[x3d-public] X3D meeting agenda 21 August 2020: SIGGRAPH events, X3D4 progress review

Fri Aug 21 16:27:49 PDT 2020

Today's meeting will focus on ISO meeting liaison report review, and website review of our reported status and plans for X3D4.

Attendees: Anita Havele, Vince Marchetti, Dick Puk, Don Brutzman.

Regrets: Nicholas Polys.

We meet Fridays 0800-0930 pacific PDT.

* https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81634670698?pwd=a1VPeU5tN01rc21Oa3hScUlHK0Rxdz09
* https://zoom.us/j/148206572 Password 921507
* https://www.web3d.org/member/teleconference-information

Confirmed that no member-only information is included in these minutes.

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1. SIGGRAPH 2020 update

"Since its beginning in 1974 as a small group of specialists in a previously unknown discipline, ACM SIGGRAPH has evolved to become an international community of researchers, artists, developers, filmmakers, scientists, and business professionals who share an interest in computer graphics and interactive techniques."

* SIGGRAPH 2020
   https://s2020.siggraph.org

a.	CARTO BOF Monday 24 August, 1030-1130	
	Birds of a Feather
	ACM SIGGRAPH Cartographic Visualization (Carto) Bird
	https://s2020.siggraph.org/presentation/?id=bof_103&sess=sess358

- Mike McCann MBARI, Ocean-going Oceanographic Robot Visualization in Monterey Bay
- Nicholas Polys VT, Immersive Cartography
- Don Brutzman NPS and Alex Viana US Navy, SPIDERS3D Collaboration Web Design of Harbor Scenarios using X3D

b. Web3D Consortium booth

* Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday, 0900-1030 and 1500-1730 pacific
* https://www.web3d.org/event/siggraph-2020

"Web3D Consortium exhibiting 3D technology and presenting at SIGGRAPH 2020. SIGGRAPH is now a virtual event, August 2020. Think Beyond! Inspiration creates progress. At SIGGRAPH, join other researchers, artists, and technologists for the largest conference and exhibition in computer graphics and interactive techniques."

c. Other events of interest?  There sure are a lot of things going on there...

All inputs welcome.

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2. ISO SC24 annual meeting complete.

The ISO meeting liaison report has been provided to Web3D Board of Directors.  This will ripple outward to Web3D Consortium members and to X3D public list in the coming weeks.  Produced annually, it provides a 16-page summary of completed and anticipated specification activity for X3D and HAnim.

Identified action items include

a. Frameless specification reformatting.
b. Production of New Work Item Proposals (NWIPs) when submitting specifications.
c. Submission of X3D specs for file encodings and language bindings.

"Master plan" diagram showing current and planned specifications:

[2] X3D Graphics Standard: Specification Relationships
     https://www.web3d.org/specifications/X3dSpecificationRelationships.png
     https://www.web3d.org/specifications/X3dSpecificationRelationships.pdf

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3. Pending actions and plans.

Prior working group minutes:

[3] [x3d-public] X3D working group meeting 14 AUG 2020: status conference, webinars, X3DCSAIL, ISO, X3D4
     http://web3d.org/pipermail/x3d-public_web3d.org/2020-August/013410.html

> Summary of plans and possibilities, building on 2018 strategy which continues to slowly percolate.
> 
> [5] C/C++/C# X3DSAIL
>      http://web3d.org/pipermail/x3d-public_web3d.org/2020-August/013403.html
> 
> We discussed whether C-related language bindings can support scripting.  If they can only support external access, that should be noted in the language binding.  Many languages have added on-the-fly compilation, we need to look further at that.
> 
> We also discussed how abstract SAI Architecture was designed to handle both Script nodes internal to X3D scene graph, as well as standalone X3D usage.  It will be interesting to see if SAI specification might need some additions to support all the functionality available in X3D4 and these other programming languages.
> 
> TODO:
> - schedule meeting with Dr. Myeong Won Lee to review her contributions and draft specification,
> - Don will help match best patterns to autogeneration of those codebases, and
> - Most important: we are looking for C/C++/C# gurus who can comment and possibly improve the SAI design patterns.

Ready to schedule review activity and seek participation.  We have asked if this might alternate with HAnim and Korea chapter meetings, Wednesday 1700 pacific and Thursday morning Korea.

> 4. Coming up.
> 
> a. X3D Physically Based Rendering PBR review with Michalis Kamburelis.  Close look at specification prose and Inline.

