Binary compression rates for ASCII formats

Geometry compression for VRML has been an important item on the wish-list of the Web3D Consortium since 1996. It was widely understood that a binary format would be required to allow compressed geometry, which explains why there is still no geometry compression in VRML. We demonstrate here a compression technique that does not require a binary format and that is able to achieve bit-rates that are within 1 to 2 percent of those of a binary benchmark coder. Furthermore, our technique will allow complete conformance between the current ASCII standard and the future binary standard of VRML (or X3D). Translating between the two will not require to invoke complex compression or decompression schemes. Compressed nodes have an ASCII as well as a binary representation and conversion from one to the other is a simple symbolic mapping. The same decompression algorithm can be used to inflate a compressed node, no matter whether it was stored in ASCII or in binary. We do not argue against a binar...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2003
• Where: VRML
• Authors: Martin Isenburg, Jack Snoeyink
• Keywords: Binary Benchmark Coder, Binary Format, Geometry Compression, VRML 2003