Press Releases
Web3D Consortium Delivers X3D Conformance Tests for Reliable and Robust 3D Visualization
Press Contact: Rita Turkowski
+1 650-722-0659
FreeWRL and Xj3D are the first products to enter the official X3D API Conformance process
July 25, 2006 - San Francisco, CA - The Web3D Consortium today announced the X3D Conformance Testing Program for the X3D Interchange Profile. The Conformance Testing Program is intended to promote consistent and reliable implementations of the X3D specification by many vendors across multiple platforms. This consistency will help drive rapid evaluation, deployment and acceptance of the X3D standard for real-time interactive 3D visualization.
The X3D Conformance Suite uses a diverse set of 3D rendering and behavior examples to verify and validate that hardware and/or software faithfully execute the X3D interchange profile. The Suite consists of 120 tests covering 12 components ranging from networking and rendering to animation and navigation. In order for a product to claim X3D conformance and use the X3D trademark, it must correctly and fully implement at least 95% of the discretionary tests, and 100% of all mandatory tests. This level of rigor will ensure developers and consumers can depend on the integrity and robustness of products featuring the X3D trademark - X3D content will render as expected and that it will render the same way on any X3D conformant product on any device (e.g. desktop PC, digital set top TV box, mobile phone) using any operating system.
Access to the X3D Conformance Test Suite is available to any interested company. There is a one-time Test Suite access fee that is waived for current Web3D members. The Conformance Process document defines a peer review Conformance Testing Procedure by which conformant products may use the X3D trademark, available after paying a Conformance Test submission fee that covers the costs of development and maintenance of the Conformance Program. Full details of the X3D Conformance Testing Procedure can be found on the Conformance web page http://www.web3d.org/x3d/conformance/.
“The X3D Conformance Tests will encourage high quality X3D implementations across multiple platforms and reduce industry fragmentation. We strongly encourage developers to seek out conformant implementations to minimize their development and porting costs.” said Alan Hudson, president of the Web3D Consortium.
“We’re excited to see the release of the X3D conformance tests and procedures,” stated Paul J. Keller from NASA’s Ames Research Center. “Robustness and interoperability are essential for mission critical simulations and government applications.”
“Widespread deployment of an open standard, cross-platform 3D visualization solution is crucial to the emerging markets in 3D visualization, collaboration and social networking.” says Tony Parisi, president of MediaMachines. “If developers and users can count on products with the X3D logo to perform consistently and reliably, then they will move quickly to embrace 3D on the internet.”
“FreeWRL has been active in the Web3D Consortium to deliver a standards-based X3D interactive browser for the Mac and Linux. We are proud to announce that FreeWRL is one of the first X3D Web Browser products to enter the X3D Conformance Testing Procedure,” said John Stewart of Communications Research Centre Canada.
“Just as the movement for Web standards led to the flowering of Web 2.0 content, X3D conformance enables a new generation of advanced Web 3D”, said Viveka Weiley, Design Director at Ping Interactive Broadband and publisher of MacWeb3D.org. “I can design X3D content on my Mac and collaborate with engineers using Linux, confident that the advanced features of X3D will work reliably. Then I can deliver that same user experience over the web to every platform from Windows PCs to MPEG-4 boxes and mobile devices.”
Procedure for using the X3D Trademark
X3D is a registered trademark of the Web3D Consortium. The X3D logo indicates that the software or hardware using the logo, conforms to the X3D specification; its implementation has passed the X3D conformance-testing regime; and it is interoperable with other X3D-conformant products. Each implementer must first complete the conformance testing review process prior to using the X3D trademark or claiming that their product is X3D Conformant or X3D Compliant.
See X3D Demos at SIGGRAPH 06 Booth #223 and Web3D Tech Talk Aug 2nd, 3:30 - 5:30 PM
There will be X3D demos at SIGGRAPH 2006 in Booth 223 and at the Web3D Tech Talk on Wednesday August 2nd from 3:30 - 5:30 PM in Exhibit Hall A. More Information
- Bitmanagement Software GmbH will demonstrate web and mobile based solutions.
- Demicron will features their NASA’s 3D Guide to the Galaxy.
- EDF R&D show how X3D is used and deployed safely and securely for more than 100,000 Windows and/or Linux computers.
- Flickertail Interactive will present their RawKee X3D plug-in for Autodesk’s Maya Complete and Maya Unlimited.
- L-3 Communications Link Simulation & Training (LINK) will show a simulation based training enterprise infrastructure.
- Media Machines will demonstrate web-based entertainment and e-commerce applications based on their award-winning FLUX player.
- NASA Langley Research Center will show their X3D work for advanced strategic analysis to support the Vision for Space Exploration.
- NPS supervises multiple sponsored research projects and tools including anti-terrorist harbor defense, underwater robot visualization, human motion capture, and the X3D Earth initiative.
- Octaga will present Adobe PDF support for X3D and show X3D applications from the oil and gas industry.
- Protein X3D demonstrates using XML PDB data and XML X3D to build ribbon models.
- Sense Graphics will present their X3D haptics API.
- Vcom3D uses the X3D and H-Anim specifications to create highly interactive 3D Web-based instruction.
- Yumetech will demonstrate how to use X3D in your applications using two real world examples developed using the Java-based Xj3D.
About the Web3D Consortium:
The Web3D Consortium is a member-funded industry consortium committed to the creation and deployment of open, royalty-free standards that enable the communication of real-time 3D across applications, networks, and XML web services. The Consortium works closely with the ISO, MPEG and W3C standardization bodies to maximize market opportunities for its membership. All Consortium members are empowered to participate and vote in Consortium working groups and are able to accelerate the delivery of their cutting-edge 3D platforms and applications through access to specification drafts and conformance tests before public deployment. More information on the Consortium and Consortium membership is available at http://www.web3d.org