Using Several VRML plugins

Parallel Graphics Cortona

Cosmo Player Vrml Plugin

Note: this is no longer being updated or supported.

Blaxxun Contact Multi User VRML Plugin

Bitmangement Contact Multi User VRML Plugin
IMG SRC="gifs/bscontactvrml.gif" border=0>
Note: this is the new name for Blaxxun Contact.

Netscape 6 users click here for install instructions

Usually only one or two vrml plugins are active at a time. However there are ways around this for both Netscape and Internet Explorer.

Netscape

I have found a simple way of having multiple plugins on my machine. I simply copied the entire directory for Netscape Communicator and named the copy "communicator for cosmo". Next step is to install CosmoPlayer in that directory. Obviously the same process would be used for other plugins just with different names.

To make things even easier I made up a set of shortcuts for each program using the file icons suppled for each plugin.

The hard part was finding the paths for the icons:

Cosmo Player
C:\Program Files\CosmoSoftware\CosmoPlayer\Doc\cp211_icon.ico

Cortona
C:\Program Files\Common Files\ParallelGraphics\Cortona\Engine.dll

Blaxxun Contact (register icon as general one not supplied)
C:\Program Files\blaxxun Contact\register.exe

Bitmanagement Contact
C:\Program Files\Bitmanagement Software\BS Contact VRML\BS_Register.exe

Internet Explorer

Here is a way to have Contact 4.4, 5.1 and 6 installed on a system. Here is an easy way to switch between them for testing.

Put a copy of regsvr32.exe in your sendTo folder. Install the three versions in their own folders (you can configure them to use the same cache folder in the F9 setup). then right click on the blaxxuncc3d.ocx file of the version you want to use and sendto the regsvr32.exe item. Voilá

Another method using registry files

Here is a method for easily swapping in Internet Explorer that works with my brand of windows, so I won't guarantee it works for everyone.

Basically all you do is export the registery entry for both MIME types model/vrml and x-world/x-vrml and save them on a folder on your desktop. Create a different Reg file for each Plugin by simply putting in its class ID number and renaming it. When you want to swap just double click the Reg file you want.

ie For Cosmoplayer:

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\MIME\Database\Content Type\model/vrml] "Extension"=".wrl" "CLSID"="{06646724-BCF3-11D0-9518-00C04FC2DD79}"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\MIME\Database\Content Type\x-world/x-vrml] "Extension"=".wrl" "CLSID"="{06646724-BCF3-11D0-9518-00C04FC2DD79}"

For Contact:

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\MIME\Database\Content Type\model/vrml] "Extension"=".wrl" "CLSID"="{4B6E3013-6E45-11D0-9309-0020AFE05CC8}"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\MIME\Database\Content Type\x-world/x-vrml] "Extension"=".wrl" "CLSID"="{4B6E3013-6E45-11D0-9309-0020AFE05CC8}"

For Cortona:

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\MIME\Database\Content Type\model/vrml] "Extension"=".wrl" "CLSID"="{86A88967-7A20-11D2-8EDA-00600818EDB1}"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\MIME\Database\Content Type\x-world/x-vrml] "Extension"=".wrl" "CLSID"="{86A88967-7A20-11D2-8EDA-00600818EDB1}"

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