User Guide: Muse™ 1.2

©2003 Muse Communications. All rights reserved.

Welcome to Muse

Muse-Lite is an advanced, 3D, multimedia, multi-user browser. Inside the Muse-Lite client you can:

• Interact with other people in shared 3D spaces

• Visit multimedia rich 3D MuseSites

• Run 3D Muse Applications

Muse-Lite operates in a 3D environment. Everything within Muse-Lite - applications, other entities, and all user interface elements are 3D objects. Unlike traditional Windows applications, Muse contains no Microsoft Windows user interface elements (dialogs, message boxes, windows, etc.). All user interface elements in Muse are presented as part of the 3D space.

About This Document

This document is intended to introduce the basic concepts of using Muse-Lite and provide a reference guide for common user tasks. For more information regarding underlying Muse technology and developer resources, please visit http://www.musetribes.com

 

Hardware Requirements

Note: Graphics settings play an important role in the performance of Muse.
Please check the following settings to help ensure the best experience.

3D Graphics card:
Muse requires an Open GL 1.1 compliant 3D accelerated graphics card to render it's 3D graphics smoothly. For best results, nVidia based 3D chipsets are strongly recommended. The following nVidia graphics chipsets are known to provide features required by the Muse Client: 

• nVidia TNT2

• nVidia GeForce 256

• nVidia GeForce2 MX

• nVidia GeForce2

• nVidia GeForce2go

• nVidia GeForce3

• nVidia GeForce4

Visit nVidia on the web at http://www.nvidia.com

Video drivers:
Outdated video and graphics drivers are a common cause of failure. Installing the latest drivers for your card is highly recommended. nVidia drivers may be downloaded from nVidia's driver page.

Color depth:
The recommended color depth setting for your desktop is 16 bit (65535 color). Some graphics cards render windowed open-gl applications such as Muse much slower in 32 bit mode. In most MS Windows environments, color depth settings are accessible by right clicking the desktop->selecting properties->selecting "settings tab"->"color" 

Software Requirements

Muse requires the following software to run:

• Microsoft Windows - Windows 98 SE or later, Windows ME, Windows NT with at least Service Pack 4, Windows 2000, Windows XP
  

• Internet Explorer 5.5 or later.
  

• QuickTime 4.0 or later.
  

• Microsoft Windows Media Player 7.1 (6.4 or later on Windows NT) required for Windows media support
  

• DirectX 8.0 or later.

Installation

Installing Muse

To install Muse-Lite onto your system, follow these steps:

• Ensure you have QuickTime 4.0 or later installed on your system. To install QuickTime go to http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download and follow the download and installation instructions.

• Microsoft Windows Media Player 7.1 (6.4 or later on Windows NT) is required for playback of proprietary Windows audio and video media. To install Windows Media Player go to http://www.windowsmedia.com and follow the download and installation instructions.

• Download the Muse-Lite Installer from http://www.musecorp.com. Save this file on your system where you can locate it easily, for example, on your Desktop.

• Run the Muse-Lite Installer to begin the installation process.

• The installer will check that you have the minimum required hardware and software. If you need to install required software, the installer will launch a web browser and bring you to the web sites of the software manufacturer.

 

Un-Installing

You can uninstall Muse-Lite by selecting the Uninstall Muse entry under the Muse group in the Start Menu. You may also uninstall Muse-Lite by using the Add/Remove Applications icon in the Control Panel.

Re-Installing

Updating or re-installing Muse may require you to first uninstall the previous version.

 

The following section is intended to offer an explanation of basic Muse usage skills and concepts from an end-user perspective.

The Muse Network

The sum collective of online Muse users and sites is referred to as The Muse Network.  

Muse Users

A Muse user account functions as a profile that defines how your presence will be represented to other Users. The main user definable attributes of a Muse user account profile include :

Nickname - this is the common name that will represent your presence

eRep - All users co-connected to the same Muse site may see each other represented by a 3D object referred to as an eRep (Entity Representation).

