OpenQwaq is open source computer software for immersive collaboration, which enables organizations to implement online 3D virtual world

Virtual world

A virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects. The term has become largely synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of...

 workspaces for their specific needs. OpenQwaq is based on the Teleplace technology, a conferencing platform that has been in the market since 2007, with the name Qwaq Forums until 2009.

History

Both OpenQwaq and Teleplace are based on the Squeak

Squeak

The Squeak programming language is a Smalltalk implementation. It is object-oriented, class-based and reflective.It was derived directly from Smalltalk-80 by a group at Apple Computer that included some of the original Smalltalk-80 developers...

 open source implementation of Smalltalk

Smalltalk

Smalltalk is an object-oriented, dynamically typed, reflective programming language. Smalltalk was created as the language to underpin the "new world" of computing exemplified by "human–computer symbiosis." It was designed and created in part for educational use, more so for constructionist...

 and the Croquet Project

Croquet Project

The Croquet Project was an international effort to promote the continued development of the Croquet open source software development kit for creating and delivering deeply collaborative multi-user online applications....

. The main developers of this family of technologies include Alan Kay

Alan Kay

Alan Curtis Kay is an American computer scientist, known for his early pioneering work on object-oriented programming and windowing graphical user interface design, and for coining the phrase, "The best way to predict the future is to invent it."He is the president of the Viewpoints Research...

, David Smith, Andreas Raab and David Reed

David P. Reed

David P. Reed is an American computer scientist, educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, known for a number of significant contributions to computer networking....

, whose 1978 doctoral thesis on naming and synchronizations in a decentralized computer system introduced many of the main concepts.

Teleplace

Teleplace virtual workspaces are used by companies, universities, organizations and U.S. government agencies, such as the Air Force, Army, Navy and Department of Veterans Affairs for training and collaboration, have applications to telepresence based e-learning

E-learning

E-learning comprises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching. The information and communication systems, whether networked learning or not, serve as specific media to implement the learning process...

, and have been used for popular interactive online technology talks.

Initial release

OpenQwaq was announced on the Teleplace blog and other IT news sites in May 2011.

The initial release of OpenQwaq was functionally equivalent to Teleplace with the exception of the video subsystem used for webcam videoconferencing, video playback and session recording, because the proprietary video codecs used in Teleplace could not be included as open source. Developers have then integrated in OpenQwaq the open source video and audio codecs used in the VLC media player

VLC media player

VLC media player is a free and open source media player and multimedia framework written by the VideoLAN project.VLC is a portable multimedia player, encoder, and streamer supporting many audio and video codecs and file formats as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It is able to...

. Following a standard open source technology business model, companies offering value added OpenQwaq hosting and consulting services have been formed.

Features

• VOIP
• Fully Interactive Applications
  • Document

Spreadsheet

Presentations

PDF

Whiteboard

Firefox Web Browser

• Avatar

Simple

Allows for custom face image and badge

Allows Web Cam to be displayed as face

Animated Avatar

OGRE 24 bone

Supports Biovision Hierarchy

Biovision Hierarchy

The Biovision Hierarchy character animation file format was developed by Biovision, a defunct motion capture services company, to give motion capture data to customers...

 (BVH) animations

Balloon Head

With string!

• Webcams
• Digital video recording
• Webcasting
• Sound files
• Python
  Python (programming language)
  Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
  
   Scripting of 2d applications and 3d objects
• Meeting controls
• Drag and drop 3D objects

Google Earth

Google Earth

Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...

 (kmz

Keyhole Markup Language

Keyhole Markup Language is an XML notation for expressing geographic annotation and visualization within Internet-based, two-dimensional maps and three-dimensional Earth browsers. KML was developed for use with Google Earth, which was originally named Keyhole Earth Viewer. It was created by...

)

Collada

COLLADA

COLLADA is a COLLAborative Design Activity for establishing an interchange file format for interactive 3D applications. COLLADA is managed by the nonprofit technology consortium, the Khronos Group....

 (obj)

VRML

VRML

VRML is a standard file format for representing 3-dimensional interactive vector graphics, designed particularly with the World Wide Web in mind...

 (wrl)

3ds Max (ase)

Uses

The teleXLR8 project, an online talk program previously based on Teleplace, will restart in August 2011 on OpenQwaq .

See also

• Open Cobalt
  Open Cobalt
  Open Cobalt is a free and open source software platform for constructing, accessing, and sharing virtual world both on local area networks or across the Internet, without any requirement for centralized servers....
  
  – another open source collaboration application based on the Croquet Project

External links

• OpenQwaq main website on Google Code
• OpenQwaq mailing list
• Teleplace website
• 3d Immersive Collaboration Consulting – an OpenQwaq consultant
• teleXLR8 – a telepresence community for cultural acceleration that uses OpenQwaq