Re: [Plib-devel] VRML Loader issues

[Gil C. <g.c...@ca...>]

> > Hence - since there are quite a few VRML-1 models around and LOTS of tools
> > support it, then we should go with that.  Who knows, we might even get
> > an OpenInventor loader out of it 'for free' and with packages like COIN
> > floating around, this could become useful.
>
>This is not what I've found.  Almost all the VRML I've found on the web
>recently has been VRML2.  And all the VRML I want to use has been VRML2.

Well, all of the visualisation work I do here at my "real" work uses VRML 
97 as the file format - it has a lot more features than VRML1, and lets you 
do some pretty powerful things with scripting and node prototyping.

Have a look at http://www.dem.csiro.au/unrestricted/3dvis/ if you're 
interested to see some of our models (you'll need a VRML browser like 
Cosmoplayer or Cortona installed on your system to view them).

Unfortunately, VRML97 is much more difficult to write a fully functional 
browser for, especially if you're trying to support the event model, 
scripting and audio - hence most geometry importers tend to not do it, and 
only support VRML1.  My plan is to not try to implement the "hard parts" of 
VRML97 for import into PLIB, but to still allow users to import any valid 
VRML97 file.  The end result will hopefully be a parser which will 
ultimately return only the geometry nodes to SSG, but will read any VRML 97 
file without barfing.

>However I've yet to find anything that'll convert a VRML2 file into
>something I can import into anything.

Can you be a little more specific?  What packages do you want to import 
VRML into and what packages are producing the original VRML?

Most of the big "name brand" 3D modelling packages will do pretty good 
VRML97 import and export - 3D Studio Max is the one we use here, and it 
reads and writes VRML97 very competently.

Rgds,

Gil