Open Standards for Real-Time 3D Communication

Today, bloggers are much more apt to blog on VRML rather than X3D, and all too frequently, they bash VRML, usually the VRML of our history, not the X3D work we have going on today. Knash and bash away. VRML is a part of our history, for better or worse. VRML taught Web3D and it’s members lessons about 3D language and formats, archivability, and even basic presentation of 3D rendering techniques. It STILL exists today as probably the most popular (and maybe most reviled?) 3D file format for the web. From the glass half full perspective, we learned a lot, everyone involved contributed, and a consortium was born out of it that promised development of a royalty-free IP unencumbered ISO standard. That is the X3D of Web3D today.

Today the consortium focuses on corporate members needs and the development of seven (and growing!) ISO specs for X3D. From the glass half empty side, well, VRML does seem to be the kicked-down dog of the media, a media leash-led by VC funding in case you haven’t yet connected those dots. Now you may ask why is it fine? Because they are speaking of the VRML of 2000 and older, and VRML’s “flying butterflies” virtual worlds of the late 90’s, not Web3D’s work today per se. Today however, the lessons learned from VRML only fuel enlightened development of X3D as a runtime presentation format and useful archive format for-the-long-haul. Let me repeat this boring mantra: “for-the-long-haul.” Standards can never be flash in the pan glory and star makers but are all about sustainability, longevity and archivabilty. Dull to the media for sure, but for someone like me who has had a long career in various media standards, this one has more kick than any I’ve seen in a long time. Let’s not forget that it’s the people who make the standard; people with vision, insight and creativity. The 3D world is full of such people and we are lucky to have many of them here in our community. The creative but independent souls who populate our public lists are rarely funded by large organizations or well-heeled VCs, but they are generally the ones who contribute the avatars, the textures, the models and the environments that give X3D life. Let’s not forget that. However, they alone cannot sustain the business model of a modern-day non-profit trade association. That requires the buy-in of successful organizations, something we are seeing now and hope to see a lot more of!

Also, whereas years ago the VRML folks bit off probably more than they could chew, and were clearly enjoying being visionaries, today X3D, the leaner meaner XML successor to VRML, specifically targets the needs of vertical markets new to 3D. Whereas CAD was a “big deal” a few years ago, in and of itself, today the CAD market is driven by several high profile verticals from auto design and automation to building information models and architecture rendering to earth visualization. Whew, that list is indeed growing as I learn about more and more CAD related market opportunities. Note that instead of something so nebulous as “CAD” we now focus on the issues of verticals needing X3D such as 3D earth, volume rendering for the oil/gas industry or medical apps and networking requirements for MMOs and the like. Speaking of MMOs, wasn’t VRML supposed to bring MMO’s into the mainstream web? Well, to take from many bloggers today, the reason the 3D immersion concept is making some head-way finally is because of faster machines and procesing power that were merely a dream 7-10 years ago.

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