Developing the VRML 97 international standard

With the recent advance of Web and its associated technologies, information sharing on distribute computing environments has gained a great amount of attention from many researchers in many application areas, such as medicine, engineering, and business. One basic requirement of distributed medical consultation systems is that geographically dispersed, disparate participants are allowed to exchange information readily with each other. Such software also needs to be supported on a broad range of computer platforms to increase the softwares accessibility. In this paper, the development of world-wide-web based medical consultation system for radiology imaging is addressed to provide platform independence and greater accessibility. The system supports sharing of 3-dimensional objects. We use VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language), which is the defacto standard in 3-D modeling on the Web. 3-D objects are reconstructed from CT or MRI volume data using a VRML format, which can be viewed and manipulated easily in Web-browsers with a VRML plug-in. A Marching cubes method is used in the transformation of scanned volume data sets to polygonal surfaces of VRML. A decimation algorithm is adopted to reduce the number of meshes in the resulting VRML file. 3-D volume data are often very large in size, hence loading the data on PC level computers requires a significant reduction of the size of the data, while minimizing the loss of the original shape information. This is also important to decrease network delays. A prototype system has been implemented (http://cybernet5.snu.ac.kr/-cyber/mrivrml .html), and several sessions of experiments are carried out.

VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) is a graphic modeling tool that is used for 3D representation of objects and animation of their behavior through WWW (World Wide Web). Especially, VRML2.0 has such new functions as enhanced static worlds, interaction, animation, scripting, prototyping, etc. By full usage of these capability of VRML2.0, the goal of this research is to develop a software system to automatically generate the VRML2.0 code for demonstrating product shape, product configuration and assembly process with DXF files as input. The VRML code generated can be used to provide a product information through any standard browser, Netscape, Explorer, etc., on WWW. Specifically three algorithms are presented: one for converting CAD to VRML, another for converting BOM to VRML, and the third for generating animation VRML code.

Imagine being able to manipulate static, 2D data into 3D objects that you can almost touch. Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) can help make it happen, even in a traditionally 2D field like space science. Although visualizing space science data has used high-end computing applications to create virtual environments such as the Cosmic Explorer Project, most space science data is still 2D. Scientists with low- to high-end computers need to develop and navigate 3D virtual environments to further their research efforts. VRML is an ASCII description of a 3D world that can be shared across platforms (Unix, Macintosh, and Windows) over the World Wide Web. VRML describes 3D worlds just as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) describes 2D text pages on the Web-both can have hyperlinks to other resources on the Web. A VRML browser-which may be a Web browser plug-in or a separate stand-alone application-allows users to manipulate objects, fly over landscapes, and interact in a virtual environment. Although VRML is still evolving, software developers are rapidly building VRML browsers for a variety of computing platforms.

VRML —the Virtual Reality Modeling Language— has estab-lished as the standard description language for 3D worlds on theInternet. Although it recently has been extended by features inorder to support behaviors and user interactions, enablingauthors to realize interactive virtual worlds, there is still a lack ofsupport to share such worlds with other users.In this paper we will present our approach on supportinglarge-scaled shared virtual worlds based on VRML by an appro-priate network infrastructure as well as mechanisms to partitionthese worlds. We will show how virtual worlds can be populatedby world-wide distributed users and applications, and the re-quirements to share behaviors and interactions between those.CR Categories and Subject Descriptors: C.2.2 [ComputerCommunication Networks]: Network Protocols; C.2.4 [Com-puter Communication Networks]: Distributed Systems -Dis-tributed applications; H.5.1 [Information Interfaces and Pre-sentation] Multimedia Information Systems - ArtificialRealities; I.3.2 [Computer Graphics]: Graphics Systems -Dis-tributed/network graphics;I.3.6 [Computer Graphics]: Meth-odology and Techniques - Interaction Techniques; I.3.7. [Com-puter Graphics]: Three-Dimensional Graphics and Realism -Virtual Reality;Additional Keywords Virtual reality modeling language(VRML), multiuser environments, subdivision of shared virtualworlds, multicasting.

We are presenting a comprehensive system for fusion of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) data and x-ray angiography, aiming to create a geometrically accurate 3-D or 4-D (3-D plus time) model of the coronary vasculature. For hemodynamic analyses, methods of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are applied to the reconstructed data, resulting in quantitative estimates of the wall shear stress. Visualization is performed using the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML). Lumen and adventitia borders are modeled as surfaces using indexed face sets; quantitative results are encoded as color per vertex. The endoscopic mode (virtual angioscopy) allows an interactive fly-through animation with variable speed along with arbitrary positioning within the vessel. Since this functionality exceeds those of the standard VRML animation nodes, an external prototype library containing VRML and JavaScript definitions has been developed that provides a 3-D graphical user interface to navigate within the endoscopic mode. The control panel is available on demand, but does neither obstruct any vessel features when not needed, nor does it limit the viewport for the scene. Preliminary results showed a good feasibility of the overall procedure, and a high reliability of the fusion and CFD methods as well as the visualization with the virtual endoscopy VRML library.

Our team has developed a teleoperated robotic arm based on the biological model of an octopus. This “OctArm” has several advantages over traditional robotic designs, including the ability to grasp fragile objects with soft compliance, distributed pressure and the ability to pick up large or irregularly shaped objects. The development of an operator interface using a Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) simulation has been a major focus. The simulation is used for both portable usability testing and as a visual display aid during the operation of the arm. Usability tests have been completed in the laboratory and the interface was tested in the field during an event sponsored by the Alliance for Robot Assisted Crisis Assessment and Response (ARACAR). VRML has proved to be a very useful tool for the development of the operator interface, robot control strategies, and training regimes. The use of VRML as a usability tool will be demonstrated.

