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realXtend platform offers a way to share live applications over the network to realXtend users. Effective virtual world meetings usually require that you can show your slides (here’s how to do that). It may also help to browse web so that others can view the same web page with you. Sometimes you may want to show how to use an application in real time.

In this example we use VNC (Virtual Network Computing – a simple and working desktop & application sharing system) to share the desktop. 

Firefox window shared using tightVNC server and viewed in realXtend.

VNC allows also sharing the control between participants, and users can also join using a standard VNC client, if they do not want to use full virtual world to join the meeting.

In this example we use localhost, but I have tested that VNC works also over the network. In a real world situation I would set up another computer to serve as a VNC server – otherwise running the realXtend client on the same computer is a bit awkward as you need to have the shared content visible on screen to share it. Below is a screenshot how sharing the realXtend viewer window, which is looking at the shared content, causes infinite mirror -effect.

Watching your shared desktop getting shared, getting shared, ...

Follow these simple steps to test VNC application sharing with realXtend.

• Install and run tightVNC server; Everything should work with other VNC servers as well, but I have tested this only using TightVNC.
• Adjust the settings as in the following screenshots:

Set the view-only passport, all the connecting users need to know it.

Be careful to have the settings exactly as here, change them after you get them to work for the first time. 

• Bring a new texture to realXtend (file->upload)
• Create a new cube (right click on ground -> create)
• Edit cube and set the new texture on it (you can also use the texture on meshes for an interesting effect! Who doesn’t want to play doom and use a virtual sofa for the display?)
• Edit texture properties (find it from your inventory and right click it) and edit the mediaurl:

• Edit the cube again and set it to play media when clicked:

• Now close the edit window and click the cube to get the VNC run, you will get a dialog asking for the password (which you defined for the server earlier):

Top left dialog is the server telling that someone is connecting. 

Warning! After you hit enter, tightVNC client is launched – it is embedded to the realXtend viewer code – do not close it! Just bring your realxtend viewer to front and you see desktop sharing in action. You can use the tightVNC viewer to get the control over shared application, if the server owner grants you permission to do that.

Current VNC implementation is a prototype and it has known bugs. User can start one VNC session and after it is finished, the viewer needs to be restarted to be able to start a new VNC session. Users also need to be warned in advance so that they do not close the VNC viewer as it pops up after starting to view VNC.

realXtend