Article:		Extensible 3D: XML Meets VRML
Subject:		SVG?
Date:		2003-08-08 01:45:44
From:		Daniel Zambonini
This is all pretty exciting. What would be even more exciting is if the viewer apps allowed you to mix svg and x3d syntax, therefore having an 'all in one' visualisation app.

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• SVG?
  2003-08-08 06:48:24 Len Bullard [Reply]
  
  It has been discussed, but I've not been part of that discussion. I do know that the X3D design team very much wants to work with the SVG design team on such.

  
  For example, X3D has a materials object which is, as illustrated in the article, used to provide detailed surfaces. One way to mix SVG might be to create an SVG materials node.

  
  So the technical approach to what can be shared is wide open. My intuition is that the current work on XML binaries may also push some of this to the top of the stack.
  
  

  • SVG?
    2003-08-19 07:27:53 Robin Berjon [Reply]
    
    Mixing both would definitely be very nice. But tell me, it seems there are no namespaces in X3D! Why is that? It'll make the integration a little harder.

    
    Apart from that, there might not need much to be done. If X3D has a modularised DTD/XSD/RNG then it should be possible to mix the grammars easily.
    
    
    

    • SVG?
      2003-08-26 12:38:26 Len Bullard [Reply]
      
      Because they were a late breaking event at the time and no one came up with a good reason to use them. One has to look at the X3D standard and realize that there are three encodings in there of which XML is only one. The actual specification is based on an abstract object model which gives it real power to ensure that implementations interoperate. Namespaces aren't helpful in that regard being simple syntax disambiguators for XML. Mixing via namespaces isn't very helpful. It is the object models that must interoperate.

      
      Otherwise, they were mentioned frequently but the design was already underway and had to be upwardly compatible from VRML97.