OpenQwaq is open source computer software for immersive collaboration, which enables organizations to implement online 3D

virtual world A virtual world (also called a virtual space) is a computer-simulated environment which may be populated by many users who can create a personal avatar, and simultaneously and independently explore the virtual world, participate in its activities ...

workspaces for their specific needs. OpenQwaq is based on the Teleplace technology, a conferencing platform that has been in the market since 2007, with the name Qwaq Forums until 2009.

History

Both OpenQwaq and Teleplace are based on the

Squeak Squeak is an object-oriented, class-based, and reflective programming language. It was derived from Smalltalk-80 by a group that included some of Smalltalk-80's original developers, initially at Apple Computer, then at Walt Disney Imagineering, ...

open source implementation of

Smalltalk Smalltalk is an object-oriented, dynamically typed reflective programming language. It was designed and created in part for educational use, specifically for constructionist learning, at the Learning Research Group (LRG) of Xerox PARC by Alan Ka ...

and the

Croquet Project Croquet OS is a web-based operating system for creating three-dimensional apps with multi-user functionalities that run simultaneously on any device. Croquet can be used for communication, online gaming environments such as massively multipla ...

. The main developers of this family of technologies include

Alan Kay Alan Curtis Kay (born May 17, 1940) published by the Association for Computing Machinery 2012 is an American computer scientist best known for his pioneering work on object-oriented programming and windowing graphical user interface (GUI) d ...

, David Smith,

Andreas Raab Squeak is an object-oriented, class-based, and reflective programming language. It was derived from Smalltalk-80 by a group that included some of Smalltalk-80's original developers, initially at Apple Computer, then at Walt Disney Imagineerin ...

and

David Reed David Reed may refer to: Entertainment * David Vern Reed (1924–1989), American comics writer * David E. Reed (1927–1990), ''Reader's Digest'' editor * David Reed (artist) (born 1946), American artist * David Jay Reed (born 1950), artist * Da ...

, whose 1978 doctoral thesis on naming and synchronizations in a decentralized computer system introduced many of the main concepts. Teleplace virtual workspaces were used by companies, universities, organizations and U.S. government agencies, such as the Air Force, Army, Navy and Department of Veterans Affairs for training and collaboration, have applications to telepresence based

e-learning Educational technology (commonly abbreviated as edutech, or edtech) is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and Education sciences, educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. When referred to with its abbreviation, edt ...

, and have been used for popular interactive online technology talks. Teleplace ceased operations in December 2011. 3D ICC Purchased the IP from Teleplace in 2012. The commercial product is now called Immersive Terf.

Initial release

OpenQwaq was announced on the Teleplace blog and other IT news sites in May 2011. The initial release of OpenQwaq was functionally equivalent to Teleplace with the exception of the video subsystem used for webcam videoconferencing, video playback and session recording, because the proprietary video codecs used in Teleplace could not be included as open source. Developers have then integrated in OpenQwaq the open source video and audio codecs used in the

VLC media player VLC media player (previously the VideoLAN Client and commonly known as simply VLC) is a free and open-source, portable, cross-platform media player software and streaming media server developed by the VideoLAN project. VLC is available for desk ...

. Following a standard open source technology business model, companies offering value added OpenQwaq hosting and consulting services have been formed. In 2022 3D Immersive Collaboration Corp renamed Immersive Terf to Virtend™

Features

VOIP Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also called IP telephony, is a method and group of technologies for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. The terms Internet t ...

* Fully Interactive Applications ** Document : Spreadsheet : Presentations :

PDF Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...

: Whiteboard : Firefox Web Browser * Avatar : Simple :: Allows for custom face image and badge :: Allows Web Cam to be displayed as face : Animated Avatar :: OGRE 24 bone ::Supports

Biovision Hierarchy The Biovision Hierarchy (BVH) character animation file format was developed by Biovision, a defunct motion capture services company, to give motion capture data to customers. This format largely displaced an earlier format Biovision providing skel ...

(BVH) animations : Balloon Head :: With string! * Webcams * Digital video recording * Webcasting * Sound files *

Python Python may refer to: Snakes * Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia ** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia * Python (mythology), a mythical serpent Computing * Python (pro ...

Scripting of 2d applications and 3d objects * Meeting controls * Drag and drop 3D objects :

Google Earth Google Earth is a computer program that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satellite images, aerial photography, and geog ...

( kmz) :

Collada COLLADA (for ''COLLA''borative ''D''esign ''A''ctivity) is an interchange file format for interactive 3D applications. It is managed by the nonprofit technology consortium, the Khronos Group, and has been adopted by ISO as a publicly available s ...

(obj) :

VRML VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language, pronounced ''vermal'' or by its initials, originally—before 1995—known as the Virtual Reality Markup Language) is a standard file format for representing 3-dimensional (3D) interactive vector graphi ...

(wrl) :

3ds Max Autodesk 3ds Max, formerly 3D Studio and 3D Studio Max, is a professional 3D computer graphics program for making 3D animations, models, games and images. It is developed and produced by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. It has modeling capabil ...

(ase)

Uses

The teleXLR8 project, an online talk program previously based on Teleplace, restarted in August 2011 on OpenQwaq.

QUBE

QUBE is a software program based on OpenQwaq. It was developed by Pentacle (The Virtual Business School), who use it as a virtual classroom for their

executive education Executive education (ExEd or Exec. Ed) refers to academic programs at graduate-level business schools for executives, business leaders and functional managers globally. These programs are generally non-credit and non-degree-granting, but sometime ...

courses.

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

OpenQwaq main website
on Google Code Free communication software Virtual world communities 3D graphics software 2011 software