On Synchronized Simulation in a Distributed Virtual Environment

Abstract

This paper addresses communication problems in a distributed virtual reality system. The paper presents VOODIE, a system that provides a framework for distributed virtual environments and overcomes the communication load problems by computing as much as possible at the user end. It then concentrates on the communication load generated by a shared virtual world in a general purpose network and proves that the use of intelligent objects can reduce communication in a distributed system to a minimum. It also measures the effect of end user interaction on the network load.