X3D Graphics for Web Authors Getting Started

Abstract

Extensible 3D (X3D) graphics is a collection of open-standards that define a system that integrates network-enabled 3D graphics and multimedia. X3D applications are real-time, interactive, animated systems that can run stand-alone or in networked virtual environments. This tutorial will focus on a commonly used subset of the complete functionality that is encoded in XML. X3D has three encodings XML (.x3d), Classic VRML (.x3dv), and Compressed Binary (.x3db). During the tutorial, the participants will learn hands-on how to build an X3D world, while getting a detailed understanding of the capabilities of X3D. Specific topics include animation using interpolators and sequencers, scripting, prototypes for extensibility, and a software-visualization case study. We will use the new cross-platform X3D-Edit authoring tool. Participants will also be given the latest X3D Software Development Kit (SDK) which contains a wide variety of free + commercial plug-ins, authoring tools, and content.