This is an interim new Charter. The previous charter is also available.

Overview

The Web3D Consortium is a Standards Development Organization (SDO).  The Web3D Standards Working Group addresses all X3D specification issues and coordinates the technical development of future improvements to formal specifications.

The X3D Standards Working Group provides the core technical foundation for the Web3D Consortium. Members are responsible for developing the Extensible 3D (X3D) and Humanoid Animation (HAnim) suites of specifications, building maximum interoperability with related technologies, and coordinating the broad deployment of interactive X3D models. The X3D Graphics Standards: Specification Relationships diagram (below) illustrates these many capabilities. HAnim standards capabilities are generally implementable and fully implemented in X3D.  Participation is encouraged for Web3D Consortium members, liaison partners, and the many interested members of the Web3D Consortium.

Interest in metaverse and augmented reality, high-quality spatial audio and visual fidelity on any computer platform, plus support for multiple file encodings and programming languages are driving the broad deployment of interactive X3D4 and HAnim models across the Web into new domains of real-time 3D human interaction.  This group ensures continuing technical excellence, based on multiple implementations and evaluation of example models, to reach consensus on effective deployment of interoperable standards.

Goals

The X3D Standards Working Group came from the long standing X3D Working Group and has a set of general ongoing goals. These are:

1. X3D Specifications Synchronization
2. X3D Example Model Compliance Checking
3. X3D Implementation Consistency
4. Standards Development Organizatio (SDO) and Metaverse Standards Forum (MSF) Support

Extensibility is the “X” in X3D, often allowing modelers to implement new capabilities in a standards-compatible way.  The HAnim standard permits simplified levels of articulation (LOAs) all the way to full-fidelity human skeletal structures, with corresponding motion animation for behavior-integration capabilities as well. This offers a publishing path for 3D models from many sources as part of the Open Web. 

Process

The role of X3D community has been crucial throughout every stage of development for the VRML and X3D International Standards.  The public community of interested Web authors has always been a principal stakeholder for success, and indeed is often a primary driver of long-term progress.  Open public discussion and periodic community review of key issues remains an essential activity for the X3D Working Group.

X3D and related working groups maintain an agenda of planned specification milestone activities.  For example: preparing formal comments for submission of a specification document, either to INCITS national body or ISO/IEC standards committees. 

This Working Group will work towards the goals by

1. X3D Specifications Synchronization.  Update, review, implement and advance all corresponding X3D and HAnim specifications for file encodings and language encodings, to match the X3D Architecture.  This effort continues rigorous attention to detail by Web3D Consortium liaisons with World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), US INCITS H3, ISO/IEC standards committees, Khronos, Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), and other standards development organizations (SDOs).
   
   To accomplish this primary task effectively, we also pay attention to the following topics.  Verification of X3D model compliance with X3D standards is checked by using implementations supporting standards functionality.
    
2. X3D Example Model Compliance Checking.  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 publication resources.  Thousands of validated examples already work well.  What other interactive 3D models are people working to publish and share?  X3D and HAnim can help.
    
3. X3D Implementation Compliance Checking.  As appropriate, help to encourage the greatest possible development for functionally complete applications, authoring tools, and model converters such as Blender and MeshLab. Pay special attention to implementations using Humanoid Animation (HAnim), glTF model import/export, Web Audio API and MIDI 2.0 capabilities for integrated spatial auralization, projective texture mapping, HTML5 integration, XML, JSON/JavaScript, Java, Python, C/C++/C#, compressed binary formats, and additional new X3D 4.0 features.
    
4. SDO and Metaverse Standards Forum (MSF).  Support SDO and MSF innovations and developments. OGC's 3D Data Management and W3C's  Immersive Web. MSF Domain Working Groups 3D Web Interoperability and Metaverse Standards Register. 

Meetings

The Working Group holds a weekly teleconference and face-to-face meetings annually at the Siggraph and Web3D conferences.

Participants

The X3D Working Group is a Web3D Consortium members-only activity. Non-member experts may be invited to participate in topics of special interest. The leadership of the Working Group consists of two co-chairs.

Dependencies and Liaisons

The X3D Working Group provides technical support for the Web3D Consortium Liaisons and Partnerships.

Confidentiality

Working group communications are published in the X3D members-only mailing list. At the discretion of the Working Group, information may also be released to the public.

Communication

This group uses existing Web3D Consortium communication channels.

Mailing lists

Members only

1. Primary communications are made through the archived x3d@web3d.org list. This list is used for all technical issues being considered by the Working Group and other topics of shared interest.
2. Humanoid Animation topics may be discussed on the Web3D Consortium's member-only list: hanim@web3d.org.

Public distribution

Because X3D is an open royalty-free international standard, most technical dialog is unrestricted and can occur on the public mailing lists.  This approach encourages interoperability, sharing of lessons learned, and efforts by new adopters.

Meanwhile we are always careful to respect all dissemination prerequisites, for example trusted communications with other SDOs or preliminary technology contribution proposals by Consortium members.  Public discussions of restricted technical issues shall not be on public lists unless the participating Working Group members agree. In no case shall new submissions by members or external parties be discussed outside of members-only communication channels.

Any public list may be used for outreach. The primary public list is x3d-public@web3d.org.

Other Resources

This list is a mixture of public and member-only access. [Need to make links were necessary]

1. Web3D Consortium Mantis Issue Tracker for archival members-only consideration of specific specification-related technical goals and issues, along with distilled design alternatives.
2. Web3D Consortium GitHub Projects for members-only standards document development and several open software projects.  Includes issue tracking.
3. Web3D Consortium X3D SourceForge Projects for open-source X3D example models and additional open software projects.  Includes issue tracking.
4. Public outreach for highlighted examples and milestones of interest are shared on Web3D Consortium website, Twitter (X), and YouTube.
5. Specification comments and suggestions submission form

Web3D Consortium Policies, Practices, and Procedures

The following Web3D Consortium policies govern working group practices.  If needed, further guidance can be provided by the Web3D Board of Directors.

1. Web3D Working Group Practices.
2. Web3D Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy
3. Web3D Code of Conduct
4. Web3D Consortium Standards Strategy
5. Standards Adoption Process
6. Contribution Submission Guidelines

Approval Date

This charter was approved by the Web3D Consortium Board of Directors on April 2024.