Distributed virtual reality authoring interfaces for the WWW: The VR-Shop case

Electronic commerce is emerging as an important domain of integration and enhancement of more specific technologies and research efforts. It is clear that the role of WWW in this context is a cornerstone as the medium of information dissemination. A trend in e-commerce is to provide to the potential customers the ability to view and "try" the products in a persuasive 3D representation. We have designed and implemented a system for WWW enabled interactive design & visualization of a room, definition of pieces of furniture and placement of domestic appliances. The system conveys a generic approach for distributed creation and update of virtual worlds as means of interaction and information dissemination in an e-commerce context.