Interactive 3D graphics for the Web, at last

Up until now, interactive 3D graphics have not been available on the World Wide Web, even though almost all PCs as well as mobile and embedded devices already contain high-performance 3D graphics hardware to process it.

 The German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence and Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research report that they have teamed up to change that. In a joint press release published at Phys.Org, they report they "are working to describe computer scenes in spatial detail directly within the websites’ code."

The German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) in Saarbrücken and the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research (Fraunhofer IGD) in Darmstadt have agreed on a common proposal to extend the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) to also include advanced graphics capabilities.

"The proposal allows for easily describing 3D geometry, its material properties (shaders), lights, and virtual cameras as new HTML elements. "These elements can be used almost exactly like existing HTML elements. Therefore, millions of Web developers can quickly begin to include interactive 3D visualizations in their Web applications," says Philipp Slusallek, professor for computer graphics at Saarland University and scientific director in the DFKI and in the Intel Visual Computing Institute (VCI).

Here's a synopsis of the potential benefits to be seen from the project, as stated by Kristian Sons, head of the XML3D research group at DFKI/VCI:

"The proposed declarative extension to HTML offers a high-level approach for Web developers, extending the low-level procedural approach to talk to graphics hardware now offered by WebGL. "Instead of requiring Web developers to become WebGL experts or learn new APIs, we are adding advanced graphics capabilities to HTML, allowing Web developers to reuse their existing skills and directly apply the Web technology they use on a daily basis."
WebGL, or Web Graphics Library, is a JavaScript API for rendering interactive 3D graphics and 2D graphics [2] within any compatible web browser without the use of plug-ins. (Wikipedia)

At least two implementations will be made available, the groups say: For the short term a JavaScript implementation using WebGL for rendering will allow developers to get started immediately, while a native implementation integrated within the browser will offer optimal performance and full functionality.

The two institutes originally each had their own proposals, namely X3DOM and XML3D, but recently joined forces to define a common standard. The two groups distilled their technologies into the essential components needed for bringing interactive and highly dynamic 3D graphics to the declarative world of HTML.

Source : http://www.zdnet.com/interactive-3d-graphics-for-the-web-at-last-7000002417/