Increasing the visualization realism by frame synchronization between the VRML browser and the panoramic image viewer

This paper presents a frame synchronization technique so that the display on the VRML browser can harmonize with the picture of the panoramic image viewer. The VRML browser and the panoramic image viewer are two well-known systems to support virtual reality on the Internet. These two types of browsers have their own merits and faults, and these differences are revealed in the discrepancy of their respective user interfaces. This paper first presents a detailed comparison between these two browsers, and then draws out the issues that are essential to synchronize the frame displays on these two browsers. The equations and mechanisms to enable such synchronization then follow. Finally, the frame synchronization mechanism that was implemented with experiments to demonstrate its effectiveness is also given at the end of the paper. The frame synchronization mechanism provides a simple yet effective method to increase visualization realism inside the virtual world without sacrificing the freedom-of-navigation.