A VRML and Java-Based Interface for Retrieving VRML Content in Object-Oriented Databases

Storing VRML and VRML-related content in an object-oriented database enables VRML scene authoring with reusable components. A 3D metaphor is designed to search and retrieve these components. The 3D metaphor is realized using VRML and Java. As the 3D interface is integrated in the same VRML scene an author currently has under construction, the query results may be presented in this scene and may be seamlessly used by the author. To achieve this goal, VRML-related content needs to be represented in an object-oriented database. Furthermore, the communication with the database is implemented using a Java applet that also provides an author with authoring features and extracts the authored scene.