full browser view of chakram VRML world

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Xena's Chakram

The Xena myths are rich with tales involving the chakram. It bounces off of some things, slices into others. And why does Xena throw it at something else in order to make it ricochet into her victim? For a scary element of mayhem? To get just the right angle, much like a pool player? To show off? I wonder if the thing actually increases speed with each bounce. Of course, it does sometimes stop, so maybe there is a maximum number of bounces.

If you're not a Xena fan, I just want to note, Xena often uses the chakram just to ricochet off of several fighters' helmets, knocking them all out. Very peaceful use of this lethal weapon, eh?

If you're new to VRML worlds, or even if not, I made some predefined views to walk through. On CosmoPlayer 2.X these are accessed with the three button-looking controls on the far left (not the dark arrows on the far, far left). The middle one lists the available views and you can select one. The right one goes to the next in the path, the left one goes to the previous in the path. (Also, after clicking in the viewer, you can use the Page Down and Page Up keys on your keyboard to cycle through the views, and can try the headlight by hitting * [on the number pad, not the regular part of the keyboard]. Hitting * again turns it off again.)

I made this world from measurements off of a magazine ad for a chakram (from a defunct company, Icons Authentic Replicas), not off of an actual chakram. I noticed in an episode ("Callisto") where we get a close look at the chakram that the plain side had a slightly slanted pattern while this one is straight.

[rendering of chakram along with diskette, pen, and apple]
Computer drawn image of chakram next to some everyday things, for size comparison.

full browser screen view of the chakram (32K - chakram.wrl - if this doesn't work, let me know, and try the next one).


Download the viewer:
This source of a CosmoPlayer 2 VRML Viewer is supposed to work in all of the browsers. (It looks as if the old Cosmoplayer download is no longer available.)


Photos of the new chakram, Xena's second chakram.



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