Transparent Access to and Encoding of VRML State Information

In this paper we propose a concept for transparent access to VRML state information. Our approach enhances VRML browsers to provide additional functionality instead of placing the burden for state access on content developers. The enhanced functionality is realized as an extension to the External Authoring Interface (EAI). Any application which relies on a VRML browser as the 3D presentation engine can use the new EAI functionality to get and set the state of arbitrary VRML content. In order to support diverse applications, the proposed methods allow not only retrieval of the full state of a complete world, but also of the state of single objects and state changes. Since the results of state access should be independent of browser implementations, we also specify an encoding for state information. Data in this form are either produced or consumed during state access. For the encoding of state information we use an efficient, easy-toparse binary encoding. CR Categories and Subject Desc...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1999
• Where: VRML
• Authors: Martin Mauve
• Keywords: Internet Technology, State Access, State Information, VRML 1999, Vrml Browser