Helpful terms

How is a World different from a Region? Check out our guide to Breakroom-speak, and learn how to define your virtual experience.

Museum exhibits are only a click away when you use Breakroom to deliver interactive educational content.

Overview

If you're new to the Breakroom platform (or to virtual worlds in general), you'll need to master some new tech jargon. Here are some key terms that will help you understand the concepts detailed in our Getting Started section, as well as communicate with our Customer Success Team and other Breakroom users.

Virtual experience terms

World

When Breakroom World Owners purchase a subscription, we provide access to a standalone instance of Breakroom, which we call a World. Client Worlds are completely disconnected from one another, and users can't enter your World unless you invite them or otherwise grant access. Breakroom Worlds can contain multiple Regions.

In our older technical documentation, you may see Worlds referred to as Grids.

Region

Breakroom Worlds can contain multiple Regions. It may be helpful to think of Regions as separate "rooms" within a World. Regions are generally disconnected from one another, but you can enable ways for users to travel between them (such as activating the Explore window or setting up Teleport Portals).

Breakroom offers a wide selection of Region templates, which are plug-and-play areas designed to host different kinds of events—everything from corporate conference halls to neon-lit music venues. Clients with access to 3D assets can also design custom Regions and upload them to their World.

Avatar

When you log in to Breakroom, you are given control over a graphical representation of yourself called an avatar. Avatars can be used to explore the virtual World and interact with other people. You can customize the way your avatar looks by selecting a starter avatar or by using the tools available in the Outfit window.

UI

This abbreviation stands for user interface, and refers to all of the menus, maps, buttons, and windows that appear on your screen. World Owners can use the Dashboard to enable or disable specific UI elements for end users. A key part of the UI consists of Breakroom's conference tools, which allow users to access voice chat, webcam and screen share, emojis, and other communication tools.

Sine Wave Shop

The Sine Wave Shop allows users to browse through a content library full of avatar accessories, gestures, animations, and virtual furniture, much of it provided by community creators or by Breakroom. World Owners and World Administrators can filter the Shop contents for end users, or disable access to the Shop entirely.

Inventory

Your Inventory contains all of your virtual belongings, such as any clothing or other accessories you've purchased to use on your avatar. Any virtual assets you upload to Breakroom will also appear in your Inventory.

Gestures

Gestures are animations that can be acted out by one or more avatars. By dancing, laughing, and interacting with other users, you can enrich your virtual experience and forge connections.

Administrative terms

Dashboard

The Dashboard is a web portal that allows World Owners and World Administrators to customize their Breakroom World, prepare for events, and manage user accounts. Our Dashboard tour offers a concise overview of the available options.

Seats

Seats are otherwise known as user licenses, and represent the number of active user accounts that a Breakroom World can accommodate. In addition to the persistent seats included with a Breakroom subscription, World Owners and World Administrators can add temporary seats through the use of Daily Passes.

Each seat is assigned a specific type. Seat types include Administrators, Developers, etc., and correspond to different World-level user permission levels.

Concurrency

Concurrency refers to the number of simultaneous users a Breakroom World can accommodate. Please note that a Breakroom account's concurrency cap may be different than its total seat count.

Desktop applications or desktop viewers

Breakroom provides desktop applications for both Windows and macOS. When using a desktop viewer, there are no additional fees for user access. However, users will need to install the Breakroom app on a computer equipped with hardware that can effectively render 3D worlds.

World Stream

World Stream is a cloud-based streaming solution for users who might not have access to advanced graphics processing hardware. World Stream can be run on any supported Internet browser, so users can access Breakroom from both desktop and mobile devices. World Stream access must be purchased on a per user/per time basis using a digital currency known as World Credits.

Breakroom Toolkit

The Breakroom Toolkit consists of plug-and-play items designed to help World Owners, Administrators, and Developers add branding, media, and functional engagement to Regions. The Toolkit includes media displays, collaborative tools, interactive effects, and no-code gamification.

Conference tools

Breakroom's conference tools consist of voice chat, webcam streaming, and screen sharing, as well as navigation, moderation, interaction, and scheduling tools. Conference tools come pre-installed in most Region templates, and can be added to any Region.

Moderator tools

Key event coordinators and stakeholders will have access to moderator tools, which allow Moderators to broadcast messages, teleport single users or crowds, manage audience questions, control the audio stream, and assist with presentations.

Breakroom for Training

Breakroom for Training is a comprehensive learning management system that allows World Owners and World Administrators to facilitate live online learning. Create touchback points and track student progress via the Dashboard, and manage instructor access to in-world tools.