[x3d-public] X3D meeting minutes 28 JAN 2022: #VRML reveals onTwitter, Cultural Heritage, browser extensions, Project Wish List

[Joseph D Williams]

davidfrerichs.github.io

➢ Protozoa circa 1997 https://davidfrerichs.github.io/vrml/alliskator/scene.html delivered by #X_ITE #X3D to a browser near you, thanks @davidfrerichs

So fun to see views reborn with a click with no installed x3d browser.  
Of great interest is the animations driving alliskator and motogator and the idea of animating a humanoid-like character without using a skeleton. Instead of a skeleton hierarchy, the geometries are drawn in place, then moved using orientation interpolators to rotate the parts along with position (and scale. even) interpolators to move and form the parts into the correct relative location so to stay connected at the appropriate location(s) of the geometries. Just a small bit of experience doing it this way manually or even with tool to help strongly shows how nice it is to have a hierarchal skeleton with root and automagically firmly connected joints. 
How to get from alli now to alli with skeleton? First to find good joint centers and fit skeleton to test if segment orientation animation can work the same as joint rotation animation when the skeleton is correct. Then, just the joint orientation (rotation) interpolators are needed and all geometry position animations will disappear. 
Thanks to All,
Joe


From: Brutzman, Donald (Don) (CIV)
Sent: Sunday, January 30, 2022 8:13 AM
To: X3D Public Mailing List (x3d-public at web3d.org)
Subject: [x3d-public] X3D meeting minutes 28 JAN 2022: #VRML reveals onTwitter, Cultural Heritage, browser extensions, Project Wish List

Attendees: Anita Havele, Vince Marchetti, Nicholas Polys, Dick Puk, Don Brutzman

1. Web3D Twitter

a. Lots of cool stuff being published thanks to VRML support by X_ITE X3D player https://create3000.github.io/x_ite
b. #VRML content showing excellent synchronization of singing and dancing by a cool character, the Alliskator by Protozoa circa 1997 https://davidfrerichs.github.io/vrml/alliskator/scene.html delivered by #X_ITE #X3D to a browser near you, thanks @davidfrerichs
• https://twitter.com/Web3DConsortium/status/1487813390563102725 
c. more about pioneering performance animation company Protozoa found at "People Behind the Pixels" History of Computer Graphics https://historyofcg.com/pages/protozoa
• https://twitter.com/Web3DConsortium/status/1487815123863408641 
d. Upcoming: announce Web3D Annual Report availability https://www.web3d.org/news-story/web3d-consortium-2021-annual-report
e. Other announcements are welcome, tell your story someday! 

2. Cultural Heritage workshop by Efe in Turkey went very well.  Will post materials when available.  Practitioners (brilliant young professors and enthusiastic students, hooray!) were really impressive and active with great projects.  https://twitter.com/Web3DConsortium/status/1485743796528709633

Next steps for Web3D Cultural Heritage:
a. Working group meeting?
b. Cultural Heritage event at SIGGRAPH? Are some submission deadlines still open? (not clear from website)
c. Candidate organizing theme: perhaps Building a Digital Library?
d. SIGGRAPH History project https://history.siggraph.org ?  coordinating volunteer activity, looking ahead to an anniversary, get “in the middle of the conversation” 
e. Perhaps make archiving Web3D Conference content the focus? https://web3d.siggraph.org

Of interest: Virginia Tech (VT) uses https://koha-community.org as digital library platform for their university.  Interesting candidate goal for integrating X3D/VRML support into that open-source tool suite, similar to what we’ve already achieved using WordPress.

3. Plugins and Extensions
a. Interesting discussion about how X_ITE can play VRML directly, HTML > X_ITE javascript > load .wrl
b. X3DOM cannot play VRML directly, maybe a good feature to add someday…
c. Wondered about variations, if we should encourage X_ITE, X3DOM to be able to directly play X3D/VRML without intervening HTML (essential a plugin approach)
d. Synergy created Chrome extensions … still available, links follow. Do these still work?  Where is source?
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/x3d-viewer/nneaojlgmfmngeckfemdbfpgedgfpgdg
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/xite/obbhbiljgjpeoeijlnbnnmkajgiaggnc
e. How to Create a Chrome extension in 10 minutes flat 2015: https://www.sitepoint.com/create-chrome-extension-10-minutes-flat
f. Probably don’t want to encourage this as a main line of effort on Projects Wish List… writing extensions is probably necessary for security reasons by some applications, wondering if it is worthwhile option to pursue?
g. Meanwhile Windows 10 Edge browser helpfully offers “You can now add extensions from the Chrome Web Store to Microsoft Edge – click on Add to Chrome” button

4. Project Wish List review continues
       https://www.web3d.org/projects/wish-list
a. How to get involved with Blender (posting issues and pursuing solutions) might be better presented there.  Probably push towards #1, likely most popular.
b. Winnowing the list: pushing other things downward, then when finished ensure X3D Resources are updated.
c. Focus the X3DOM and X_ITE entries to point people towards the activity, “get involved”
d. Wordpress support has been demonstrated for 2 years now by Web3D Conference, is that documented and linked?
e. XMLSpy supports it
f. Jordi Cardona had UltraEdit configuration, Don will work with him to finish
g. X3DOM and X_ITE support for WebXR remains desirable
h. Keep focus on projects.  Remove Annotations component (deferred to X3D4.1), update/remove other X3D4 architecture items that are already addressed
i. Remove Apache http configuration to X3D Resources
j. List should be in priority order with fluff removed

5. Progress towards resuming work on C/C++/C# implementations, discussion on mailing list, initial implementation by Suwon University is under Web3D Consortium open-source license, commencing weekly meetings.

6. X3D JSON Schema updated by John Carlson, good update information on mailing list.  Tested OK so far, but JSON schema itself is still lingering in IETF Draft status and hasn’t been updated in over a year.

Next week: continuing focus on project wish list and encouraging tool development. We will continue this dialog in next few meetings.  Good opportunity if someone wants to help keep that useful page tracking so much activity!

No Web3D Consortium member-only information is included in these minutes.

Another great week coming up.  Have fun with X3D!   8)

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 https:// faculty.nps.edu/brutzman


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