WEB 3D Consortium

Toolkit 2007

This toolkit provides everything you need to create and view Web3D worlds using the royalty-free international standard for extensible 3D online content, the X3D.

The WEB3D toolkit

offers something for you, whether you're viewing your first Web3D world, exploring Web3D from a background in games, VR, film or web development, working with the latest prototypes and source code, or building a metaverse from scratch.

The X3D SDK

Help: X3D Examples

Applications | Authoring Tools | Authoring Support | Books | Conversions | Examples | License | PowerPoint | References | Transitional DTD | Contact

Applications, Players and Plugins for X3D / VRML Viewing

Your web browser must be capable of viewing X3D/VRML scenes in order to browse these X3D examples. Please load one of these player plugins if necessary.

Example test scene: HelloWorld (.x3d .x3dv .wrl .html)

Web3D Consortium members:

• MediaMachines Flux X3D/VRML97 plugin for Internet Explorer.
• Xj3D Open Source for X3D/VRML97. version 1.0 release, now using Java OpenGL (JOGL) rendering.
• CRC's FreeWRL X3D/VRML browser (open-source Perl & C). Also available via Apple website.
• BitManagement's Contact X3D/VRML97 plugin for Internet Explorer.
• Octaga X3D/VRML browser with high performance and growing support.
• blaxxun Contact VRML97 plugin for Netscape or Internet Explorer.
• Heilan X3D Browser open-source C++ browser for audio research.
• GeoVrml Run-Time is needed for VRML97 GeoVrml examples.

Not (yet?) Web3D Consortium members:

• Parallel Graphics Cortona3D VRML97 plugin for Netscape or Internet Explorer.
• Karmanaut mirror site: CosmoPlayer 2.1.1 VRML97 plugin for Netscape or Internet Explorer.
• libx3d open-source C++ libraries for X3D.
• OpenVRML is a free cross-platform runtime for VRML and X3D.

Authoring Tools

• X3D-Edit is the primary authoring tool used at NPS to create the X3D, Sourcebook and SAVAGE examples. Available free.
  • X3D-Edit Auto Installer is available online for various operating systems (Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris and other Unix).
  • X3D-Edit is available online at http://www.web3d.org/x3d/content/X3D-Edit.zip
    http://www.web3d.org/x3d/content/README.X3D-Edit.html
  • X3D-Edit Authoring Tool for Extensible 3D (X3D) Graphics provides a six-page summary of X3D-Edit features and usage.
• FluxStudio (formerly VizX3D) is an easy-to-use, inexpensive, general-purpose, visually oriented, 3D modeling and animating application from Media Machines.
• SwirlX3D is an X3D/VRML authoring environment from Pinecoast Software.
• Wings3D is a free open-source X3D/VRML authoring environment.
• Blender is an open-source 3D authoring tool that includes support for X3D export. Some external plugins are also available.
  • BitManagement X3D exporter
  • BitBucket X3D exporter
• Project RawKee: X3D Exporter Plug-in for Maya by Aaron Bergstrom
• Rez provides an open-source framework and tools for translating planetary terrain data and images to different formats including multiresolution versions optimised for web browsing.
• AC3D is a small, simple, easy-to-learn 3D authoring tool that includes support for X3D export.
• Altova XMLSpy is an XML development environment for modeling, editing, debugging and transforming XML technologies. The X3D-Edit distribution enables XMLSpy support for X3D editing and validation, using either X3D DTD or schema.
  • X3D-XmlSpyProject.spp is an overview project for X3D specification-development work
  • ContentCatalog.spp project files are provided with each example archive

