[X3D-Public] HTML5 Web3D Working Group January 5 2010

John A. Stewart alex.stewart at crc.ca
Tue Jan 12 06:48:58 PST 2010


X3D-Public mailing list members - here are the finalized minutes for  
the January 5 2010 meeting.


What: 		Web3D HTML5 meeting January 5 2010
present: 		John Stewart, Johannes Behr, Joe Williams, Don Brutzman,  
Anita Havelle, Leonard Daly.
absent: 		


Web page: 	http://www.web3d.org/x3d/wiki/index.php/X3D_and_HTML5


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6) Discussion on Void element (comment 6 in bug 8238 - see link below)

November 24:

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=8238

December 8:
JohnS:  will put on hold until html5 browsers get more settled. I will  
keep the topic header in minutes, but will remove previous text until  
topic has been reopened.

(older minutes in this topic removed; available on line - eg http://www.web3d.org/pipermail/x3d-public_web3d.org/2010-January/000581.html)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7) x3dom X3D integration issues.

(older minutes in this topic removed; available on line - eg http://www.web3d.org/pipermail/x3d-public_web3d.org/2010-January/000581.html)

January 5 2010:

Johannes sent the following via email:


Some example how an integration could look like with and without SAI:

1, 2 and 3a already work in X3DOM. 3b (the SAI part) is open for  
discussion.

-----------------------------------------------
1) Runtime Integration (no object or embed needed)

...
<X3D xmlns="…" >
  <Scene >
    <Group id='root' />
    <Shape>
      <Appearance>
        <Material DEF='mat01'/>
      </Appearance>
      <Cone/>
    </Shape>
  </Scene >
</X3D>
...

-----------------------------------------------
2) javascript function to Add/Remove nodes via DOM changes
    (appendChild() is a standard DOM function)

…
function addChild()
    {
        var s = document.createElement('Shape');
        var b = document.createElement('Box');
        s.appendChild(b);
        var ot = document.getElementsById("root");
        ot.appendChild(s);
    }
…

-----------------------------------------------
3a) change attributes via standard DOM functions

…
function changeColor(flag)
  {
     var mat = document.getElementById('mat01');
     mat.setAttribute ("diffuseColor", (flag ? "0 0 1" : "1 0 0"));
  }

-----------------------------------------------
3b) change fields via SAI functions

…
function changeColor(flag)
  {
     var mat = document.getElementById('mat01');

     // get SAI Field element
     var color = mat.getField("diffuseColor");

    // use SAI functions to set the field directly
   color[0] = 0.2;
   color[1] = 0.3;
   color[2] = 0.4;
}
…

Johannes - setAttribute - (example 3a) always has to be ASCII encoded  
strings, which is slow.

Johannes - would like to have SAI-field information from the node,  
(see 3b, above) so uses a very small subset of the SAI spec.
This will speed up accessibility to fields.

Don - Anything which uses a DOM function - we currently do not have  
behaviours defined in X3D spec for DOM. We have to decide whether a  
callback is necessary to tell X3D browser if a refresh is required.  
(setting a "dirty bit" for recalculation)

Johannes - this refresh should be automatic if using same as with SAI  
spec.



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8) Updates to HTML5 spec.

 From Item 4) from previous minutes, the following paragraph:

         "Don - what the spec says for SVG and MathML will tell us  
what we should do. Don will go
          through spec on upcoming trip overseas; see below. Returns  
19th December".

(older minutes  available on line - eg http://www.web3d.org/pipermail/x3d-public_web3d.org/2010-January/000581.html)


December 1: No change.
...

January 5 2010:

Don - please review the following link:

http://x3d.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/x3d/www.web3d.org/x3d/content/html5/HTML5RecommendationAdditionsForX3D.html

We can propose this, there are no show stoppers.

Specific suggestions for the HTML5 document editor - can be cut and  
pasted into their spec to make it very easy for them to incorporate  
changes.

Motivation section in above link - written mainly for web authors.

Section at end for us (TODO), we might want to rephrase so it is more  
understandable for others.

Don - will post to X3D-Public list.

Anita - Motivation - maybe want to interchange file format, in  
addition to a runtime architecture - X3D can fill the role of both.

