[x3d-public] X3D Working Group minutes 13 JAN 2023: refined goals, ISO specification updates, X3D4 implementation upgrade guidelines?

Fri Jan 13 10:39:51 PST 2023

Happy Friday 13th everyone!  (bwa ha ha.)

Today we held our regular weekly meeting of X3D Working Group, Friday 13
January 2023 at 09-10 pacific.  Connection information and topics follow.

*
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81634670698?pwd=a1VPeU5tN01rc21Oa3hScUlHK0Rxdz09 
*	https://zoom.us/j/148206572  Password 483805 
*	https://www.web3d.org/member/teleconference-information 

Attendees: Anita Havele, Nicholas Polys, Dick Puk, Doug Sanden, Don
Brutzman.

1.	Goal statement review.  Our primary activities for X3D Working Group
in 2023 are focused on broad and correct deployment.  Refined:

a.	Encourage consistent rendering, interaction and usage for the many
tremendous capabilities in X3D4.
b.	Update ISO specifications and implementations for multiple
programming languages and file encodings to match X3D4.

The dozen corresponding standards to receive these updates are illustrated
as follows:

*	X3D Graphics Standards Relationships
*
https://web3d.org/specifications/X3dGraphicsStandardsRelationships.png

2.	Milestone: X3D4 Architecture Finalization.  

Last Tuesday we held a totally successful ISO Editors meeting for X3D4
Architecture Draft International Specification (DIS).  ISO review and
approval deliberations continue.

Today we reviewed progress, changes and next steps following.  Almost
finally, finally done locking in all details.

*	X3D4: Extensible 3D (X3D) Part 1: Architecture and base components,
ISO/IEC 19775-1:2022
*
https://www.web3d.org/specifications/X3Dv4Draft/ISO-IEC19775-1v4-DIS/Part01/
Architecture.html

*	Mantis Issue Tracker
*	https://www.web3d.org/member-only/mantis/view_all_bug_page.php

Mantis issues are being updated to track all of the agreed-upon ISO changes
correctly.

Given the formally approved list of X3D4 Architecture changes, we can
finally proceed with document editing.  Next step is to apply CSS-markup
highlighted changes to the current DIS source for group review.

Proposed github location for that draft:

*	Web3D Consortium GitHub Archive 
*	https://github.com/Web3dConsortium
*
https://github.com/Web3DConsortium/X3D/tree/master/ISO-IEC19775/ISO-IEC19775
-1/ISO-IEC19775-1v4.0/ISO-IEC19775-1v4-DIS
*	ISO-IEC19775-1v4-ProposedIS will be new directory location, eventual
rename to "IS" once accepted by ISO

X3D schema, DTD, X3DUOM, X3DJSAIL updates in progress, so far so good.  Have
applied most validation-related changes.  Initial
recapitalization/dehyphenization of Web Audio-related enumerations to
follow.

Forward thinkers can rest assured that no good ideas regarding X3D evolution
that didn't "make the final ISO cut" are getting lost.  All future
possibilities will continue to be tracked in Mantis and designated as future
X3D 4.1.

3.	Web3D Review of C, C++, C# draft standards for X3D 3.3.  

Deadline is imminent, we intend to review all comments next week.  Based on
that review, X3D Working Group will make a recommendation to Web3D Board of
Directors regarding Consortium and community inputs on specification
readiness.

4.	Preparing for Outreach.

We discussed how to communicate the soon-to-happen approval of X3D 4.0 by
ISO, including possible testimonials by members, implementers, authors,
users, Standards Development Organization (SDO) partners, et al.

All testimonial statements are welcome.  Web3D Consortium Executive Director
Anita Havele to participate.

5.	X3D Node Inventory Comparison.

We took another look at this spreadsheet, let's prepare to regularly update.
Multiple other assets can also be used by implementers to support upgrading
to X3D4.

*	X3D Specifications: Schema and DOCTYPE Validation
*	https://www.web3d.org/specifications
*	These assets are commonly used for XML validation of X3D scenes, and
in-depth documentation is also provided here.

*	X3D Node Inventory Comparison (.pdf) 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, Xj3D.
*	https://www.web3d.org/specifications/X3dNodeInventoryComparison.xslx
(master in version control)
*	https://www.web3d.org/specifications/X3dNodeInventoryComparison.pdf
*	This will be updated to X3D 4.0 latest, with changes highlighted in
yellow

*	X3D Tooltips 4.0 also highlights all changes in yellow
*	https://www.web3d.org/x3d/tooltips/X3dTooltips.html
*	For example, Anchor tooltips:
*	https://www.web3d.org/x3d/tooltips/X3dTooltips.html#Anchor

*	The X3D4 Architecture specification itself also reveals specific
changes to nodes and fields, from versions 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and 4.0:
*	X3D4 Architecture, Annex Z, Version Content
*
https://www.web3d.org/specifications/X3Dv4Draft/ISO-IEC19775-1v4-DIS/Part01/
versionContent.html
*	For example, looking at Anchor node, you can see in rightmost column
that v4.0 adds load, bboxDisplay, autoRefreshTimeLimit etc.

Suggested: should we create an X3D4 Migration Guide to help implementers?
Seems like an excellent idea, also "rings true" with our initial goal
statements today.

Volunteers please?  Creating some form of X3D4 Migration Guide checklist to
assist implementers might be quite useful.  Also an excellent professional
opportunity for experts and consultants to demonstrate (and upgrade) their
expertise.

6.	All other business.  

Good discussions on download statistics (X3D-Edit, FreeWrl) and a variety of
other topics... we're having fun now!

As ever, many thanks for the work of many contributors.  Deep breath. wow.

No Web3D member-only information is included in these minutes. but please do
note: several valuable items documented here have Web3D member-only access.

Consortium membership has value!  Please consider joining.

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

Have fun with X3D4!   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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