[X3D-Public] improved validation tests for sound nodes; add ability avoiding audio attenuation altogether

[Len Bullard]

In the sense of "no options not absolutely necessary", we don't need it.  In
the sense of increasing the chances the world will behave as intended, very
useful.

Off topic but:  as hard a sell as learning this language is to musicians,
they can benefit particularly as the value of the music on the web going to
zero accelerates.   A strategy proven successful is to increase the
compelling quality of the presentation in ways that make it more attractive
to purchase.  An X3D world is a very good album cover.   People say they
miss those but no one pursues a next-generation album wrapper except Mike
Nesmith (Nez).  I've never been able to convince musicians because we are
dogs.  Producers are cats,  Labels are menagerie keepers.   They need means
to put the profit back into the arts.  YouTube is.... classic.  Neo is not.

len

-----Original Message-----
From: X3D-Public [mailto:x3d-public-bounces at web3d.org] On Behalf Of Don
Brutzman
Sent: Friday, December 27, 2013 11:49 PM
To: x3d-public at web3d.org
Subject: [X3D-Public] improved validation tests for sound nodes; add ability
avoiding audio attenuation altogether

I've added some improved X3D Schematron tests for Sound nodes that are now
deployed in X3D Validator.  They will be included in upcoming release of
X3D-Edit as well.

These tests include checks for trouble combinations of min/max front/back
values.  Getting sound ellipse values working so that sound is audible
everywhere you want is tricky.

===== sidebar ====================
I've often thought we might benefit by having a way to just make a sound
audible without having to worry about all this non-visible geometry (see
attached slideset excerpt for some sense of how involved it can be).

Why don't we add an initializeOnly field that allows an author to disable
all attenuation?  This would seem to be essential for user-interface
responses.  Putting some set of 4 extremely large values in for min/max
front/back is error prone and not very intuitive.  How about the following
backwards-compatible addition to Sound node:

	SFBool  []  attenuate TRUE

If author sets attenuate="false" then all of the computational sound
features are disabled and the clip simply plays as recorded.
===================================

Anyway, the new validation test details follow.  Quality assurance (QA)
takes another tiptoe step forward!

===================================

http://www.web3d.org/x3d/content/examples/Basic/development/TestSchematronDi
agnostics.x3d

    <Sound DEF='NoChildren'/>
    <AudioClip DEF='NoParentSoundNode' description='bad clip reference'
url='"blah"'/>
    <Sound class='must separate classes with;space characters' location='0 2
0'>
      <AudioClip description='bad clip reference' url='"blah"'/>
    </Sound>
    <Sound DEF='SoundDefaults' location='0 2 0'>
      <AudioClip DEF='ReusableAudioClip' description='reusable'
url='"../Vrml97Specification/click.wav"
"http://www.web3d.org/x3d/content/examples/Basic/Vrml97Specification/click.w
av"'/>
    </Sound>
    <Sound DEF='SoundMinNegative' location='0 2 0' minBack='-1'
minFront='-1'>
        <AudioClip USE='ReusableAudioClip'/>
    </Sound>
    <Sound DEF='SoundMaxNegative' location='0 2 0' maxBack='-10'
maxFront='-10'>
        <AudioClip USE='ReusableAudioClip'/>
    </Sound>
    <Sound DEF='SoundMinGreaterThanMax' location='0 2 0' maxBack='11'
maxFront='11' minBack='12' minFront='12'>
        <AudioClip USE='ReusableAudioClip'/>
    </Sound>
    <Sound DEF='SoundMinGreaterThanDefaultMax' location='0 2 0' minBack='13'
minFront='13'>
        <AudioClip USE='ReusableAudioClip'/>
    </Sound>
    <Sound DEF='SoundMaxLessThanDefaultMin' location='0 2 0' maxBack='0.5'
maxFront='0.5'>
        <AudioClip USE='ReusableAudioClip'/>
    </Sound>

