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Web Graphics - The Way

Forward

Visualization and Virtual


Environments Community Club

Chair: Ken Brodlie


University of Leeds

Web Graphics 1
An Introduction

Web Graphics 2
Graphics Before the Web -
A Personal Note
■ Graphics life for me
began 25 years ago
■ My first graphics
device was a
CalComp pen plotter
■ Graphics was 2D
vector
– plot
(x,y,magic_number)
– scale (xfactor, yfactor)
ie and
… scalable vector
my first display
wasgraphics
a Tektronix 4010
- same story
Web Graphics 3
The Arrival of 3D Graphics

■ Serious graphics
people realised
the value of
sending 3D to
the graphics
device
– viewer chooses
the camera
position, and
transformations
local
■ Serious money
needed for
Vector General
Web Graphics
etc 4
The Arrival of Raster
Graphics

■ In the late 1970s,


I met my first
raster graphics
display…
■ ...the
indestructible
HP2648A
■ … which could
generate images
on a pixel-by-
pixel basis

Web Graphics 5
The 1970s Evolution

2D vector
Host
3D vector
Computer
2D image

Note the historical order...

Web Graphics 6
Web Graphics - The
Evolution

■ Web graphics
began with the
ability of the
Mosaic browser
to display images
within an HTML
page
■ Originally in GIF
format, now JPEG
and PNG formats
■ Continues to
develop
– JPEG2000
Web Graphics 7
Web Graphics - Images

2D image
Web
Server

Web Graphics 8
Web Graphics Goes 3D

■ Early 1994 Mark


Pesce and Tony
Parisi had a
brainwave
■ Rather than send
images …
■ … send 3D models
across the Web
■ Viewer controls the
camera - just like
the Vector General
in 1976!
Web Graphics
VRML! 9
A VRML File

#VRML V2.0 utf8


VRML file consists
Shape {
of:
geometry Cylinder {
■ header
radius 2
■ nodes height 4
– objects such as }
cylinders and
spheres appearance Appearance {
– operations such material Material {
as diffuseColor 10
transformations 0
■ fields specularColor 11
1}
– parameters of
nodes }
Web Graphics } 10
Web Goes 3D

2D image
Web
Server 3D vectors
and polygons

Web Graphics 11
VRML has evolved from 3D
HyperGraphics to ..

■ VRML 1 allowed
3D graphics with
hyperlinks

Web Graphics 12
.. to Living Worlds

■ VRML97 added
interaction and
animation to
allow worlds to
come alive
Virtual surgery
- Nigel John

Virtual geography
- Kate Moore

Virtual theatre
- Colin Beardon
Web Graphics 13
Linking Software to VRML
Worlds

■ External
Authoring
Interface (EAI)
allows a Java
applet to link to
a VRML world
Java applet

VRML node

Web Graphics 14
Integrating Moving Images
and Graphics

■ MPEG-4 is the
latest standard
in the MPEG
family
■ Time varying
scenes including
images and
graphics - the 3D
graphics being
based on VRML
– Graham Thomas
■ Important also
for binary coding
and streaming
Web Graphics 15
Whither VRML?

■ VRML97 itself is
evolving
■ Revision to
include EAI and
MPEG-4
compatibility
■ X3D to integrate
with XML
– Anthony Steed

Web Graphics 16
What about 2D Graphics?

■ Pixel-based images
are the wrong
medium for
schematic graphics
■ Belatedly work is
underway to create a
standard for 2D web
graphics
– SVG : Scalable Vector
Graphics
– David Duce
■ Uses XML
■ Powerful industry
Web Graphics 17
Web Goes 2D

2D image
Web
Server 3D vectors
and polygons

2D vectors

… and note the historical order!

Web Graphics 18
Why Not Send Software?

■ Java allows code


portability across
the Internet
■ Java3D provides
3D graphics API
building on
earlier scene
graph APIs
– Bill Hibbard

Web Graphics 19
Web Goes Java3D

2D image
Web
Server 3D vectors
and polygons

2D vectors

software

Web Graphics 20

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