[x3d-public] X3D working group meeting minutes16 NOV 2018: X3D Semantic Web, X3Dv4

[Michalis Kamburelis]

Brutzman, Donald (Don) (CIV) <brutzman at nps.edu> wrote:
> b. *Inline support for glTF and Physically Based Rendering*.
> -  Michalis notes that required, well-defined glTF lighting model implies experimental X3D lighting-model changes that correspond to).
> - Vince described how we need to scope this to Shape/mesh capabilities, or possibly other glTF capabilities also e.g. Camera etc.

Some links from me (I posted them during the call in another thread too):

My plan for implementing PBR in X3D (and Castle Game Engine):
https://github.com/michaliskambi/x3d-tests/wiki/Include-PhysicalMaterial-and-PhysicalEnvironmentLight-in-the-official-X3D-specification

A summary at the begging of:
https://github.com/michaliskambi/x3d-tests/wiki/How-to-add-PBR-to-X3D%3F
.

Implementing PhysicalMaterial, PhysicalEnvironmentLight is a
prerequisite to be able to write Inline { url "foo.gltf" } in X3D :)

I want to actually implement this in Castle Game Engine / view3dscene
(although most probably not in 2018, but at the beginning of 2019).

>
> c. Others?  *RenderedTexture* might be easy.
>
>         http://www.xj3d.org/extensions/render_texture.html
>

The important observation about RenderedTexture is that various X3D
browsers already implement it. Use-cases, documentation, test scenes
are available, and implementation details are available in open-source
implementations.

- Castle Game Engine (and view3dscene):
https://castle-engine.io/x3d_implementation_texturing_extensions.php#section_ext_rendered_texture

- InstantReality:
http://doc.instantreality.org/documentation/nodetype/RenderedTexture/

- Xj3D: http://xj3d.org/extensions/render_texture.html

- X3DOM: https://doc.x3dom.org/author/Texturing/RenderedTexture.html

RenderedTexture can be a basis for mirrors:

- https://doc.x3dom.org/tutorials/lighting/mirror/index.html

- https://castle-engine.io/x3d_extensions_mirror_plane.php

I propose we gather a set of good test files (I already have some in
CGE, https://github.com/castle-engine/demo-models/tree/master/rendered_texture
), document their proper output (make a screenshots from various
supporting browsers), and then everyone can:

- Implement RenderedTexture
- Or check if their existing implementation of RenderedTexture is
consistent with others.

Michalis volunteers to prepare these test cases + screenshots :)

> Suggested New Year's Resolution: following X3D Working Group suggested priorities for implementations, we start publishing Mantis issues one-by-one for X3Dv4 improvements.

Since Don raised an issue of "New Year's Resolutions" :), I mentioned
at the end of the call that we could think about focusing our efforts
on releasing X3D v4.0. An important step to do this, I believe, is
agreeing on a *minimal* set of features that *definitely need* to be
included in X3D v4.0.

(And then everything else can be deferred to future 4.x versions. And
we can focus on the things that must be done.)

IOW, I believe we should trim down the
http://www.web3d.org/wiki/index.php/X3D_version_4.0_Development . It
is now a large set of candidate ideas, with varying levels of "being
researched enough to invent useful X3D nodes to express them", and
"being useful for many X3D users". And it doesn't even contain all the
ideas that we talk about --- e.g. it doesn't contain PBR.

I think that talking about this "list of features necessary for X3D
4.0" is a large conversation, but it needs to happen at some point
(and rather sooner), to actually release X3D 4.0 in 2019 :) From
talking with many of you, I think you share this opinion. I *really*
want to see X3D v4.0 in 2019 :)

P.S. I know that everyone has his own opinion about "what is high
priority" for X3D 4.0 . If you want to know mine, it's in "high
priority" section on https://github.com/michaliskambi/x3d-tests/wiki
:) Of course everything I write is up for talking.

Regards,
Michalis