Real-time 3D Character Animation with Visual C++

18	Web3D, compression and streaming

The Internet is an exciting way to get your work seen by a large audience. If you intend to distribute your masterpiece on the Internet then you will find this chapter particularly useful. There are many options available when delivering 3D content across the web, but whatever option you choose compression is an very important issue. A 56k dial-up connection delivers around 4k per second; this is a huge restriction to developers who have to be cunning to work within the limitations created by this narrow bandwidth. In this chapter we will look first at how 3D data can be compressed. Then we will look at some alternative options to get some content on to the user's screen before they decide to leave your ...