Open Standards for Real-Time 3D Communication

 ExtremeTech reviews VRML and X3D web browser plug-ins

Oct 30, 2006

ExtremeTech offers a review of several VRML and X3D web browser plugins including: Blaxxun Contact 5.3; BS Contact VRML/X3D 7.0; Cortona VRML Client 5.0; Flux Player; Vcom3D Venues Beta 3.0and Octaga Player. The general conclusion of the article is: “For businesses wanting a way to create and share models and demos of their products, and for designers and architects, X3D provides a good means of accomplishing these goals.”

 C2X COLLADA to X3D converter

Oct 29, 2006

C2X converts Collada 1.4.0 files into X3D and VRML format.  This offers a a migration path for importing high quality 3D geometric models into X3D scenes. Animation behavior is also imported. Character animation is expressed using the X3D H-Anim (Humanoid Animation) component nodes. The software is available on 30-day free trial basis.

 ABNet 2.0 Java communications server for multi-user virtual environments and chat

Oct 20, 2006

ABNet uses a Java Communications server with Javascript to turn a single-user VRML / X3D world into a Multi-user Virtual World environment. 3D Avatars can interact and use shared events to provide a virtual experience similar to the Blaxxun community platform.  It works with Flux and BS Contact, although anyone handy at Javascript could add support for any X3D/VRML browser by supplying the Javascript that interfaces to the desired browser. The new v2.0 lets you download the server and run your own and offers an ActiveX client that is only 200k.  The client provides a low latency async communication channel without the need for Java on the client.  More generally, the communication framework of ABNet provides an asynchronous low-latency publish and subscribe environment using XML messages.

 H3D v1.5 Haptic API implementation of X3D adds support for NURBS

Oct 19, 2006

H3D API is an open source C++ implementation of the X3D standard, built using OpenGL. The new version includes a VRML parser, support for NURBS geometry, and more options for using OpenGL textures through the new TextureProperties node. It also adds support for the ForceDimension Omega haptics / force feedback device.

 ‘Using Blender for creating impressive Web3D content based on the open standards X3D and VRML’ at Bl

Oct 19, 2006

area42 will be presenting a new version of the BS Exporter for Blender at the international Blender Conference 2006 in Amsterdam (20.10.-22.10).  BS Exporter for Blender is a free and easy to use export plugin for Blender for creating realistic, high-performance and interactive 3D content using the ISO standard format X3D. Eckhard M. Jäger, Creative Director of area42 will present a workshop entitled “Using Blender for creating impressive Web3D content based on the open standards X3D and VRML”

 MobiX3D V0.6 mobile player for X3D and H-Anim content

Oct 05, 2006

The HCI Lab of the University of Udine has released a major update v0.6 to the MobiX3D mobile player for X3D (the successor to VRML) and H-Anim (Humanoid Animation) content. The new version provides:
(i) full support of opaque and transparent textures (bmp, jpg, png, gif)
(ii) support of viewpoint animations
(iii) implementation of a basic view frustum culling algorithm based on axis-aligned bounding boxes
(iv) bug fixes and optimizations
(v) adoption of the Hybrid Rasteroid 3.1 implementation of OpenGL ES 1.1.

MobiX3D uses the GLUT|ES toolkit and uses OpenGL ES to support transparency (alpha-blending), color and shading (wireframe, flat and gouraud shading supported), texturing, lighting, backface culling.
The release binaries are available for PocketPCs using OpenGL ES 1.1 and for Intel 2700G-based devices (e.g. Dell Axim X50V) using OpenGL ES 1.0.

 XSD XML data binding for C++ with support for X3D

Oct 04, 2006

CodeSynthesis XSD is an open-source, cross-platform XML Schema to C++ data binding compiler. Provided with an XML instance specification (XML Schema), it generates C++ classes that represent the given vocabulary as well as parsing and serialization code. You can then access the data stored in XML using types and functions that semantically correspond to your application domain rather than dealing with intricacies of reading and writing XML. XSD supports a wide range of industry standards and schemas including X3D. XSD is dual-licensed under the GPL and a commercial license.