Message - user definable status message

 

Logging in to the Muse network

In order to search the Muse network a user must be logged in with the central community server. This is commonly referred to as "logging in to the Muse Network".

The first time Muse starts after installation you will be prompted to login to the Muse network.  If you have already registered a Muse user account enter the email address and password and select "Login". If this is your first time running Muse, select "Create User" to being the new user registration process.

Muse Sites

Muse sites are interactive, programmable 3D environments. Muse sites bring the technology capabilities of Muse to bear on shared multi-user experiences.

Live Muse sites are capable of delivering shared experiences to connected users, and are powered by Muse iServers. A personal iServer is included with Muse to enable peer-to-peer hosting and content sharing.

Navigation

Muse sites are immersive by nature; your presence has a visual context of location and perspective. Navigating a web page typically involves clicking on links and scrolling. The Muse metaphor for navigation also includes clicking, although a link may be any 3D object within the scene.

While "point-and-click" is the primary end-user navigation mechanism, Muse also offers full freedom of movement within the scene via keyboard and mouse controls. 

Exploration

Muse sites can be as varied as the imaginations of the people who create them. Much of what is technically possible in a Muse site is uncharted territory, both for developers and users. The spirit and skills of exploration will help users experience new Muse sites as they are created.

Muse Navigation:

The following examples of site navigation and interaction feature the Muse default start site.

Muse default start site

Muse sites may have a number of predefined viewpoints, referred to as anchors. To assist user navigation between anchors, some Muse sites contain interactive objects referred to as link objects.

Clicking on a link object will trigger a move to a target anchor. Links objects can be identified by a color highlight that appears in response to a mouse-over event. 

Point and Click Navigation

user arrives, viewing scene from the default anchor.	link object is clicked	user arrives at anchor.
link object is clicked	...transition...	user arrives at anchor.
link object is clicked	...transition...	user arrives at anchor

Muse Media Support

Muse can support a wide range of media types. Videos, pictures, and web pages may be seen as either flat display planes or as textured 3D objects within a Muse scene. Positional audio is also supported.

Webmedia

Webmedia is a Muse technology that uses MS's Internet Explorer to provide html support within Muse environments. Users may see and interact with fully integrated 3D html pages through point-and-click navigation.

The example site has several embedded media displays suitable for experimentation:

click on WebMedia panel	...transition...	user arrives at new anchor in web browsing mode	web browsing mode - new URL entered
background clicked	...transition...	user arrives at anchor

Connecting to Live Muse Sites

As with web pages, Muse sites may be viewed offline. An example of an offline or "local" Muse site is the Muse default start site. Local sites are non-networked and do not support any multi-user activities.

Live online sites are hosted by Muse iServers, and may be loaded in one of three ways :

- clicking a site link
- using an application such as the Community Visualizer or Bookmark Manager
- directly entering the Muse URL (eg muse://musestart.com )

Connection Example - embedded site link

The default Muse start site includes several links to live Muse iServers. This example features a click-able site link object. The process of loading a Muse site by clicking a link is a two step process. First the link itself is selected, then the Site Status Bar appears.

click camera link	...transition....	arrive an new anchor, click site link and Muse begins to establish connection...

The Site Status Bar is a small interface element that appears when Muse is instructed to connect to a site. Located in the upper right hand corner of the Muse display, the Site Status Bar has three basic states:

CONNECTING:  During this stage Muse attempts to establish a connection to the site URL.	DOWNLOADING: ...connection established with Muse iServer, downloading content...	READY TO LOAD: ...site downloaded and ready to process. Click GO to continue.

Connecting to a live Muse site is a two step process:
One click to begin the connection and download, and a second click to finalize the load. 

...site downloading	...download complete... click "GO"	PROCESSING: ...new site processing	...processing complete, arrive at new site. As this is a live site, what you see may look different to this picture!

For more information about finding and connecting to Muse sites, please see: Common Tasks: Exploring the Muse Network.

Muse Site Creation

Creating Muse sites at the "nuts and bolts" level requires some combination of programming and/or 3D art skills. For people interested in developing for the Muse platform, the Muse Development Kit contains a wealth of programming and art resources to aid in the creation of custom Muse content and applications.

