i
i
i
i
i
i
i
i
5
Describing
and Storing
the VR World
There are many aspects that need to be considered when thinking about stor-
ing a practical and complete representation of a virtual world that has to
include pictures, sounds, video and 3D, such as, how much detail should we
include? How much storage space is it going to occupy? How easy is it going
to be to read? Unlike the specific case of designing a database for computer
animation programs or engineering-type computer-aided design (CAD) ap-
plications, VR involves a significant mix of data types, 3D structure, video,
sounds and even specifications of touch and feel.
In this chapter, we will explore how some of the most useful storage strate-
gies work. That is, how they can be created by applications, how ...