[x3d-public] A server based collaborative 3D visualization

[Vincent Marchetti]

At the June 30 X3D WG teleconference we briefly discussed a web-based 3D application that shows a simulated cnc machining process. It is not based on the X3D standard but is still an good example of using the server to implement a collaborative viewing experience. This is the kind of application that the JSON encoding may enable for X3D models.

The specific example I saw demonstrated during a conference call of the "STEP_manufacturing"* group was:
http://swim.steptools.com:8080/stepnc/boxy 


* - the STEP Manufacturing group is a standards development team, specifically "ISO TC184/SC4/Working Group 3/Team 24" -- they run a mailing list at http://lists.steptools.com/mailman/listinfo/step-manufacturing

This web application is run by a newly introduced server product of STEP Tools in Troy, NY : NC.js : http://www.steptools.com/products/ncjs/

The server product does not appear to be open sourced, but this is an evolution of previous work done to prepare WebGL viewable models from STEP files. This earlier work is open sourced and is based on a javascript library and an xml format transfer file for meshes. The software for generating the XML files and the Javascript client for web viewing are described here: http://www.steptools.com/demos/

As an interesting comparison: On the demos page http://www.steptools.com/demos/ , in the "Cutting Tools Assemblies" section there is a link to a web rendering of the "Cutting Tool Assembly with Holder" , rendered at://www.steptools.com/demos/asm-frames.html?cutter2.xml

I have been able to convert the same STEP geometry to an X3D file and it can be seen in X3DOM here: http://spri.kshell.com/xt/shape/x3dom/tbjbs2xp577k/23323738 [also can be downloaded as X3D or viewed in Cobweb ]

The STEP Tools web rendering includes coloring and annotations that my STEP->X3D conversion does not yet capture. Both web-based renderings capture the assembly structure that is conveyed in the underlying STEP file.

The STEP file for this cutting tool model is http://www.steptools.com/library/stepnc/2012_stockholm/T1_cutting_tool_assembly_100_AP242.stp
as linked to from http://www.steptools.com/library/stepnc/2012_stockholm/

Vince Marchetti