NOTE: Note, This documentation is continuously updated and is subject to change.

Of course, we always have a beta so be sure to check the latest Beta Notes for more info.

You might also want to check out the Activeworlds Wiki help files for additional instructions.

Advanced Objects (movers, zones, particles emitters)

• Added a new "radius" option to the visible command. This can be used to remove objects from the scene based on the viewer's distance from the object.

  create visible off radius=10
  
  This would cause an object to be "visible off" (hidden) until the viewer gets within ten meters of the object. This can greatly boost users' framerates in heavily built areas, and is particularly useful for removing small items from the scene which are not normally visible at a distance or in hiding objects that are located within buildings that you are not able to see when outside.

• Added the ability to save and load groups of objects. When building, if you select two or more objects a new button, "Save Object Group" will appear. When pressed, this will prompt you for a filename where the names and positions of the currently selected objects will be stored. This file will have the extension of ".awg" by default. When you want a copy of those objects, just select one object in the world and then press the "Load Object Group" button. The browser will prompt you to select a previously saved .awg file. It will then build the objects described in that file, centered around the currently selected object. Note that when building large numbers of objects it may take several seconds for them to appear. Also note that if you want to center all the objects at the ground level, make sure to change the Pivot Y (Up-down) to an altitude of 0 prior to saving your object group.

• The "move" command has a new option, "gravity".

  create move 0 10 0 time=5 gravity
  
  Using this option will cause the object to move to the destination and then begin falling. In this case it will move up for five seconds, then free-fall for five seconds. Note that the object will not collide with scenery or bounce off of other objects, it will simply fall through other objects until the time runs out, when it will return to its original position. If you want the object to stop on the ground, you will need to use the wait and time command. For example:

  move 4 20 0 gravity time=2 wait=5
  
  makes the object go up sideways and then down stopping on the ground.

• There is a new "lock" command

create lock move 0 10 0 time=5

Using this option you lock the command to the owner of the object. Other people that try and use the object command will not be able to. Great for locking doors that only you can open.

• Mover detach button

Click on the new mover detach button in the toolbar and you can detach from any mover you are currently riding.

• Ability to carry objects, new "pick-up-item" selection

You now have a new field in the mover column, it is called "pick-up-item", this allows you to set an object to be picked up by you or other users.

• Larger world cell data limit

There is a new world data cell limit called "Ultra" which allows a lot more objects to be built in a cell.

• New Zone block teleport/join option

You can now create zones that do not allow teleports or invite join requests. This is usefull for creating a building where people are only allowed to enter through a door rather than teleporting in.

• Object Properties Dialog: The classic Object Properties Dialog been replaced. It is now a dockable, dynamic dialog that changes based on what is selected. You can now see the exact position of a selected object in the world, and if you are a caretaker you may edit this value directly.
• Movers: Movers are a new object type that can be used to create many types of vehicles.
• Particles: Particle Emitters are a new object type that can be used to create many types of special effects.
• Zones: Users may define zone objects, which can be used to define a 3d spatial volume where the normal world properties are replaced or changed.
• Camera Objects: Users may place special camera objects in the scene to create dramatice or interesting camera views.
• Camera Action command: An action command has been added to allow the placement of the camera in the scene.
• Clear Cache Option: In the downloads window, a user with caretaker rights may right-click and select "clear local cache" in order to force the browser to dump all downloaded items and re-download everything. This is useful for worldowners who are trying to find and fix broken objects or downloads, or who are working on the avatar list.
• The rotate and move commands now have a new "smooth" argument, which will cause objects using these commands to accelerate and decelerate instead of abruptly changing directions.
• Build Mode: Caretakers now have a special build mode available to them. In build mode, all hidden objects are shown, the object properties box is always open, and collision is disabled. Flying is enabled, and movement is simplified. Particles are hidden, and zone shapes are revealed. This will make building significantly easier.
• New Interface: The various controls in the browser are now floating, dockable windows. The interface is more streamlined, and more attractive.
• Object Icons: The old "black triangle", which was a placeholder object used when an object was not available, has been replaced with new object icons. These icons should give the builder a better idea of why they are not seeing the object they expect. An hourglass indicates the object is still waiting to be downloaded. An "error" icon indicates the download failed, and the object is not available. Other icons are used as markers for the various new object types, since many do not have a model associated with them.
• New "autolook" feature in the avatar list.
• Ability to break avatar list into categories.
• The World Rights dialog now offers the ability to grant rights to ranges of citizens, or to deny rights to individual citizens.
• Users Tab: A new tab has been added to the tab controls that will list all users currently logged in. Note that this feature will probably NOT be available in the regular Activeworlds universe.
• Personal Avatars: Personal Avatars allow you to take a unique avatar to almost any world.
• Downloads Window: The downloads window will now list all objects queued for download. It will show an icon indicating the type of thing being downloaded (texture, avatar, animation, model, etc) and what priority the thing is for download. World owners can now have this list all failed downloads so they can quickly spot missing items.
• Avatar List sub-menus: World owners may now have items listed in the avatar list without the "geometry" tag. These entries will act as submenus to contain subsequent items. This means that world owners can sort the avatar list however they choose.
• Downslide: It is now possible to slide downhill. See the World Features for more info.
• Fog tinting: A new effect has been added to make fog seem thicker without the problem of limiting visibility in your world. See the World Features for more info.
• Terrain Offset: It is now possible to globally shift all of the terrain in your world up or down. See the World Features for more info.
• Send bump event: World owners may enable this option so that bots can detect when users have run into objects with bump commands, allowing the bot to take action when this happens.
• Global events: Using the "global" parameter in object commands can cause the action (say, clicking on an object) to be sent to all other users in the area. This means that when you click on a door to open it, others will see it open. Global events must be enabled for this to work. See the World Features for more info.
• Expanded terrain elevation range: The old terrain limits have been expanded so that now terrain may be a kilometer above or below the zero altitude point. Also, the number of allowed terrain textures has been expanded to 500.
• Voip: Activeworlds now offers VOIP, or Voice Over IP. This option will allow user to voice chat with one another in worlds where it is enabled.
• Screenshot: A hotkey has been added to take a screenshot of the current 3d view and save it as a JPG in the Activeworlds directory.
• Support for more image formats: GIF and PNG files are allowed as textures. The browser even supports animated and masked versions of these formats.
• Autolook: World owners may add the "autolook" option to the avatar list. This will cause the avatar to attempt to turn its head the direction the user is looking while keeping the feet aimed the direction they are moving. The browser will animate the eyes, neck, and back together to perform the turn, so these tags must be present in the avatar or this option will not work. This can produce a very interesting and lifelike effect in humanoid avatars. Not recomended for non human avatars.
• Presets: Zones, cameras, and particle emitters all support presets, which let you store complex objects for use elsewhere.