The X3D has achieved landmark support, as the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) this week approved the run-time standard that will allow
3D content to be shuttled across networks as a service.
X3D is the Web3D Consortium’s open, XML-based file format for
allowing 3D communication in real-time across networks and among
applications. 3DLabs, HP and Sun Microsystems
support the specification
According to X3D creator, the Web3D Consortium, X3D has been branded
International Standard ISO/IEC 19775 and will be formally published in
October 2004.
Fourteen national committees within the ISO unanimously approved X3D.
Web3D/ISO specs for X3D, which are royalty-free standards, may be found here.
One of X3D’s charms is that it is extremely extensible and interoperable,
supporting several file format encodings and programming languages. X3D also
uses the latest advances in graphics hardware to provide the best
performance and visual impact in an extensible architecture.
“The advancement of X3D as an ISO standard is a significant milestone for
the 3D industry,” observed Tony Parisi, president of Media Machines and
co-chair of Web3D’s X3D Working Group. “Now developers, solutions providers
and customers alike can rest assured that their investments in real-time 3D
content and applications will be preserved.”
Unveiled
in February 2002, X3D is already being extended by the Web3D Consortium
with developments to be packaged as Amendment One. These will include
“programmable shaders” to provide cinematic rendering effects; advanced
texturing support for 3D and cubic environment textures; and improved text
support and the CAD Distillation Format (CDF) for CAD data re-use.
X3D extends the prior Web3D/ISO standard, VRML 97, which is still widely
supported by numerous content models and software tools. X3D retains
backwards compatibility with Classic VRML Encoding.
X3D has also enjoyed other momentum of late. Sun
Microsystems and Web3D last week formed a
working group to develop a binary file format encoding for X3D.
This will provide advanced compression of 3D data to shorten the
transmission time of models and scenes across a network and a data
encryption scheme to protect sensitive model information.
