RE: VRML and XML

Mike Dierken (mike@datachannel.com)
Thu, 15 Jan 1998 09:23:16 -0800

It may be more interesting to generate VRML from XML via XSL and pass it =
off to a 3D browser component.
Some sources of information might be experienced in a 3D space just as =
well as, or better than, a text & graphic screen. For example: rows and =
columns of numbers, a network graph (nodes with many to many =
relationships), etc.
You could also describe an XML 'home world' like an HTML home page, and =
provide 'alternate text' for 3D objects in the way that you can provide =
'alternate text' for HTML's <IMG SRC=3D"" ALT=3D""> tag. This would =
allow different ways to experience the same space.

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: David Megginson [SMTP:ak117@freenet.carleton.ca]
Sent: Thursday, January 15, 1998 3:50 AM
To: xml-dev@ic.ac.uk
Subject: VRML and XML

len bullard writes:
> W. Eliot Kimber wrote:
>=20
> > I think that could be pretty useful, especially once VRML browsers =
let
> > you associate presentation styles with element types. After all,
> > rendering 3-D objects is not fundamentally different in the =
abstract
> > from rendering 2-D objects, it's still a matter of apply =
presentation
> > style. So why shouldn't XSL be just as useful for VRML worlds as =
for
> > 2-D documents?
>=20
> While it is possible to write a declarative architecture=20
> for the static nodes (eg VRML 1.0), it is a very=20
> different beast from a real time simulation=20
> language. As to associating XSL, how useful is=20
> it to associate a style language with a presentation=20
> language that already includes all of the presentation=20
> information required.

On a different note, you could use XSL to auto-generate documentation
for a VRML world marked up in XML.

All the best,

David