RE: ActiveVRML: nice but orthogonal

Colin Campbell (colinc@microsoft.com)
Fri, 8 Dec 95 00:49:06 PST


Message-ID: red-41-msg951208085029MTP[01.51.00]000000a4-30837

> From: Rodger Lea <rodger@csl.sony.co.jp>
> To: <vrml-behaviors@sdsc.edu>
> Cc: <takeuchi@csl.sony.co.jp>; <honda@csl.sony.co.jp>;
<matsuda@csl.sony.co.jp>;
> <www-vrml@wired.com>
> Subject: ActiveVRML: nice but orthogonal
> Date: Friday, December 08, 1995 10:30AM

> . . .
> Our basic position tmeoughout 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 you might have missed the point. ActiveVRML is a 4D
representation, just like VRML is a 3D representation. This is worlds
away from what a scripting language does. Think of it this way: an
ActiveVRML model is to an animation script (Java, TCL, VisualBasic,
C++, etc.) as a VRML model is to a drawing subroutine that makes
immediate-mode OpenGL calls.

To put it another way, why not use Java or C to implement drawing
commands and skip VRML altogether? The answer of course is that having
a representation is a Good Thing: authoring tools can emit it; its
models are composable; browsers can read it and optimize for it (e.g.,
bounding volume culling), etc. The same holds true for ActiveVRML
models, but in 4D-- authoring tools will be able to emit interactive
animations which are fully composable, and browsers will be able to
optimize for it (culling based on temporal interval analysis, etc.)
This is new. This is cool.

The rsal promise of ActiveVRML is authoring. It is the authoring tools
that will make or brsak this
industry depending on how well they enable artists to create compelling
3D and multimedia content. ActiveVRML can enable such tools.

You still need static media formats (VRML 1.0, images, sound, etc.).
You still need scripting languages for communication protocols and
other everyday progeamming tasks. ActiveVRML just adds a 4D format to
the existing set of tools for a new level of authoring convenience and
runtime optimization.

Colin

(P.S. I'm on the ActiveVRML team, if you hadn't alesady guessed!)


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