Authoring Support

• X3D Specifications page includes downloads and related links. (Publicly available X3D and VRML97 specifications are bundled in X3D-Edit.)
• X3D Scene Authoring Hints provides author guidance and examples for contributing scenes to the X3D examples, VRML97 Sourcebook, Conformance and SAVAGE archives.
• X3D Tooltips provide hints for each node and field in X3D. Available in
  English (online at http://www.web3d.org/x3d/content/X3dTooltips.html),
  Chinese (online at http://www.web3d.org/x3d/content/X3dTooltipsChinese.html),
  French (online at http://www.web3d.org/x3d/content/X3dTooltipsFrench.html),
  German (online at http://www.web3d.org/x3d/content/X3dTooltipsGerman.html),
  Italian (online at http://www.web3d.org/x3d/content/X3dTooltipsItalian.html),
  Portuguese (online at http://www.web3d.org/x3d/content/X3dTooltipsPortuguese.html) and
  Spanish (online at http://www.web3d.org/x3d/content/X3dTooltipsSpanish.html)
• Vapour Technology: VRML Authoring Tools for computing orientations (Dizzy, Peek, SpinDoctor and Twister)
• Pellucid is a Java applet that simulates the VRML/X3D illumination model given a default view of a sphere, a default directional light with direction [ -1 -1 -1 ], and a default material
• NIST Plugin and Browser Detector for server-side determination of VRML or X3D browser in use
• ParaView parallel visualization application to visualize large data sets.

Books

• X3D for Web Authors by Don Brutzman and Len Daly, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, Elsevier, April 2007. Online at http://x3dGraphics.com (with a 20% publisher discount and free shipping)
• VRML 2.0 Sourcebook by Andrea L. Ames, David R. Nadeau, and John L. Moreland, Published by John Wiley & Sons, 1996.

Conversion and Translation Tools

• NIST VRML to X3D Translator is written by Qiming Wang and is a bundled source/jar in X3D-Edit. The X3D-Edit distribution includes an updated version of the Translator (also .zip and Javadoc).
• Xj3D Open Source for X3D/VRML97 includes a command-line X3D translator between XML encoding (.x3d), Classic VRML encoding (.x3dv) and VRML97 encoding (.wrl).
• X3D-Edit includes embedded and command-line translation tools using XSLT stylesheets:
  • Conversion to ClassicVRML (.x3dv encoding): X3dToX3dvClassicVrmlEncoding.xslt, X3dToVrml97.xslt -fileEncoding=ClassicVRML and X3dToX3dvClassicVrmlEncoding.bat
  • Backwards compatibility with VRML 97 (.wrl encoding): X3dToVrml97.xslt and X3dToVrml97.bat
  • Tagset pretty-printing in XHTML (.html encoding), includes cross linking of DEF/USE/ROUTE/etc.: X3dToXhtml.xslt and X3dToXhtml.bat
• Okino Polytrans can convert many different file formats to/from VRML97
• Chisel VRML Optimisation Tool with new version autoinstaller and documentation provided by Halden Virtual Reality Centre. Originally built by Trapezium and maintained by NIST.
• Media Machines has excellent converters for KML, 3DS Max, Maya and Unreal.
• Accutrans 3D by MicroMouse Productions provides accurate translation of 3D geometry between the file formats used by many popular modeling programs.
• Unreal Realm of Concepts: Unreal to X3D Exporter by Dave Arendash

Examples

The X3D Examples archives demonstrate how X3D nodes and scenes work. Over 2600 .x3d example scenes are provided, available individually online or collected together as fully complete, downloadable, installable .zip archives. These examples are all protected under an open source license and provided free for any use.

Currently each example is provided in multiple file encodings: XML (.x3d), ClassicVRML (.x3dv), VRML97 (.wrl) and pretty-print XHTML (.html) form. Compressed Binary Encoding (.x3db) and X3D Canonicalization (C14N) formats were added summer 2006.

