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Download and Install the Cosmo Player VRML Plugin
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The Cosmo Player VRML plugin was NOT developed at NIST, only the new installer described below. The instructions below are
provided as a service to the VRML community. No support for Cosmo Player is available.
What is VRML?
VRML is the Virtual Reality Modeling Language, a standard
file format to display 3D models on the web. Use the VRML Plugin Detector
to check if you already have a VRML plugin installed.
Download Cosmo Player
Two different installation programs are available for the Cosmo Player VRML plugin for Windows. The installation programs work with
any version of Windows including XP and Vista.
- New - A new Cosmo Player installation program (developed in 2005) is available that can be used as an alternative to the original Cosmo Player
installer described below. It is an experimental system that was developed
by deconstructing the original installer, updating it for new web browsers, and then repackaging it as a new installer.
It works with Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera. It seems to overcome the difficulties in using the original installer with
Internet Explorer, however, it was never thoroughly tested.
Follow the instructions below to download and run the new installer.
- Original - The original (from 1998) Cosmo Player VRML plugin installation program cosmo_win95nt_eng.exe can be
downloaded from NIST. Using this installation program, Cosmo Player in Internet
Explorer might not work because of a Windows security update. The installation program does work with Firefox, however,
some manual intervention is required. Follow the instructions below depending if it is being installed in
Firefox or Internet Explorer.
After the plugin has been installed, use the
VRML Plugin Detector to check if it
works. The web browser should be restarted before trying to detect a newly installed plugin.
Cosmo Player might not work with some newer OpenGL graphics drivers. Using Cosmo Player in Opera
might require using the OpenGL renderer. See the
instructions below to set the renderer in the Cosmo Player plugin.
Cosmo Player does not run under
Linux or Mac OS X. Some VRML plugins for Linux and Mac OS X are listed here
and on the VRML Plugin Detector.
Installing in Google Chrome and Safari for Windows
If a VRML plugin is already installed in Firefox or Internet Explorer, then when Google Chrome or Safari for Windows is installed, the VRML plugin should
be available in those web browsers (screenshot). The old installer should work with Safari for Windows or Google Chrome but the new one does not.
Cosmo Player History
At one time or another, Cosmo Player has been developed and available from many companies including
SGI (IRIX),
Cosmo Software,
Platinum,
Nexternet (reborn as
Pivoron Player),
and most recently Computer Associates.
The Windows version of the plugin is
no longer available from any of them.
The last version of the plugin, Cosmo Player 2.1.1, was released in 1998.
New Cosmo Player Installation Program for Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera
The following new installer should work for installing Cosmo Player in Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera
instead of using the original Cosmo Player installer available below, however, it was never thoroughly tested.
The new installer does not work with Safari for Windows or Google Chrome, however,
if a VRML plugin is already installed in Firefox or Internet Explorer, then when Google Chrome or Safari for Windows is installed, the VRML plugin should
be available in those web browsers (screenshot).
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Before running the new installer, it is recommended that any VRML plugins that are already installed should be uninstalled.
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The new installer (CosmoPlayer.exe) can be downloaded in the zip file
CosmoPlayer.zip.
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After starting the installation by running CosmoPlayer.exe from the zip file, first agree to the license agreement
and then select which web browsers to install the Cosmo Player VRML plugin into.
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Usually the web browser needs to be restarted to recognize the plugin. Use the
VRML Plugin Detector to check if the plugin
has been properly installed.
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After installing in Internet Explorer there still might be an problem that links to VRML files will not display anything.
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Download the original Cosmo Player installation program from NIST.
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Since the original Cosmo Player installer is very old (1998) and does not recognize any of the newer web browsers,
a file must be created manually that the installer expects to find.
This process has not been tested with Safari for Windows or Google Chrome.
The file that must be created has to be named netscape.exe. It
can be created by copying, pasting and renaming any other file. It does not matter
what is in that file as long a file with that name exists before Cosmo Player is installed.
