X3D Python Language Binding

The X3D Working Group has started to work on this important potential addition to the suite of X3D-capable programming languages and file encodings.

Motivation

Why:

• multiple language bindings provide equivalent implementations of X3D Scene Access Interface (SAI) Specification, which in turn accesses the X3D Architecture Specification
• Python is widely used, so many tools and applications might then easily create/use/produce X3D
• We are not afraid of programming languages that depend on whitespace!

The X3D Specification Relationships diagram shows how the various programming-language bindings and file encodings are related.

Resources

• Python script interfaces
  • H3DAPI has a Python Interface (which includes most of X3D) http://www.h3dapi.org/modules/judoc/
  • Blender has an independent interface
  • NIH has written a series of Python scripts that exercise Blender
  • pyOCC python interface to Open Cascasde geometry kernel

John Carlson has produced

• https://github.com/coderextreme/pythonSAI

Deliverables

• Draft 19777-6 specification added in GitHub
  • Follow examples of other X3D language bindings
  • Reach proof-of-capability initial draft
  • New Work Item Proposal (NWIP) by Web3D Consortium for ISO

• Example scenes
  • Test scenes to demonstrate design patterns

• Implementations
  • Conversion stylesheet, X3dToPython.xslt
  • PyJnius cross-compilation conversion of X3DJSAIL java classes
  • Possibly another library, X3DPSAIL or X3DPYSAIL perhaps?

• Validation by compilation
  • are special tests needed, written in Python, to test program validity?
  • Compatible with X3D Unified Object Model (X3DUOM)

• Plan of Action Milestones (POAM)

TBD

To Be Determined:

• Is it possible to run Python scripts in a Web browser?
• Python support for DOM?
• Masaki Aono produced some speculative code a few years ago