[X3D-Public] authoring environments and browsers: why both?

[Paul Aslin]

--- On Wed, 13/5/09, John Carlson <john.carlson3 at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> From: John Carlson <john.carlson3 at sbcglobal.net>
> Subject: [X3D-Public] authoring environments and browsers: why both?
> To: "X3D Graphics public mailing list" <x3d-public at web3d.org>
> Received: Wednesday, 13 May, 2009, 6:05 AM
> Why are there both authoring
> environments and browers/players?  Shouldn't a browser
> be able to support/deliver an authoring application?
> I realize the same dichotomy has existed with HTML as
> well--but there are HTML browsers which support editing,
> right?  Is there something missing from VRML/X3D which
> only authoring environments provide?  Would providing
> these within the context of VRML/X3D make a better
> standard?

Authoring tool is a very wide term when you talk about vrml/x3d.
Do you mean code editor, animation package, mesh editor, or all in one ?

Here is an example of a very easy to use vrml editor linked into a browser.
Its more of the visual geometry editor, but some neat features.
http://www.parallelgraphics.com/products/isb/

Of note is how in ISB, objects selected in the scene graph also appear selected in 3d, and vis versa. Really handy for finding what UnnamedObject07 actually is. The way to apply textures is neat too.

Notice how ISB and in fact all parallelgraphics apps don't support x3d(xml) format, that is because it doesn't change anything and hence is a pointless addition.

> I can use vim to write vim, emacs to write emacs, eclipse
> to write eclipse, netbeans to write netbeans.  Would
> the combination of netbeans, Xj3D and X3D-Edit be considered
> the solution of choice?   What is the best
> way to author 3D authoring environments?  Is it just
> that we aren't there yet?

The complete lack of fileIO functions is part of the problem, but there are ways around that.

Most people make the world in some other 3d package, 3ds max is a common choice, export it and then add any scripting needed.

> Relieve my ignorance, please.  I'm sure there's some
> history I have forgotten.

Ah for history look at GLView from http://home.snafu.de/hg/
There are editing tools in it, you now know it as BS Contact.

But there always was limited options as far as in browser editing of vrml.