While Muse allows developers to flex their creative muscles, you don't have to be a professional to make custom Muse sites. Included with Muse-Lite is the Site Wizard application, a tool to help end users create Muse sites.

For more information on the Site Wizard, please see the Site Wizard User Guide and the common tasks: creating customized Muse sites.

End users can download and install new templates and objects at http://www.musetribes.com

For developers, MuseTribes also offers a message board and several downloadable examples and source code samples.

Sharing and Hosting

Muse-Lite includes a personal iServer for sharing and hosting your own Muse site. In a few clicks you can share sites Muse sites over your Internet connection. The personal iServer included with Muse-Lite has a limit of 4 users.

For enthusiast and/or enterprise sites requiring more simultaneous connections, please visit www.musecorp.com to review Muse iServer products. 

Note: Users behind a firewall may require system configuration in order to host Muse sites.

Summary

In this section we have covered some of the basic Muse concepts and skills. To recap :

Muse as next generation browser
Muse enables users to browse Muse content and to run Muse applications. Browsing Muses sites is one of the core features of Muse. The most powerful aspect of Muse technology is it's extensibility. Muse was created as a software platform so that other developers may create new applications and content.

The Muse Network
the sum collective of Muse users and sites is referred to as "the Muse Network"

Muse Users
Muse users can chat and interact with each other when co-connected to a Muse site. Users perceive each other as 3D characters referred to as "eReps" (Entity Representations)

Muse sites
Muse sites are totally programmable multi-user 3D environments. More commonly experienced in video games, Muse's rich environments support fully integrated web pages, video, and audio media. 

iServers
Muse sites are powered by Muse Interactivity Servers (iServers). iServers provide multi-user and shared interaction capabilities to a Muse site. There is a personal iServer included with Muse.

Site Creation
While professional developers can create new Muse sites, the Site Wizard application enables end-users to create 3D sites by customizing pre-built templates.

Sharing and Hosting
Live Muse sites may offer shared interactivity. This capability allows multiple users to chat and browse media content simultaneously.

Please see the chapter on "Common Tasks" for more information on using Muse, and the "Interface" and "Applications" chapters for more in-depth information on Muse components.  

The primary interfaces for interacting with Muse are the Navigation and Task bars, located at the top and bottom of the Muse display.

Navigation Bar: Site related tasks such as URL entry, navigation, and Sitemarks (bookmarks) are available from the Navigation Bar.  Task Bar: The Task Bar offer access to Muse applications and preferences.

The Muse Navigation Bar offer the following interface elements: Muse Home Site Button Camera Navigation Buttons Site Navigation Buttons URL Entry Field Site History Sitemarks Muse Help

	Navigation Bar - Home Site Button Clicking this button will load the default Muse home site. A network connection is required.

	Navigation Bar - Camera Navigation Buttons You can navigate to viewpoints in the current site by pressing the left and right (backwards and forwards) Camera Navigation buttons.

	Navigation Bar - Site Navigation Buttons The previous (back) arrow will take you to a previously visited MuseSite. The next (forward) arrow will connect you to the next site. This behaviour is similar to the back and forward buttons on web browsers.

Navigation Bar - URL Entry Field In order to connect to a MuseSite, simply enter the address in the URL Entry Field. After entering the URL, click the ‘Load’ button to the right of the entry field or press Enter. The Site Status Bar appears after you click ‘Go’. Note:  All MuseSites are entered using “muse://” not “http://”. Sites on your local machine (on your hard drive) begin with “file:///”. Some standard clipboard and editing actions are available in the URL Entry Field. These actions are: Copy (Ctrl-C) Paste (Ctrl-V) Undo (Ctrl-Z) Redo (Ctrl-Y) Home (Home) End of Line (End)

	Navigation Bar - Site History You can access a list of sites that you have visited by clicking on the Site History button next to the URL Entry Field. A list of previously visited MuseSites will appear: Select a site from the pull-down list to connect.