The newly created netscape.exe must be placed in the same
directory as the web browser executable, typically:
- Firefox - C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox
- Opera - C:\Program Files\Opera
- Safari - C:\Program Files\Safari
- Google Chrome - C:\Documents and Settings\{myusername}\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\Application
- SeaMonkey - C:\Program Files\mozilla.org\SeaMonkey
- Mozilla - C:\Program Files\mozilla.org\Mozilla
Below is a screenshot of the Firefox directory.
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After starting the installation (double clicking on cosmo_win95nt_eng.exe) and going through the
Welcome and Software License Agreement dialogs, in the first Select Components dialog, choose "Other (unsupported
browsers)" and click "Next".
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In the second Select Components dialog, choose the option for
"Netscape Browser - Unsupported Version" and click "Next".
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In the "Netscape Install Directory" dialog, click on the "Browse..." button..
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In the "Choose Folder" dialog, browse to the Path where the file
netscape.exe was created in step 2 above and select the "plugins" directory.
Then click on "OK". The Plugin directories are typically:
- Firefox - C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\plugins
- Opera - C:\Program Files\Opera\Plugins
- Safari - C:\Program Files\Safari\Plugins
- Google Chrome - C:\Documents and Settings\{myusername}\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\Application\Plugins
- SeaMonkey - C:\Program Files\mozilla.org\SeaMonkey\Plugins
- Mozilla - C:\Program Files\mozilla.org\Mozilla\Plugins
The following is a screenshot for the Firefox plugins directory.
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Click on "Next" in the "Netscape Install Directory" dialog. The following is a screenshot for the Firefox plugins directory.
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Click on "Next" in the "Choose Destination Location" dialog.
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The remainder of the installation can proceed using the defaults settings.
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Usually the web browser needs to be restarted to recognize the plugin. Use the
VRML Plugin Detector to check if the plugin
has been properly installed.
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Setting the VRML file association (mimetype) for the web browser is not required, but
after installing Cosmo Player in the web browser, opening a local .wrl file might not start up the web browser. If so, then:
- Double-click the 'My Documents' icon on the Desktop.
- Go to 'Tools' > 'Folder Options...'
- Go to the 'File Types' tab and scroll down to the 'WRL' extension and the 'WRL File' file type.
- Under Details for 'WRL' extension, it should indicate 'Opens with: Firefox' (or Opera, Safari, Google Chrome, etc.)
- If not, click on the 'Change...' button and from the list of programs, select
Firefox (or Opera, Safari, Google Chrome, etc.) and check the box 'Always use the selected
program to open this kind of file'.
Original Cosmo Player Installation Program for Internet Explorer
After installing Cosmo Player with the original installer, the plugin might not work in Internet Explorer because of a
Windows XP security update KB912812 first issued in April 2006. The
VRML Plugin Detector will look like this if Cosmo Player is not working. Clicking on links to
VRML files also will not display anything (test).
A new Cosmo Player installation program can be used with Internet Explorer.
The original Cosmo Player installation program does work with web browsers such as
Firefox and Opera, however,
some manual intervention is required to make it work. Other VRML plugins that work in Internet Explorer are listed on the
VRML Plugin Detector.
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Download the original Cosmo Player installation program from NIST.
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After starting the installation and going through the Welcome and Software License Agreement dialogs,
in the first Select Components dialog, choose "Other (unsupported browsers)" and click "Next".
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In the second Select Components dialog, choose the option for
"Microsoft Internet Explorer - Unsupported Version" and click "Next".
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Click "OK" for the warning message about the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine.
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Click "Next" in the "Choose Destination Location" dialog.
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Complete the installation. Usually Internet Explorer needs to be restarted to recognize the plugin.
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Use the VRML Plugin Detector to check if the plugin has
been properly installed.
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Some of the Internet Options might have to be set to be able to use the plugin in Internet Explorer.
- In Internet Explorer go to Tools -> Internet Options -> Security -> Custom Level -> Active Scripting ->
Enable -> OK
- Also, go to Tools -> Internet Options -> Security -> Custom Level -> Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins ->
Enable -> OK
- And for Windows XP SP2 (Service Pack 2), you might have to go to Tools -> Internet Options -> Advanced ->
scroll down to Security and select "Allow active content to run in files on My Computer"
Multiple VRML Plugins
With a bit of experimentation it is possible to have multiple VRML plugins running in different web browsers.
