X3D version 3.4 Development
X3D version 3.4 Development efforts are evolutionary improvements to the widely proven X3D Graphics architecture.
Web3D Consortium working groups currently define specification goals and requirements.
We are publicly reviewing these goals during Web3D 2013 and SIGGRAPH 2013 conference meetings this summer.
- Audio and video: adding royalty-free formats, aural spatialization, streamability
- Computer Aided Design (CAD) Interactive/Mobile Profile, to include:
- CADInterchange profile, primitive/Geometry2D nodes, Extrusion, NURBS, ClipPlane, part selection/animation, 3D printing, and Compressed Binary Encoding (CBE)
- ECMAScript (Javascript) specification revision: confirm compatibility with X3D scripting
- Geospatial X3D component: spatial reference frame (SRF) and KML support, OGC 3D Portrayal, GpsSensor, OpenLayer mashups
- Humanoid Animation (H-Anim) new work items, including skeleton and skinning improvements
- Medical improvements: archival 3D medical records, potential emphasis on TBI volume visualization
- X3D Multitexture is undergoing review for correctness, completeness and conformance of rendering example scenes
- Networking: consider NetworkSensor and event-passing issues, streaming using JSON, server-side 3D topics
- Rendering: bump maps, projective texture mapping (PTM), shadows
- Security and privacy: conduct formal review to ensure that strengths and potential vulnerabilities are formally documented.
- Texturing: required or recommended formats (.gif .flv etc.)
- Viewing and navigation: cinematic camera control, alternative navigation types (such as PAN, etc.), Recommended navigation behaviours review, gesture recognition (such as KINECT)
All suggestions and recommendations are welcome. Component improvements and additions are approved by Web3D Consortium members.
Backwards and forward compatibility
X3D version 4.0 Development efforts are focused on HTML5/Declarative 3D/X3DOM and Augmented Reality Continuum (ARC) technologies, which may require architectural changes. Some new technologies may get pushed from 4.0 to 3.4 (or back again) after careful consideration by the respective working groups.
As with all other X3D components, all work is defined in the abstract specification has corresponding file encodings (.x3d .x3dv .x3db) and language bindings (ECMAScript and Java). This includes evolutionary efforts to upgrade the X3D Compressed Binary Encoding (CBE), as described in the X3D Compressed Binary Encoding Call For Contributions.
Schedule
- X3D CADInterchange/Mobile Profile goal. Working on implementations now, target completion December 2013.
- X3D Compressed Binary Encoding (CBE) goal. Finish draft by December 2013, review completeness of geometric compression contributions.
- X3D version 3.4 goal. Review progress in one year at SIGGRAPH 2014, members decide if work continues or draft specification proceeds to ISO.