	Navigation Bar - Sitemarks Selecting this icon will launch the Sitemark Manager application

	Navigation Bar - Help This button will display the Muse Client User Guide. Click anywhere outside of the User Guide to dismiss it.

User Interface - Task Bar Menu

The Task Bar Menu offers a simple pop-up display of commonly used Muse applications and configuration preferences.

Open the Taskbar Menu by selecting the menu button in the lower left corner of the Muse display window. Options include: Applications Control Panel View Help Login Exit

Taskbar Menu - View Navigation Bar: Show/hide the Navigation Bar Task Bar: Show/hide the Task Bar

Taskbar Menu - Help User Guide: Displays the Muse Client User Guide. About: Displays "About" Information about Muse-Lite

Taskbar Menu - Login User Login: Launches the User Login application New User Registration: Launches the new user registration application

Taskbar Menu - Exit Exits Muse.

Task Bar - Quick Launch Icons

Quick Launch icons enable rapid access to commonly used Muse applications from the Muse Task Bar.

	Community Visualizer Launches the Muse Community Visualizer, a tool for finding other Muse user and sites.
	Site Wizard Launches the Muse Site Wizard, a point-and-click Muse site authoring tool.
	Chat Launches the Muse Chat window, used to communicate with other users when connected to a Muse site.
	Online Status - OFFLINE This icon denotes that your personal iServer is currently inactive. Selecting the icon will toggle to the ONLINE state, first prompting you to select a site.
	Online Status - ONLINE This icon denotes that your personal iServer is active and accepting user connections. Selecting the online status icon while in the enabled state will give you the option to either connect to the running iServer, or to shutdown the iServer.
	Visitor List Launches the Muse Visitor List, used to chat and interact with other users on a Muse site.

The following list contains instructions on how to accomplish common Muse tasks:

Joining the Muse network

Creating a new Muse user account
Logging in to the Muse network

Exploring the Muse network

Connecting to a Muse site
Finding and joining Muse users
Finding and joining Muse sites
Bookmarking a Muse site

Navigation and Movement

Point and click navigation
Free navigation

User interaction

Chatting with other users
Chatting privately with other users
Moving to other users

Creating customized Muse sites

Creating a personal Muse site

Sharing personal Muse sites

Sharing a Muse site

Setting Preferences

Changing your nickname / password / user settings
Changing your online appearance

Upgrades and Maintenance

Downloading and Installing Muse program Updates
Updating video drivers

Most preferences are accessible from the control panel. The Muse Control Panel may be launched by selecting (Task Bar->Menu->Control Panel).

In addition to viewing 3D sites, Muse can also run applications.  There are several Muse applications that are installed by default that offer functionality ranging from simple preference  configuration to site authoring tools. Muse sites and applications are  programmable by 3rd party developers. As they become available, users may download and install new Muse components to extend the basic capabilities of the Client.

User downloads and developer resources available from http://www.musetribes.com

Muse Default Application List:

My Applications - Menu folder containing user applications
Community Visualizer - Search the Muse network for users and sites.
Site Wizard - create customized Muse sites from downloadable templates

Control Panel - Menu folder containing configuration applications
Entity Preferences - control how many other users are displayed
User Profile - set Muse user preferences including nickname and appearance
Security Preferences - allow/deny loading of scripts and binaries Muse site extensions
Video Preferences - configure video resolution and optimization attributes

Login -  Menu folder providing access to User Login and New User Registration
User Login - login to the muse network
New User Registration - register a new Muse user

Personal iServer - host a personal Muse site
Visitor List - private chat, move to , and ignore other users on a Muse site
Chat - text chat with all users on a Muse site
Sitemark Manager - bookmark Muse sites
Site History - see history of recently visited Muse sites

screenshot:

options: Email Address: Enter the email address associated with your Muse user account. Password: Enter the password associated with your Muse user account. Remember my login details: If selected, email address and password fields will be remembered. Log me in automatically next time: If selected, Muse will automatically log in with the supplied user information and suppress this User Login prompt.

