[x3d-public] X3DOM node suggestions to achieve Immersive Profile

[Don Brutzman]

Just rechecked X3DOM node coverage to update a supporting stylesheet.  It has been over a year since any X3D nodes were added to that open-source codebase.

	http://doc.x3dom.org/author/nodes.html

	http://www.web3d.org/specifications/X3dNodeInventoryComparison.pdf
	http://www.web3d.org/specifications/X3dNodeInventoryComparison.xslx

Here is a list of suggested priorities for node development that would get X3DOM up to the X3D Immersive Profile (roughly equivalent to VRML97).  Most seem pretty easy/similar compared to the other functionality already achieved in X3DOM.

BooleanFilter
BooleanSequencer
BooleanToggle
BooleanTrigger
IntegerSequencer
IntegerTrigger
Script
TimeTrigger
VisibilitySensor

Also a bug report:  Inline documentation reports fully implemented, but no support seen for IMPORT/EXPORT of values.

http://doc.x3dom.org/author/Networking/Inline.html
4.4.6 Import/Export semantics
http://www.web3d.org/documents/specifications/19775-1/V3.3/Part01/concepts.html#ImportExportsemantics

Separate work on ProtoExpander by John Carlson, Roy Walmsley and myself will likely provide a preprocessor capability so that, even minus native support, X3DOM will be able to handle X3D prototypes as conversions to instance nodes.

There is more example code than ever before to help anyone interested in adding these nodes.  Some are quite similar to nodes that are already implemented in X3DOM, which should make a few of them pretty simple.

Furthermore Instant Reality, Cobweb and a variety of other open-source players have implemented these capabilities so that may also help anyone interested in developing improvements to X3DOM.

	Applications, Players and Plugins for X3D / VRML Viewing
	http://www.web3d.org/x3d/content/examples/X3dResources.html#Applications

[ding-dong, doorbell ring] anyone home?

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