[GRASS-user] p.out.vrml renamed r.out.vrml (virtual reality scene generator) & modernization

[Hamish]

Hi,

I have renamed the p.out.vrml module to be called r.out.vrml, which is
more correct. For now I have just renamed it in the Makefile, later
(after 6.2.0 is out) I will move the files in CVS. there isn't much cvs
history so nothing will be lost. A symlink has been created so that
GRASS 6 scripts using the old name will still work.

This means no more paint modules, that section of the help pages should
disappear now.


VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) is for making 3D scenes (often
over the internet). This is getting to be pretty ancient technology now,
and the current module can only reasonably output small regions at a
time. There are some newer somewhat backward compatible versions
available:

GeoVRML: http://www.ai.sri.com/geovrml/
spec: http://www.ai.sri.com/geovrml/1.1/doc/

GeoVRML is designed to overcome some of the problems of try to display
real data in the original VRML space. e.g. double precision coordinates,
GeoElevationGrid instead of just a limitted number of mesh points,
lat/lon vs. cartesian, GeoLOD (dynamic level of detail [grids in
quadtrees, binary trees]), etc.

some examples (GTOPO30, world bathymetry, 3D Croatia, Monterey Canyon):
  http://www.ai.sri.com/geovrml/vrml_examples/

I don't think GeoVRML is under active development- superseded by X3D?


X3D is the next generation of VRML:  http://www.web3d.org
It is under active development.

see "X3D Earth at SIGGRAPH 06" news item, August 8, 2006.
"At the Carto BOF at SIGGRAPH 06, the Web3D Consortium announced it was
establishing an X3D Earth Working Group. This group will build a
distributed backdrop X3D model of planet Earth using publicly available
terrain datasets, publicly available imagery and cartography, the X3D
Geospatial Component and related open standards."

also the Xj3D Java toolkit (C++,LGPL): http://www.xj3d.org


I hope someone out there thinks this is really cool & will eventually
update the module to create DEMs with these modern 3D visualization
tools!


regards,
Hamish