11 Scope and Structure
#todo
11.01 Core Systems
Core systems form the minimal kernel for the standard, which constitute the conformance profile Manifold Base. Any implementation of the standard must include all core systems.
11.01.01 Space System
The Space System defines the Form object and its portable variant, ExtForm, which describe the scene layout. Form must follow the rules of the selected layout mode, which specifies alignment constraints or free placement.
11.01.02 Artifact System
The Artifact System defines Artifacts, which are digital assets that are presented as objects in the virtual space. Implementations may directly wrap any digital asset as an Artifact with default properties; using the optional interfaces defined in the standard can further enhance the user experience.
11.02 Optional Systems
Optional systems add users and their actions to the space, creating context for spaces and connections to users.
Optional systems can be implemented separately, though some features within a system require one or more other systems.
It is recommended to implement the Avatar, Trace, and Interaction systems together. Combined with the core systems, they constitute the Manifold Chart conformance profile.
It is also recommended to implement the Visit and Authorization systems together. When the core systems and all optional systems are implemented, they constitute the Manifold Atlas conformance profile.
11.02.01 Avatar System
The Avatar System defines the Avatar object, a movable, user-linked agent that acts as the user's presence in the virtual space. Avatars may be used to initiate spatial interactions or act as interaction targets.
11.02.02 Trace System
The Trace System defines Trace, a two-fold representation of data stored as History and State. History records events in the space, and State records the current status of the space.
11.02.03 Interaction System
The Interaction System defines how a user or their avatar interacts with the virtual space. Concretely, interactions are functions triggered by the user interface, either via the avatar or directly, that modify the space.
11.02.04 Visit System
The Visit System defines asynchronous and synchronous visit mechanisms across spaces, with or without user presence.
11.02.05 Authorization System
The Authorization System defines access control mechanisms for Forms and Artifacts.
11.03 Modules
While systems define the fundamental structure of a virtual space, modules build upon these systems to enhance user experience, emotional engagement, and social dynamics.
Each module is optional and can be implemented independently, although some modules are designed to work better when combined with certain systems or with each other.
Each module has its own document, including its identifier, version, dependencies, and governance model. In this document, we provide a catalog of modules accepted by the standard. Each module is stated with its accepted stable version and relevant information, and it is recommended that the implementation of the standard includes them.
Here we list a few highlighted modules that one may frequently encounter.
11.03.01 Monument Module
The idea of the Monument Module is to allow people to bring their existence from the physical world online. Most importantly, it offers a way to digitally capture users’ lived experiences — a living memory. In other words, its purpose is not merely to replicate a digital twin, but to realize a conceptual embodiment — a digital form shaped by users’ own experiences and choices.
The Monument Module relates users’ “verifiable” offline behavior to the generation and updating of digital assets.
11.03.02 Quest Module
The idea of the Quest Module is similar to that of the Monument Module. It serves as the living memory of a digital life. Its advantage is that, in the online world, verification can be reliably enforced. Thus, the form of a quest can be more versatile, ranging from traditional puzzle-solving quests in games to online wedding events.
The Quest Module relates users’ online behavior in virtual spaces to the generation and updating of digital assets.
11.03.03 Share Module
The Share Module captures the impulse to open our doors to friends and share the things we’ve picked up along our journeys. Through sharing, a space becomes a conversation, and objects carry our stories from one space to another.
The Share Module allows users to share their spaces and digital assets with friends or on external social platforms.
11.03.04 Connection Module
The Connection Module helps users explore other spaces, whether those of friends or strangers. Visits initiated by related artifacts or spaces can provide a softer, lower-pressure scenario by enabling naturally initiated social interactions. This lowers the barrier to starting new friendships and exploring new worlds.
The Connection Module defines an address book for each user to record friends’ space addresses. It also enables random or condition-triggered visits initiated by related artifacts.
Beyond one-to-one relationships, this module creates a geographic network of spaces, a directed network of spaces, and a directed network of artifacts, allowing users to link their spaces with friends or people with shared interests and to discover new spaces along these networks.
11.03.05 Creature Module
The idea of the Creature Module is that people naturally form strong emotional connections with different creatures, as they can react, remember, and grow. Their presence turns a static space into a flowing, evolving environment.
The Creature Module defines a subclass of Artifact that resembles an autonomous agent to users. Creatures can move around and interact with the environment independently, and not only within their owner’s space. Beyond that, they can guide users to explore new spaces, creating new experiences and shared memories.
11.03.06 Plant Module
The idea of the Plant Module is to bring life, growth, and the quiet passing of time into virtual spaces, letting users feel seasons change and their spaces slowly grow and transform. Beyond that, plants naturally produce small gifts — a green leaf, a flower petal, a dandelion puff — that fall over time. These small gifts can be offered to others, left in others’ spaces, or attached to their memories as gentle signs of appreciation. Through plants, small acts of care become organic parts of the virtual world’s memory.
The Plant Module defines a subclass of Artifact that represents a plant. It provides Artifacts that grow and change over time and introduces a gift mechanism that replaces the traditional “like,” providing immediate positive feedback while minimizing long-term metrics and competition by emphasizing each gift event rather than aggregate counts.