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Re: [www-vrml] some questions about X3D

Reed Hedges wrote:

I've been slowly working on a VRML "server" for VOS/A3DL (the Abstract 3D Layer
for the Virtual Object System; See http://interreality.org). In the next few
months I hope to focus on it a bit more. 

so you use VRML as an exchange/transmission format?

A3DL specifies a scenegraph of VOS objects (Vobjects) that is different from X3D
and VRML's scenegraph in many regards but not disastrously so. The objects in
the A3DL graph have types and send and recieve messages over the network to
reflect or change state, and otherwise communicate. This is not based on any
Web/HTTP stuff at all.

The VRML Server reads in a VRML file, creates the equivalent A3DL object structure, and then you can talk to it using VOS (e.g. with the A3DL rendering client, "terangreal"). Currently not all VRML nodes are supported; after I finish adding those missing
nodes, the next step is to get routes and scripts working.


I have two-way communication for quite a few things going now with a server. It is mainly for telling the server where
the avatar has moved (like avatar x has gone to city y), for creating various object interactively from within the world
and having this reflected on the server's permanent web3d model and for giving the user a way to input data to go into the
models (web3d not having an way to enter keyboard data). All working within the design constraints of
the three calls that use URLs. These constraints have changed the way I would have done the interaction and GUI and
I am still experimenting and testing the limitations.

If anyone wants X3D support in that server, I can put that on my TODO list.
(Even better, you can help me write it in the server, or create a nice X3D
library in C++ I can use).


Your project looks interesting. I'd like to set up an experiment to see if I can create an object
within our world, drawn from your VOS server. It would need to be served up via a http (constraints of web3d) request/response
cycle - not just from a file url.

At the moment my server side for the planet-earth project is all java web services but there is no reason why we could not access another system
provided it is http/ftp (have not tried ftp yet).

I'm also interested in exploring the metaverse protocol elements as part of our general thrust to enable distibuted interactive
virtual environments.

cheers,

chris

Let me know if you want to help or are otherwise interested in this project.

Reed



On Mon, Aug 30, 2004 at 12:13:32PM +1000, Miriam English wrote:




Hi folks,

VRML was intended to become a language to represent 3d networked, interactive worlds. Even though it did allow creation of interactive 3d worlds, it fell down badly on the networking side, especially multiuser networking. And related to that, its ability to communicate with the web page in which it could be embedded was just pitiful.



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