Next Monday, 09-1000 pacific.

> b. X3D Sound Component and Web Audio API: updated examples, building audio graph with Efi Lakka and Thanos Malamos.

In progress weekly, Wednesdays.

> c. X3D C/C++/C# Bindings with Myeong Won Lee.
> d. X3DOM implementation support for Prototype and Script (x3dscript?) with Andreas Plesch, then
> e. harmonize/document X3DOM/X_ITE approaches in writeup for X3D4/HTML5 integration.

We hope to being performing ~ monthly review meetings.

> f. Possible HAnim Next workshop as part of Web3D 2020 Conference, adding human internal organs and facial expressions.
>     Hoping to line up work for delivery next summer.

Probably needs more work that can occur as part of ongoing mailing-list discussion and modeling activity.  Deferred.

> g. How to incorporate X3DUOM and X3D Ontology prose in X3D set of standards.

When schedule permits, Don and Jakub will sketch out alternatives for how this work can fit, post to list, and then Dick will look at this with us on a future call.

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4. Updating X3D validation products.

[4] [x3d-public] announce: X3D Tooltips now linking to X3D4 working draft 2 specification, multiple asset updates
     https://web3d.org/pipermail/x3d-public_web3d.org/2020-August/013424.html

Next up following review and completion: nodes for PBR and Sound.  TODO confirm complete: Projective Texture Mapping (PTM).

X3D Validator version 4 update now runs on development systems, working on server deployment of Java servlet.

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5. Page reviews

[5] X3D Version 4 Overview
     https://www.web3d.org/x3d4

Good jumping-off page for all information.  Web search for "X3D4" lands here.  8)

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[6] X3D4 Public Working Draft Specification, second release for SIGGRAPH 2020 conference.
     https://www.web3d.org/x3dv4-public-working-draft

Fixed some errata and updated X3D4 WD2 specification version-content index of nodes and fields.

Future release plans: Emphasis on implementation and evaluation right now.  If significant changes might emerge (for example PBR prose or Sound interfaces) then we might request permission to post public updates.

Primarily implementers need to Join Web3D Consortium if they want to track progress and technical issues (maintained in mantis issue trackers).

Our achievable goal remains:  final review at Web3D 2020 Conference, 9-13 November.

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[7] X3D4 Highlights, provides a quicklook of major features under development.
     http://www.web3d.org/x3dv4-highlights

Once again, the summaries are good and "ringing true" to our steadily improving capabilities.

Major work remaining: once X3DOM releases support for Prototypes and Script node (perhaps renamed as X3DScript node) then

a. Full comparison of X3DOM and X_ITE implementations of X3D4 and HTML5,
b. Resolve any differences,
c. Propose review and approve specification prose matching the harmonized capabilities.

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[8] X3D Version 4 Draft: Ready for Early Adoption! presentation for Web3D Webinars and SIGGRAPH conference
     https://www.web3d.org/sites/default/files/page/X3D%20Version%204%20Overview/X3dVersion4Siggraph2020Brutzman.2020August3.pdf

Got positive response at recent ISO SC24 annual graphics standards committee review.

Ready for anyone to use!  Feedback always welcome.

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[9] X3D4 Implementations Status, provides summary links tracking active efforts.
     http://www.web3d.org/x3dv4-implementations

Page looks good, table review to follow with updates for a future meeting.

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[10] X3D Node Inventory Comparison
      https://www.web3d.org/specifications/X3dNodeInventoryComparison.xlsx
      https://www.web3d.org/specifications/X3dNodeInventoryComparison.pdf

This spreadsheet shows node-by-node implementation coverage of the X3D Abstract Specification: validation using X3D Schema, X3D DOCTYPE, and X3D Schematron; X3D Tooltips and VRML97 node sets; plus selected open-source implementations: FreeWrl, X3DOM, X_ITE, view3dscene (Castle Game Engine), X3D-Edit and Xj3D.

TODO:
- Don will add the new PBR and sound components, about 20 more nodes.
- Don will add X3D Ontology (and possibly X3DUOM).

We reviewed structure and layout.  Discussed merits of calling out version 3.3 support, seems difficult to keep it all straight though.  I'm interested in encouraging adoption of both 3.3 and 4.0 since they are mutually compatible (4.0 can load 3.3, for example).

We will look for monthly updates to this work.  Update information always welcome.

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Thanks colleagues for insightful meeting.  Have fun with X3D!

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