Don - important section to look at: issue b: regarding Decentralized  
vs Centralized Extensibility.

Don - should we submit this to HTML5 and X3D-Public?
	John - Yes;
	Johannes Yes;
	Joe - wondering why we want to stick out toe into runtime here;  
(Motivation section) - SVG
	Don - the motivation focuses end users, authors and browser builders,  
not spec writers.
	Joe - ok.

ACTION: Don to submit to the HTML5 and X3D-Public lists.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9) External SAI Scripting tests.

December 1:

Don Brutzman by email:  "we need to get some external SAI examples  
that show
javascript in web page talking to an embedded X3D scene."


December 8:
JohnS - FreeWRL uses SAI externally from Java, C, and Tcl (ie, not  
embedded in a Script node). The
Javascript classes have been "blocked in" but code has not been tested  
nor made active in releases yet.

December 29:

Joe - mailed an SAI example from external script.

All to review.

Don - wants examples of routing of events via SAI.

Len - 2 years ago, Vivaty supports sai; now support is not supported.  
Bitmanagement and Octaga have some form of SAI.

Don - whether we have implementations or not, if we have an example or  
two, we can use it to ask companies "hey where is our scripting  
interface?"

Len - SAI spec does not tell how to start the connection so that each  
browser can implement SAI differently.

Johannes - if we put HTML4 example out there, we need to put the HTML5  
equivalent - so do we want HTML4 examples?

Don - we need a set of examples that work in either environment. - we  
are asking our companies to do the right thing when X3D is encountered.

Joe, Don, Len: Examples are being distributed via email. Examples will  
be formalized by next meeting.

January 5 2010:
	Out of time - no discussion.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10) 3d-test.com interview.

December 8:
JohnS - We have been asked by Benoit Vandangeon to participate in an  
on-line interview for
http://www.3d-test.com. We will discuss this by email, and will return  
a group-derived answer by 20 December.


December 29:
Anita - news item on Web3D.org based on interview.

JohnS - Javascript comment and precision issues found by x3dom - if we  
have an floating point issue; we will work with the javascript people  
to get issues resolved.

Johannes; Don; Johns: Javascript by default supports doubles.

Don - here is the text from the Ecmascript spec outlining that all  
numbers are double:

Standard ECMA-262
3r d Edition - December 1999
ECMAScript Language Specification

===================
4.3.19 Number Value
A number value is a member of the type Number and is a direct  
representation of a number.

4.3.20 Number Type
The type Number is a set of values representing numbers. In ECMAScript,
the set of values represents the double-precision 64-bit format IEEE 754
values including the special “Not-a-Number” (NaN) values, positive  
infinity,
and negative infinity.
===================

JohnS: but, most GPUs only support 32 bit internally.

Joe: some are 64 bit now:

JohnS: very true, but they are not widely distributed, like on pdas,  
etc.

JohnS: so two potential javascript issues:
	1) there are potential 64 <--> 32 bit conversions being performed at  
all gpu interactions;
	2) if Javascript uses OpenCL or CUDA for calculations, it will have  
precision difficulties.


January 5 2010:
	Out of time - no discussion.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

11) Javascript and DOM security.

January 5 2010:

John Carlson wrote an email questioning DOM and X3D integration. see:

http://www.web3d.org/pipermail/x3d-public_web3d.org/2010-January/000575.html


Len: Maybe this is a problem with javascript security? should not be  
able to go cross-domain in Javascript. If so, this is not an X3D  
problem, but a Javascript issue.

John - a design problem with javascript, or an implementation problem?

Len - Javascript - design problem; the net changed the way javascript  
is used. General community of content - some of which may be hostile  
to other content.

Don - wants to read and study more.

Don  - creating a new bullet in wiki about this.

Don - do not have a general security issue section concerning X3D in  
general.





-----------------------------------------------------------
John A. Stewart
Team Leader: Networked Virtual and Augmented Reality
alex.stewart at crc.ca

Network Systems and Technologies -
         Systemes et technologies des reseaux
Communications Research Centre Canada  |
          Centre de recherches sur les communications Canada

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PO Box 11490, Station H  |  CP 11490, succursale H
          Ottawa ON K2H 8S2   |  Ottawa (Ontario) K2H 8S2

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