[x3d-public] X3DEnvironmentalSensorNode with infinite size

[Don Brutzman]

Sounds like an excellent suggestion, consistent with other parts of the X3D
Architecture.  Thanks Holger.

Pending further discussion, I've created a Mantis issue and applied simple
corresponding changes to the draft specification.   Continuing review and
improvement welcome.

   - Mantis 1533: X3DEnvironmentalSensorNode with infinite size
   <https://mantis.web3d.org/view.php?id=1533>
   - https://mantis.web3d.org/view.php?id=1533

Description Holger Seelig writes:
"The X3DEnvironmentalSensorNode has a size field with a range of
[0,infinity). Sometimes it doesn't matter what size the sensor is—you just
want it to be really big. Then the question arises: what size should you
choose—1,000, 10,000, or 100,000 meters, or even bigger?

I suggest that in this case, we simply use the dimensions “-1 -1 -1,” which
means infinite, so that the sensor is active throughout the entire space."
Additional Information * [x3d-public] X3DEnvironmentalSensorNode with
infinite size
* https://web3d.org/pipermail/x3d-public_web3d.org/2026-April/022507.html

* X3D Architecture v4.1 draft, 22 Environmental sensor component, 22.3.1
X3DEnvironmentalSensorNode
*
https://www.web3d.org/specifications/X3Dv4Draft/ISO-IEC19775-1v4.1-CD/Part01/components/environmentalSensor.html#X3DEnvironmentalSensorNode

* SFVec3f [in,out] size 0 0 0 [0,infinity)
* "The size field defines the effective volume of the sensor. A default
value of 0 0 0 means that the sensor has no active volume and is
essentially disabled."
Tags V4.1



 Activities
<https://mantis.web3d.org/view.php?id=1533#>

 brutzman <https://mantis.web3d.org/view_user_page.php?id=10>

 2026-04-26 12:38

administrator    ~0003890 <https://mantis.web3d.org/view.php?id=1533#c3890>

 Last edited: 2026-04-26 13:08

View 2 revisions
<https://mantis.web3d.org/bug_revision_view_page.php?bugnote_id=3890>
Another field might be 'global' but since X3DEnvironmentalSensorNode nodes
are always defined within some local context, and since the larger external
scene graph is not known, such additional scoping likely is not practical
feature. Including dimensions in the size field provides spatial scoping,
which satisfactorily handles the great majority of foreseen use cases.

 brutzman <https://mantis.web3d.org/view_user_page.php?id=10>

 2026-04-26 12:41

administrator    ~0003891 <https://mantis.web3d.org/view.php?id=1533#c3891>

 Last edited: 2026-04-26 12:59

View 6 revisions
<https://mantis.web3d.org/bug_revision_view_page.php?bugnote_id=3891>
Suggested change and additional sentence, leaving original default value
unchanged for backwards compatibility:

* SFVec3f [in,out] size 0 0 0 [0,infinity) or -1 -1 -1
* "A default value of -1 -1 -1 means that the sensor volume is unbounded."

The field change also affects GeoProximitySensor, ProximitySensor,
TransformSensor and VisibilitySensor nodes.

 brutzman <https://mantis.web3d.org/view_user_page.php?id=10>

 2026-04-26 13:10

administrator    ~0003892 <https://mantis.web3d.org/view.php?id=1533#c3892>
Changes applied to draft specification, approval is pending further
discussion on x3d-public mailing list.









all the best, Don
-- 
X3D Graphics, Maritime Robotics, Distributed Simulation
Relative Motion Consulting  https://RelativeMotion.info


On Sun, Apr 26, 2026 at 3:17 AM Holger Seelig <holger.seelig at yahoo.de>
wrote:

> The X3DEnvironmentalSensorNode has a size field with a range of [0,∞). Sometimes
> it doesn't matter what size the sensor is—you just want it to be really
> big. Then the question arises: what size should you choose—1,000, 10,000,
> or 100,000 meters, or even bigger?
>
> I suggest that in this case, we simply use the dimensions “-1 -1 -1,”
> which means infinite, so that the sensor is active throughout the entire
> space.
>
> This feature is already available in X_ITE. What do you think?
>
> Best regards,
> Holger
>
> —
> Holger Seelig
> holger.seelig at yahoo.de
>
>
>
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