First mission: make Google and O3D adopt VRML and X3D

[Hiperia3D - Jordi R Cardona]

Please read:

http://news.hiperia3d.com/2009/04/another-standard-for-web-3d-googl...

I have submitted the suggestion to make O3D adopt VRML or X3D in classical vrml encoding. The option is getting votes.

PLEASE GO THERE AND VOTE! Let's make VRML and X3D be supported by O3D!

Just login in Google account and go to:

http://moderator.appspot.com/#16/e=41eb1

And vote the option:

"Create support for VRML or X3D in classical VRML syntax because it's an already existing standard for web3D and it's easy for everyone"

[Hiperia3D - Jordi R Cardona]

also, spread the word in all your forums

[Steve]

I went to google and voted for this but I am a bit confused. Google is taking it upon themselves to create a new standard for 3D on the Web? What ever happened to the consortium? Are they going to speak up on this matter or simply let it happen? It would seem that google has almost every angle covered on the web these days. It is a shame they are not consulting with the groups that have been doing 3D web for years....

[Rick Kimball]

You can use vivaty studio to export your vrml and x3d as collada.

-rick

[Bruce Lehmann]

Rick Kimball said:

You can use vivaty studio to export your vrml and x3d as collada.

-rick

@ Steve, EVERYBODY tries the "New Standard" bit. I hope the consortuim weighs in on this.

@ Rick, I didn't know you could export to collada in Vivaty Studio. Is taht a new option? I'll look at it again.

[Rick Kimball]

Actually I spoke too soon. It only imports collada at this point.

-rick

[Bruce Lehmann]

Rick Kimball said:

Actually I spoke too soon. It only imports collada at this point.

-rick

DANG, I was hopin.... :-)

[Tito]

Well Jordi, I logged in to my Google account and voted for VRML/X3D. It was a pleasure doing so.

Now, as for the little discussion on the Collada export thing, it seems that the only viable programs out there that can import a wide array of 3D formats and then give you the option to export them to Collada are the pricy, commercial editors. I have yet to come across a freeware app that can do this well, but of course I could be wrong on this, so feel free to correct me, anybody. A good example of a pricy commercial editor that can not only export some common 3D files to Collada, but also to VRML is none other Google's Sketchup, Pro edition. I am lucky enough to own myself a copy, since it was given to me for free by a trade school I went to once. But I still think Google should just get it over with and make Sketch Up Pro a freeware and not have that other silly restricted to the hilt free version available. Besides, they make too much money as it is. And yes, Google should drop that O3D nonsense, it's not needed and that's why we got VRML/X3D in the first place and Collada right behind as backup.

[Bruce Lehmann]

Yes, unfortunately the only collada exporters I have seen are for Max & Maya. There might be others being worked on, but nothing down in the price range I play in yet

[Hiperia3D - Jordi R Cardona]

Thanks for your votes. We need more, as some people are voting down the option. I also voted your options.

I see another entry by Len (Len Bullard?): "Support the Web3D Consortium/OASIS/W3C standards for web3D, X3D and H-Anim given API support for native APIs such as Direct X and open standards such as OpenGL."

Is worth votes too

[Tito]

Well, I decided to checkout O3D for myself and see if Google's hype hold water, so went ahead and installed the O3D plugin on my PC. Now, it seems that their "Beach scene" is the one they have as their showcase world, meaning the one with all the graphical eye candy in display to show the world what O3D can do. So I click on the scene to enter in 3D, and about a minute later this large, surface animated body of water loads up. Now, this world is about 18 MB big, so it will take about 20 minutes for it to completely load up on my browser with my 256k DSL connection. Once it does, I must say that what I am looking at is right out beautiful, almost on par with Playstation 3 graphics. Now, here's the catch: When I try to navigate, I immediately realize there's a price to pay with this level of fantastic graphics! The most I could get with my 2 year old PC is about a measly 5 frames a second! That is pathetic! So be warned: O3D apparently demands nothing less that a good gaming rig capable of playing the latest first person shooters. I am still trying to figure out on how to turn off some of the special effects on the O3D plugin, so I can get a decent frames per second ratio. I don't know if I searched good enough for it, but I did not see no "minimum hardware requirements" to use O3D on the Google labs page. I do understand this O3D is still in beta development, so with that said, they still have some technical issues to work out. Now, my major question is: What is Google going to do with this O3D? A 3D chat platform, maybe use it for a second coming of their Lively site? An online streamed gaming service similar to Quake Live? Well, we will just have to see then.......

[Bruce Lehmann]

@Tito: Just to re-address the collada export thing, there is a little Free program called DeleDLite that will import >x, .3ds, and .obj. It will export those and collada. Basically a game level editor, but works in other applications/uses.

[Tito]

Bruce Lehmann said:

@Tito: Just to re-address the collada export thing, there is a little Free program called DeleDLite that will import >x, .3ds, and .obj. It will export those and collada. Basically a game level editor, but works in other applications/uses.

I do remember coming across the website to this editor about 2 years ago, never really got around downloading it and giving it a test run. But after what you just said about it, I will give it a second look now. Thanks for the tip.....