Dec 28, 2009
X3D a write once, render anywhere, anytime 3D graphics format for HTML 5.
As W3C is working on adding support for 3D in HTML 5, the Web3D Consortium’s X3D-HTML5 Working Group is working closely with W3C presenting their thoughts and ideas on how to integrate X3D and HTML. The goal here is to have a DOM-integrated cross-platform open-standards 3D graphics in every browser.
X3D is an abstracted graphics format; as long as the underlying OS and hardware supports some form of pixel display, X3D can be rendered on it. Whether your device uses one of the Direct-X graphical libraries, one of the continually evolving series of OpenGL versions, or some as-yet unwritten low-level graphics layer, X3D will be able to render on it, and if that device contains user i/o capabilities, X3D will be able to use that capability, too.
For more details on now X3D and HTML5 will fit with other 3D technologies please read the recent 3d-test interview with Web3D’s X3D-HTML5 Working Group chair John Stewart at: http://www.3d-test.com/interviews/x3d_2.htm.
Demonstration with event passing to/from the HTML DOM using the X3DOM are available at: http://www.x3dom.org/?page_id=9. X3DOM is an experimental open source runtime, implemented in JavaScript and WebGL, which allows to inline X3D content in (X)HTML pages. It performs the current HTML5 specification for declarative 3D content and allows including X3D elements as part of any HTML5 DOM tree.
This integration model is still evolving and open for discussions.There is more work to be done to further this effort. Anyone interested in getting involved please contact John Stewart. More information about the Working Group can be found at X3D-HTML5 .