In the example below Octaga Player displays X3D files in both web browsers. Cortona3D displays VRML files in Internet
Explorer and Cosmo Player displays VRML files in Firefox.
If the IE Tab Plugin is installed in Firefox, and
Firefox and Internet Explorer use different VRML plugins, then the same VRML model can be toggled between the two VRML plugins
staying only in Firefox. In the example below, using the IE Tab Plugin would toggle the VRML model between Cosmo Player and Cortona3D.
Getting Started
If you have Cosmo Player installed, then the Getting Started Guide
(C:/Program Files/CosmoSoftware/CosmoPlayer/Doc/frames-help.html)
should be available on your PC by clicking on the question mark in the lower right corner of the Cosmo Player
console. The guide is also available here. A
Russian version
is also available.
The interactive performance can be improved by adjusting some settings. Click
on the checkmark in the lower right corner to display the Preferences window. Use
the "\" key to display the Cosmo Player console for any warning
or error messages. Use the "=" key to display the frames per
second.
OpenGL vs. Direct3D
Cosmo Player might not work with some newer OpenGL graphics drivers. To change which renderer is used, click on the
checkmark in the lower right of the Cosmo Player control panel. Then click on the Graphics tab. Select the
Direct3D renderer.
Blank or black screen
If you have a blank or black screen when trying to display a VRML file in Cosmo Player, then click the
checkmark in the lower right of the Cosmo Player control panel. Then click on the Graphics tab. A blank or black
screen can be caused by having a NonRendering Renderer selected. Select either the OpenGL or Direct3D renderer.
Keyboard Shortcuts
SHIFT | Turbo Speed |
CTRL | Tilt (GO mode) Zoom (EXAMINE mode) |
ALT | Slide (GO mode) Pan (EXAMINE mode) |
Arrow Keys | Move in direction of key |
Page Up/Page Down | Previous/Next Viewpoint |
Home | Entry Viewpoint |
End | Straighten |
Delete or Backspace | Undo |
Insert | Redo |
TAB or Keypad + | Gravity/Float toggle |
~ or Keypad - | Walk/Examine toggle |
Keypad * | Headlight toggle |
= | Toggle frame rate display |
SHIFT = | Adds display of last frame time |
\ or Keypad / | Display Cosmo Player Console |
Uninstall Cosmo Player
Cosmo Player can be uninstalled through the normal Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel. However, if Cosmo Player appears
to be installed after it is uninstalled, then two files can be manually deleted in the appropriate plugins directory:
- Firefox - C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\plugins
- Opera - C:\Program Files\Opera\Plugins
- Safari - C:\Program Files\Safari\Plugins
- Google Chrome - C:\Documents and Settings\{myusername}\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\Application\Plugins
Delete npcosmop211.dll and npcosmop211.jar and restart the web browser.
This software was developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology
by employees of the Federal Government in the course of their official duties. Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the
United States Code this software is not subject to
copyright protection and is in the public domain. This software is an experimental system. NIST assumes no
responsibility whatsoever for its use by other parties, and makes no guarantees, expressed or implied, about its
quality, reliability, or any other characteristic. We would appreciate acknowledgement if the software is used.
This software can be redistributed and/or modified freely provided that any derivative works bear some notice
that they are derived from it, and any modified versions bear some notice that they have been modified.
By selecting many of the links above, you will be leaving NIST webspace. We have provided these links to other
web sites because they may have information that would be of interest to you. No inferences should be drawn on
account of other sites being referenced, or not, from this page. There may be other web sites that are more
appropriate for your purpose. NIST does not necessarily endorse the views expressed, or concur with the facts
presented on these sites. Further, NIST does not endorse any commercial products that may be mentioned on these
sites.
The original URL for this page is http://cic.nist.gov/vrml/cosmoplayer.html