Стаття присвячена актуальним питанням міжнародних та вітчизняних стандартів оцінки вартості бізнесу та системі правового регулювання оціночної діяльності цілісного майнового комплексу та бізнесу. У статті надається сутність поняття «бізнес», «підприємство», «цілісний майновий комплекс». Обґрунтовано доцільність використання саме поняття «бізнес» як в міжнародному законодавстві так і у вітчизняному. Розглянуто сутність основних методичних підходів до оцінки вартості цілісних майнових комплексів та бізнесу та порівняння їх основних елементів. Більш детально розглянуто метод дисконтування грошового потоку та розроблено алгоритм проведення оцінки вартості бізнесу. Доведено, що використання доходного та порівняльного підходів оцінки вартості в Україні ускладнює нерозвиненістю фінансових та фондових ринків.

Newly emerging virtual reality technologies are giving scientists new ways to analyze data that bend the imagination. In fact, the power of virtual reality is the ability to immerse in and interact with data. This new experience gives the scientist a chance to gain intuition and insight into complex physical processes. Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) is a file format which allows users to access, navigate, explore, and interact with environmental data in 3D on the Web, and to share this multidimensional experience with colleagues in remote locations. VRML is platform independent, available to PC users as well as those working on high-end workstations, and viewers or plug-ins are freely available for popular Web browsers, such as Netscape or Internet Explorer. The authors present web-based interfaces that support interactive, 3D visualizations of oceanographic data drawing on such diverse oceanographic studies as hydrothermal vents, ocean circulation, air-sea interactions, and El Nino studies. The techniques available for scientific data visualization using VRML will be enumerated, and resources for those interested will be given. Demonstrations include real-time El Nino/La Nina data from the TAO network of El Nino monitoring buoys in the tropical Pacific Ocean Fisheries Oceanography model output animations, hydrothermal plumes from sea floor volcanic eruptions, and global gridded data sets.

This paper reflects on the Valhalla project, funded by the EC, its integration of GIS (geographic information system) generated VRML (virtual reality modelling language) with real-time video, and on potential further development of this approach. The VRML model is used to interpret video images through hyperlinked descriptive information. The GIS contains information about the location of objects in the scene, and is used to build the hyperlinked VRML model, which is slaved to the camera control data to offer matching field of view and focus. It is also used to set up and run server based spatial analytical searches to identify and retrieve archived video clips and historic images or photographs on the basis of the objects that are imaged within them. The models are useful in enabling an overview of the area, not otherwise readily achieved, and may be used to request real-time video tours to be scheduled, as one solution to Webcam control contention.

This paper reviews the area of grid computing in relation to virtual reality. The purpose of this paper is to describe our work on the visualization of an areas using virtual reality technology. Virtual reality modeling language (VRML) was used in this work, and access grid was used for data sharing in a grid computing environment to support collaborative work. Access grid is a tool which supports the interaction and collaboration which provide applications such as video conferencing, data sharing, shared applications, and shared services. In this work the shared VRML flies developed depict a lake area surrounded by mountains. We created some 3D-diagrams which show several parameters to support a kind of teleimmersive decision support system. Access grid is used for data sharing in this work and became the framework used in developing a grid computing environment. The advancement of grid computing technology has been reviewed in this work. We discuss our work in developing a virtual reality model, installing University of Indonesia Access Grid Node (UI AGN), and creating a VRML design. We also conducted the performance evaluation of the system. Finally, our performance evaluation shows that during the data sharing mechanism using access grid, the average number of packets sent per second is between 8.979518 < mu < 9.298282 for uploading process and the average number of packets received 25.16244 < mu; < 28.78776 for downloading process

: A process for converting Movie.BYU graphic .geometry files using the AWK programming language is presented, with the intent of future use in scene assembly into Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) file.

: A process for convert body displacement (position/orientation) data to stationary XY view data, similar to a camera position moving in XY with the body, using the AWK programming language is presented, with the intent of future use in scene assembly into a Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) file.

This paper shows an educational software for evaluation of Formal Languages subject. Along with a simple interface of easy understanding and application, it is going to present exercises where the student will visualize the automaton on 3D and shall develop the ‘regular expression’ and in a second moment shall develop a minimization of the automaton interacting directly to the 3D object. For the drawing of the automatons, the software uses tools in 3D, how Blender and the VRML and for the edition of the page on the internet along with proposed exercises the programming language PHP is used. After the accomplishment of the proposed exercises the student will send automatically the answers and the final result of the evaluation for his/her e-mail and to the teacher´s e-mail, making thus the evaluation fast and efficient. This software intends to take the subject in referral from the classroom to the informatics labs and will become more appealing to the student, rendering easier the evaluation. Key words: Formal languages, regular expression, 3D, automat, blender, virtual reality modeling language, hypertext prepocessor (PHP)

On the base of Solidworks and Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) technologies, the virtual laboratory and experiment devices are built up, which simulate the realistic laboratory environment. Moreover, some interactive modes are analyzed and discussed to implement these virtual scenes. Three dimensional cruising, two dimensional navigation functions are achieved. In order to realize the system, the research focuses on designs of three dimensional scene modeling and interactive function. By analyzing VRML principle and its optimization technology, a real-time downloading method based on net management is presented to solve speed problem facing in a large scale virtual scene in a networked environment. The whole system has high trueness shows that the VRML technology is valuable in experimental education.

Three-dimensional visualization forest of landscapes by VRML