https://savage.nps.edu/X3dValidator

<Sound DEF='NoChildren'/> has no child AudioClip or MovieTexture node
[/X3D/Scene/Sound[1], warning]
<Sound DEF='NoChildren'/> location='0 0 0' has height of sound ellipse
centered on ground plane, consider changing location y-value to 1.6 in order
to match typical avatar height (in meters) [/X3D/Scene/Sound[1], warning]
<AudioClip DEF='NoParentSoundNode'/> url array address(es) missing online
http/https references (url='"blah"') [/X3D/Scene/AudioClip, info] 
<AudioClip DEF='NoParentSoundNode'/> has parent Scene node, must be
contained by Sound or LoadSensor node (or else within field declaration or
fieldValue initialization) [/X3D/Scene/AudioClip, error]
<AudioClip DEF='NoParentSoundNode'/> url array does not contains link to
.wav or .midi sound files, browsers not required to support other formats
(url='"blah"') [/X3D/Scene/AudioClip, warning]
<Sound DEF='' class='must separate classes with;space characters' cannot
contain commas or semicolons, instead separate class names using space
characters [/X3D/Scene/Sound[2], error]
<AudioClip DEF=''/> url array address(es) duplicate the url definition found
in a preceding node, consider DEF/USE to reduce download delays and memory
requirements for url content (url='"blah"') [/X3D/Scene/Sound[2]/AudioClip,
warning] 
<AudioClip DEF=''/> url array address(es) missing online http/https
references (url='"blah"') [/X3D/Scene/Sound[2]/AudioClip, info]
<AudioClip DEF=''/> url array does not contains link to .wav or .midi sound
files, browsers not required to support other formats (url='"blah"')
[/X3D/Scene/Sound[2]/AudioClip, warning]
<Sound DEF='SoundMinNegative'/> minBack='-1' maxBack='10' has negative value
for distance along back direction [/X3D/Scene/Sound[4], warning]
<Sound DEF='SoundMinNegative'/> minFront='-1' maxFront='10' has negative
value for distance along front direction [/X3D/Scene/Sound[4], warning]
<Sound DEF='SoundMaxNegative'/> minBack='1' maxBack='-10' has negative value
for distance along back direction [/X3D/Scene/Sound[5], warning]
<Sound DEF='SoundMaxNegative'/> minFront='1' maxFront='-10' has negative
value for distance along front direction [/X3D/Scene/Sound[5], warning]
<Sound DEF='SoundMinGreaterThanMax'/> minBack='12' maxBack='11' has minBack
value greater than maxBack value [/X3D/Scene/Sound[6], warning]
<Sound DEF='SoundMinGreaterThanMax'/> minFront='12' maxFront='11' has
minFront value greater than maxFront value [/X3D/Scene/Sound[6], warning]
<Sound DEF='SoundMinGreaterThanDefaultMax'/> minBack='13' maxBack='10' has
minBack value greater than maxBack value [/X3D/Scene/Sound[7], warning]
<Sound DEF='SoundMinGreaterThanDefaultMax'/> minFront='13' maxFront='10' has
minFront value greater than maxFront value [/X3D/Scene/Sound[7], warning]
<Sound DEF='SoundMaxLessThanDefaultMin'/> minBack='1' maxBack='0.5' has
minBack value greater than maxBack value [/X3D/Scene/Sound[8], warning]
<Sound DEF='SoundMaxLessThanDefaultMin'/> minFront='1' maxFront='0.5' has
minFront value greater than maxFront value [/X3D/Scene/Sound[8], warning]

===================================

Incidentally these tests also work in cases where a violation occurs
inadvertently when some of the fields are not defined and their default
values are compared instead.

all the best, Don
-- 
Don Brutzman  Naval Postgraduate School, Code USW/Br       brutzman at nps.edu
Watkins 270,  MOVES Institute, Monterey CA 93943-5000 USA   +1.831.656.2149
X3D graphics, virtual worlds, navy robotics http://faculty.nps.edu/brutzman