Elements of a Virtual Space

A Virtual Space can consist of the following elements:

• Scenes
• Modules
• Scene Links
• Module Links
• External Links
• Slides
• Branching Points
• Branching Point Choices
• Sequences

A Virtual Space represents a virtual tour through an real existing or fictive space. A Scene is a section of such a virtual tour. It has a background image where links are located on. The image below shows the webpage of a Scene.

There are three types of links:

• External Links
• Scene Links
• Module Links

External Links link other websites. In the webpage of a Scene an External Link is represented by a hyperlink.

Scene Links link Scenes with other Scenes. In the webpage of a Scene a Scene Link is represented by a hyperlink.

Modules are linked by Scenes via Module Links. A Module provides information related to the topic of a Scene or a Virtual Space to the user. In the webpage of a Scene hyperlinks are used to represent Module Links. A Module consists of the following elements:

• Slides
  A Slide is the smallest unit of a Module. The image below shows the webpage that is generated for a Slide.

  

• Branching Points
  A Branching Point is a special type of Slide. It is used to let the user decide about the information he wants to retrieve next. For this purpose a Branching Point contains Branching Point Choices. These Branching Point Choices link Sequences. The image below shows the generated webpage for a Branching Point. The Branching Point Choices are displayed as hyperlinks below the text.

  

• Sequences
  A Sequence is a linear sequence of Slides and Branching Points.

The structure of a Module is shown in the figure below.