• Example test scene: HelloWorld (.x3d .x3dv .wrl .html .x3db and C14N)
• Basic X3D Examples
  • A wide variety of basic examples are provided.
  • Online at http://www.web3d.org/x3d/content/examples/Basic
  • Compressed version (~108 MB) at X3dExamplesBasic.zip
  • Subversion master source at http://svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/x3d/examples/Basic
• NIST Conformance Suite X3D Examples
  • The Conformance Examples were authored by NIST and automatically converted into X3D.
  • Online at http://www.web3d.org/x3d/content/examples/ConformanceNist
  • Compressed version (~150 MB) at X3dExamplesConformanceNist.zip
  • Subversion master source at http://svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/x3d/examples/ConformanceNist
• VRML 2.0 Sourcebook X3D Examples
  • The VRML 2.0 Sourcebook is an outstanding textbook covering the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) 97.
  • Online at http://www.web3d.org/x3d/content/examples/Vrml2.0Sourcebook
  • Compressed version (~11 MB) at X3dExamplesVrml2.0Sourcebook.zip
  • Subversion master source at http://svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/x3d/examples/Vrml2.0Sourcebook
• Savage X3D Examples
  • NPS Scenario Authoring and Visualization for Advanced Graphical Environments (SAVAGE) library is an open-source set of models used for defense simulation.
  • Online at https://savage.nps.edu/Savage
  • Compressed version (~108 MB) at X3dExamplesSavage.zip
  • A Savage paper is also provided.
  • Subversion master source at https://savage.nps.edu/svn/nps/Savage
• SavageDefense X3D Examples (restricted access)
  • NPS SavageDefense library is an open-source set of models used for defense simulation. Access is restricted to NPS partners working on government-sponsored projects.
  • Online at https://savagedefense.nps.navy.mil/SavageDefense
  • Compressed version (~108 MB) at X3dExamplesSavageDefense.zip
  • Subversion master source at https://savagedefense.nps.navy.mil/svn/nps/SavageDefense
• X3D for Web Authors Examples
  • A wide variety of basic examples are provided.
  • Online at http://x3dGraphics.com/examples/X3dForWebAuthors
  • Compressed version (~108 MB) at X3dExamplesX3dForWebAuthors.zip
  • Subversion master source at http://svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/x3d/examples/X3dForWebAuthors

The Web3D Art archive displays many excellent X3D and VRML examples.

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The following known limitation applies to some .x3d scenes in the Web3D example archives:

• Scripts written in Java still follow VRML 97 scripting model, not X3D Scene Authoring Interface (SAI). Meanwhile, scripts written in EcmaScript work fine and are all updated to X3D 3.0.

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License

• An open-source license is applied to X3D models and source code produced by NPS (and others) for the various Web3D and Savage model archives. Typically one of the following meta tags is included in archived X3D scenes:

  <meta name="license" content="../../license.html">
  

  <meta name="license" content="http://www.web3d.org/x3d/content/examples/license.html">
  

  <meta name="license" content="http://savage.moves.nps.navy.mil/Savage/license.html">
  

  The license is available as license.html and also available in plain-text form as license.txt for embedding in source-code files. Under the terms of this BSD open-source license both commercial & noncommercial uses are permitted, and the contributing authors retain original copyright as appropriate. This license can be adapted for use by other open-source contributors, if desired. Discussion, rationale and references regarding this license are available via the XMSF bugtracker license entry.

PowerPoint Support

• Installing Cortona VRML Browser as a PowerPoint Control (also in .html) by Don Brutzman, Curt Blais and the SAVAGE group

References

• Extensible 3D (X3D) Graphics
• Extensible 3D (X3D) Specifications
• Extensible 3D (X3D) Specification Feedback Form
• Extensible 3D (X3D) MIME Types for proper configuration of http servers
• VRML 97 Specification
• VRML 2.0 Sourcebook by Andrea L. Ames, David R. Nadeau and John L. Moreland
• Floppy's Web3D Guide
• Don Brutzman's X3D/VRML course page
• X3D: Extensible 3D graphics for Web Authors by Don Brutzman and Leonard Daly

Transitional DTD support: installing the X3D DTD locally

• Install X3D-Edit, or
• Save the final DTD http://www.web3d.org/specifications/x3d-3.0.dtd locally as
  file:///www.web3d.org/TaskGroups/x3d/translation/x3d-3.0.dtd
  in the root directory of the installation disk drive. Usually C:\ is the default location.

Contact

Questions, suggestions and comments about these resources are welcome. Please send them to Don Brutzman (brutzman at nps.navy.mil)

Available online at http://www.web3d.org/x3d/content/examples/help.html

Revised: 4 June 2007