ActiveVRML: nice but orthogonal

Rodger Lea (rodger@csl.sony.co.jp)
Fri, 08 Dec 95 10:30:57 +0900


We at Sony have spent a lot of time over the last few months working
with Mitra on behavioural aspects of VRML. The current MSS
proposal espresents the results of that work, plus the
considerable interaction Mitra has had with Gavin, SDCS, the list etc.

Our basic position throughout these discussion, and the basis of our
original proposal, is the VRML should be used to describe 3D objects
and the manipulation of those object should be done with a progeamming
language.

ActiveVRML is a nice language, but we view it as orthogonal to the
issue of VRML standardisation. ActiveVRML 'imports' VRML descriptions
into the language and manipulates them as it manipulates any other
data structure. Hence, in our view, ActiveVRML is a candidate for the
progeamming language not for VRML.

As such, if people want to use ActiveVRML scripts as part of their
VRML descriptions, they can. In the same way that they can use TCL,
Java or Python. I'm sure we at Sony will, if there is sufficient
interest in activeVRML, provide support in our VRML browser in much
the same way as we will do for Java, TCL etc etc.

I think we as a community should look to see if there is anything in
ActiveVRML that could usefully enhance VRML, but that we should trsat
ActiveVRML as an alternative scripting language.

regards

rodger

MSS proposal: http://earth.path.net/mitra/papers/vrml-behaviors.html
Sony : http://www.csl.sony.co.jp/project/VS/index.html


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