[x3d-public] X3D working group meeting: charter review for 2024, minutes 1 DEC 2023

Fri Dec 1 10:08:41 PST 2023

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

We had an excellent meeting for X3D Working Group today.  First some
updates:

a.	Metaverse Standards Forum (MSF) update.  Web3D Consortium is a
founding member and quite active contributor to this forum.  Web3D
Consortium members have standing to participate in MSF activities, if they
ask to do so.  Some high points:

*	Metaverse Standards Forum: Where Leading Standards Organizations and
Companies Cooperate to Foster Interoperability Standards for an Open
Metaverse
*	https://metaverse-standards.org

*	MSF Active Domain Groups
*	https://metaverse-standards.org/domain-groups

*	3D Web Interoperability
*	https://portal.metaverse-standards.org/document/dl/6140
*	The mission of the 3D Web Interoperability Working Group is to
enable metaverse capabilities and content to be deployed on the web through
informing and encouraging the web standards ecosystem to evolve to support
metaverse use cases and for the web to support and leverage broader
metaverse interoperability initiatives. 
*	Working Group Charter
*	https://portal.metaverse-standards.org/document/dl/5385

b.	Blender and MeshLab updates:  much progress has been percolating,
but the story can be told better to help others understand (and maybe
contribute too). 

*	Blender 4.0 released (but with a change to lighting model) so some
changes are expected, and further testing is welcome.
*	https://www.blender.org

*	Web3D Consortium gitlab contributions for Blender provides a fork of
the source (for graphics-programmer experimentation) from the master Blender
repository.
*	https://github.com/Web3DConsortium/BlenderX3DSupport

*	This comment describes how to replace the Blender-installed X3D
import-export tool with a substitute import-export tool : 
*
https://github.com/Web3DConsortium/BlenderX3DSupport/issues/2#issuecomment-1
025053490
*	There is at least one additional subbranch going on as well.   If
these can be shown repeatable and working, perhaps they might be integrated.
Definitely a potential topic for a future meeting, maybe even recording as
an informal webinar for use by practitioners.  We will announce this in
advance - practitioners please consider participating in this future
session.

We will also look ahead to exposing MeshLab as well, there is much
impressive capability and continuing activity there.

*	https://www.meshlab.net
*	https://github.com/cnr-isti-vclab/meshlab

c.	We expect to consider key points, review and improve the Web3D
Consortium Roadmap diagram which organizes many tasks and categories within
our internal Web3D technical activities.  Additional strategies are being
considered by Web3D Consortium leadership.  Anita is shepherding these
reviews.

d.	Testing is another fundamentally valuable future topic to examine.
Testing is a key shared consideration for all implementations, and frankly
one of the strongest reasons for steady X3D4 improvements.  Much testing
capability is already exposed and explained at

*	X3D Resources: Quality Assurance (QA)
*
https://www.web3d.org/x3d/content/examples/X3dResources.html#QualityAssuranc
e

Next, our primary topic for today. review and improve our suggested charter
goals for 2024.  Current charter:

*	X3D Graphics Working Group
*	The X3D Graphics Working Group addresses all X3D specification
issues and coordinates the technical development of future improvements.
*	https://www.web3d.org/working-groups/x3d

It has been a great year for Web3D capabilities!  We have made a lot of
significant progress, advancing the X3D 4.0 Architecture and also HAnim 2.0
specifications.

*	Extensible 3D (X3D) 4.0 Architecture and base components, ISO/IEC
19775-1:2023 (final proof)
*
https://www.web3d.org/specifications/X3Dv4Draft/ISO-IEC19775-1v4-IS.proof/Pa
rt01/Architecture.html

*	Humanoid animation (HAnim) parts 1 and 2: architecture and motion
data animation
*	https://www.web3d.org/documents/specifications/19774/V2.0

Am thinking we need clear top-level goals to motivate best possible
influence and impact for X3D in the coming year.  Suggested:

X3D Working Group Charter Goals for 2024 (for discussion)

a.	Specifications.  Update, review, implement and advance all
corresponding X3D specifications for file encodings and language encodings,
continuing rigorous attention to detail through Web3D Consortium, US INCITS
H3, and ISO/IEC standards development organizations (SDOs).
b.	Implementations.  Provide a technical forum to encourage the
greatest possible development for compliant X3D4 applications, tools and
converters.  Pay special attention to Humanoid Animation (HAnim), glTF
import, Web Audio nodes, and other new X3D 4.0 features.  
c.	Publication.  Support X3D content creators.  Demonstrate how X3D can
make 3D Graphics part of the modern Web by integrating with key
infrastructure such as Web3D Conference series, Wikipedia, and other major
resources.
d.	Innovation.  Show how Extensibility mechanisms for X3D can implement
new capabilities in a standards-compatible way.  When showing great work
beyond the current standard, develop Web3D Recommended Practices that
encourage interoperable progress and set the stage for a future X3D 4.x.
e.	Metaverse.  Support 3D Web Interoperability Domain Group at
Metaverse Standards Forum (MSF) by implementing use cases, both providing
and gaining feedback on successes and next-step goals.

We had an excellent discussion about these today, and will take another look
next week as part of our regular weekly meetings.  All inputs welcome.

*	X3D Working Group teleconference
*	Fridays, 09-1000 pacific
*
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81634670698?pwd=a1VPeU5tN01rc21Oa3hScUlHK0Rxdz09 
*	https://zoom.us/j/148206572  Password 483805 
*	https://www.web3d.org/member/teleconference-information 

Looking forward to continuing conversation with Web3D Consortium members,
Web3D Board of Directors, and (of course) many interested practitioners
regarding how X3D4 advances all our many activities next year.

Web3D Consortium membership has value!  Please consider:

*	Join Web3D Consortium
*	https://www.web3d.org/join

Have fun with X3D!  8)

all the best, Don

-- 

Don Brutzman  Naval Postgraduate School, Code USW/Br        brutzman at nps.edu
<mailto: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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