Screenshot: Step 1 Options: Email address: Enter an email address to be associated with the Muse user account. This is the primary unique identifier for your user, and cannot be changed later. Note: duplicate email addresses are not permitted. First & Last name: (optional) Enter a first and last name to assist other users in finding you online. Note: the first and last name value may be changed later via the "user profile" application. Password: Enter a password of at least 6 characters. Confirm Password: Re-enter the password for confirmation.  Next: Advances to the next stage

screenshot: Step 2 Options: Nickname: Choose a nickname. This is the name that will be displayed when you connect to a Muse Site. Message: This status message will be displayed on the Visitor List when you connect to a Muse site. Entity: Use the left and right arrow buttons to select from select the eRep (Entity Representation) that will represent your presence when you are connected to a Muse site. New User Registration - entity selection preview Muse comes with a small set of default eReps to choose from, although additional sets may be downloaded and installed. Back: Return to previous stage Next: Complete the New User Registration process

Entity Preferences: Launches the Entity Preferences application Help Preferences: Launches the Help Preferences application User Profile: Launches the User Profile application Security Preferences: Launches the Security Preferences application Video Preferences: Launches the Video Preferences application

Screenshot:

interface: Max Entity Count: (default 20) This is the maximum number of other entities that your client displays. Note: if you are in the vicinity of 10 other users but only viewing 1, the other 9 will still incur networking overhead.

screenshot:

interface: Display a reminder when site is loaded?: Use this option to determine whether or not the pop-up help prompt appears when connecting to a new Muse site.

First and Last name: Enter a first and last name to assist other users in finding you online. Nickname: Choose a nickname. This is the name that will be displayed when you connect to a Muse Site. Message: This status message will be displayed on the Visitor List when you connect to a Muse site. Entity: Select from several Entities to represent your presence when you connect to a Muse site. Change Password: Enter a new password of at least 6 characters. Display real name: If selected, the First and Last name values for this user will be searchable via the Community Visualizer. Display email address: If selected, the Email address  for this user will be searchable via the Community Visualizer.

Allow binary extension on sites? Yes: Always allow sites to run binaries, no prompt will be given before loading Muse site. No: Never allow sites to run binaries, no prompt will be given before loading Muse site. Ask Me (default): Prompt user before loading a Muse site binary. Allow script extension on sites? Yes (default): Always allow sites to run scripts, no prompt will be given before loading Muse site. No: Never allow sites to run scripts, no prompt will be given before loading Muse site. Ask Me: Prompt user before loading a Muse site script.

Video Preferences window shown with default settings.

Full screen video mode: Drag the slider to select video resolution and bit depth for full-screen mode (non-windowed) Windowed mode: Toggles between full-screen and windowed display mode. Create tri-strips when loading geometry: Optimizes 3D geometry.

Online Status Menu - Shown if user toggles the online status button from the offline state: Options : Available Sites: Select site to load from the Available Sites list. Site Information: Shows additional information about the selected site. Visit this site after going online: If checked, you will be automatically connected to the server after launching.
Online Status Menu - Shown if user toggles the online status button from the online state: Options: Visit the Site: Connect immediately to your locally hosted Muse site. Go offline: Shutdown your locally hosted Muse site immediately

Screenshot:

Options: Visitor List: This panel shows the nicknames of visible users. Select a user before issuing a command. Note: you will not see your own nickname on the list. Chat: (1 on 1) Pops open a new chat window. Any chat within this window is *private* and can only be seen by you and the other user. If you want to chat to all users on a site, launch the default chat window via the Task Bar. Ignore: Ignore all further chat messages from the selected user. Go To: Move to position of the selected user. Close: Closes the Visitor List.  You may re-open the Visitor List at any time.

Chat Entry Field: The chat entry field is located at the bottom of the chat window. To chat, click inside this area and type a message.

Atom Iggi Eva Mojo MuseGirl HyperCube You can change your entity at any time using the Entity Preferences application in the Muse Control Panel. See the Entity Preferences section for details on changing the appearance of your entity. For more information about creating your own entity, please visit http://www.musetribes.com