays or both. Here are two examples you can download: a simple HUD by Chris Fouts [download] and a slightly more elaborate HUD by Flounder [download]. Chris’s is elaborately commented and I’ve modified Flounder’s example, which originally displayed the numbers rounded off, because different VRML browsers generate string values in JavaScript differently, making the results of rounding difficult to guarantee across platforms. The answer to another FAQ shows some controls in a HUD. • I can’t get [createVrmlFromURL/createVrmlFromString] to work. If you’re using Java, the best tutorial is Justin Couch’s tutorial here at the VRMLworks. If you’re using ECMAScript, look at this example [download] which uses createVrmlFromString() — click on the cube to add the children or this example [download], which uses createVrmlFromURL() — approach the yellow cube and it turns into a red sphere. • How do you bind Viewpoint
