Web3D 2014 Workshops on X3D Evolution/Revolution

The Web3D 2014 Conference program schedule includes multiple X3D Workshops on Future Graphics Standards.

• Moderators: Don Brutzman (Naval Postgraduate School), Dick Puk (Intelligraphics) and Leonard Daly (Daly Realism).

Looking ahead. Common threads for all sessions are to plan cooperative work for the next year:

• What common work can we do together?
• What is our timetable of goals?
• Who else should we be talking to?
• What new features are needed?

Additional topics are welcome in each session, but please be brief since we are pushing hard to accomplish lots in a short period of time!

This page actively records notes that elaborate on the agenda topics. We are collaboratively adding key points.

X3D Compressed Binary Encoding (CBE) Geometric-Compression Algorithm Candidates

Scheduled time: 0900-1030. Goal outcomes:

Review and improve all published plans & milestones

• X3D Binary Compression Capabilities and Plans

Review Fraunhofer geometric-compression approach in detail, compare to all of the established X3D metrics

• Demos, proposals

Summary of Efficient XML Interchange (EXI) data compression and XML Security to replace Fast Infoset (FI) in existing X3D CBE Specification

• EXI Introduction Video
• comparison of EXI to gzip and links of interest at Efficient Messaging
• X3D Resources: Security

Fast Infoset (FI)

Fast Infoset was completed a few years before EXI. It compared favorably to 40 other forms of compression as part of the XML Binary Compression (XBC) effort leading up to EXI. Nevertheless FI is less efficient than EXI.

FI is used in the X3D Compressed Binary Encoding (CBE). EXI can directly replace it in the compression and decompression algorithms.

Efficient XML Interchange (EXI)

"Efficiency" means both size and speed. EXI has demonstrated compaction that always meets or beats the most commonly used compression techniques (zip and gzip). Additionally, because EXI decompression goes straight into memory rather than string characters, which then require significant additional parsing, decoding EXI is many times faster than other techniques. This approach also reduces memory requirements and power consumption on small devices. Alternative bit-centric compression schemes cannot take full advantage of those characteristics.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) supervises these open standardization efforts with contributions by many companies, universities, agencies and individuals to continually improve these capabilities.

NPS student-driven research continues to provide significant explorations of XML-based compression and decompression techniques. Many opportunities are emerging.

• Snyder, Sheldon L., Efficient XML Interchange (EXI) Compression and Performance Benefits: Development, Implementation and Evaluation, Master’s Thesis, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey California, March 2010. Also available: poster.

• Williams, Jeffrey Scott, Document-based Message-centric Security using XML Authentication and Encryption for Coalition and Interagency Operations, Master’s Thesis, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey California, September 2009.

Currently NPS participates in EXI working-group activities as liaison member for Web3D Consortium work.

OpenEXI Open-Source Java Implementation

We support open Web standards and actively contribute to the OpenEXI project.

• OpenEXI open-source codebase and OpenEXI Apache Incubator proposal
• OpenEXI introduction video and whitepaper

Shall we have a public mesh “contest” or “bakeoff” to confirm that proposed approaches are ready for prime time?

• Discussion please.

Decide on readiness to proceed with next milestones

• Multiple tasks await, and sequencing among X3D 3.4, X3D 4.0 and MAR appears to be necessary.
• Each of these areas appear to be pursuable in tandem without interference.
• What work is proceeding?
• Discussion please.
  • Will the security and digital signing use cases be stronger drivers than compression for people to adopt EXI?

X3D 3.4 Evolution

Scheduled time: 1030-1200. Goal outcomes:

Review all planned technology additions

• X3D Development Public Plans (contains public statements and links for the items below)

• X3D version 3.4 Development efforts are evolutionary improvements to the proven X3D Graphics architecture.

Determine technology and specification contributors, responsible working groups

Working groups and individual contributions are currently defining future goals and requirements.

• CAD

• Humanoid Animation (H-Anim)

• Geospatial

Please see Making 3D work for you: Web3D Consortium at Siggraph 2014 for details on working-group Birds of a Feather (BOF) sessions.

X3D JSON

• Technical quicklook
  • JavaScript Object Notation (JSON): as an X3D encoding
  • assessment email thread
  • NPS will perform a detailed experimental comparison of data.json.gz to data.xml.exi examples
  • Relation to GlTF

• Streaming considerations?

• Where to define an X3D JSON encoding in X3D Specifications

Achieving two independent implementations and X3D scene conformance tests

• Discussion please

Next steps and 2014 timeline

• Discussion please

Lunch discussions

Scheduled time: 1200-1300. Participants will order lunch in the morning, sandwiches to be delivered to a good spot near the meeting room.

X3D 4.0 / X3DOM / HTML5 Revolution

Scheduled time: 1300-1500. Goal outcomes:

Review and improve all published plans & milestones

• X3D version 4.0 Development efforts are considering potentially major additions to the baseline X3D architecture.

• Major technology under consideration: HTML5/Declarative 3D/X3DOM

• Major technology under consideration: Mixed and Augmented Reality (MAR) Continuum (formerly ARC)

• Confirm status of technology components, if appropriate shift some to v3.4 list

Evolution/convergence strategy for X3D 4.0, X3DOM, HTML5

Lots of great progress! What's next? Discussion.

Mixed Augmented Reality (MAR) Reference Model

Status and plans quicklook.

• ISO SC24/SC29 MAR Joint Ad Hoc Group (JAHG), Gerry Kim and Marius Preda

• X3D MAR implementation exemplar efforts, Gun Lee and Timo Engelke

• Flag any potential conflicts

Decide on next steps and milestones for 2014

• Preview: ISO/IEC JTC1 SC24 meeting agenda, 18-22 August 2014, Seattle Washington
• The meeting was totally productive! A detailed report was sent to Web3D Board of Directors (BoD).

BIM/AEC/AM/CAD Initiatives Workshop

X3D Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Working Group (also wiki)

• Agenda review and welcome discussion

• Demonstration: CAD Scene Graph and Part Viewing (including direct link)

• Our game plan today: key points, demo, talk! repeat for each topic.

Progress and planned work

• Xj3D Evolution

• jgeom and X3D NURBS component support

Recent activities and developments

• Summary of accomplishments for past year

• Standards group liaisons
  • International Standards Organization (ISO)
  • World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
  • Others are likely to become relevant

• Architecture Engineering Construction (AEC)
  • AEC Hackathon and VR Hackathon
  • CIMSteel Integration Standards (CIS/2)

• Building Information Modeling (BIM)
  • BimServer additions by Dave Arendash
  • Hyo is working on an X3D mapping for BIM that follows the successful architectural approach we used for CAD

• Additive Manufacturing (AM) aka 3D Printing
  • Shapeways publication of X3D models
  • NIH 3D Print Exchange

• Additive Manufacturing File Format (AMF)
  • Wikipedia description is quite short! That's good.
  • Key asset: AMF assessment meeting minutes which concluded that this work is do-able
  • How shall we best perform this work to map transformations between the two standards?

• Cultural Heritage
  • Workshop, keynote, other activity coming up
  • Lots of shared imperatives for metadata modeling within X3D scenes

Parting thoughts: wow! lots of great work await us for the coming year.