virtual reality transfer protocol (vrtp) Working Group Charter

Motivation

A large number of network software architectures for 3D graphics virtual environments have been proposed. Most share a large number of characteristics, but remain mutually incompatible and unable to utilize the necessary network services across the full Internet. vrtp is intended to provide the client, server, multicast peer-to-peer streaming and network monitoring services needed for large-scale virtual environments (LSVEs).

vrtp is expected to support networked interaction with a variety of 3D technologies. Thus vrtp is an appropriate area of effort for a Web 3D working group. Additional detail is described under the Motivation section of the vrtp home page.

Goals

• Implement the components of vrtp, maximizing interoperability with existing open Internet solutions.
• Integrate vrtp components using the Bamboo dynamic plugin architecture.
• Develop application programming interfaces (APIs) to a variety of 3D scene graphs.
  These include VRML 97, Java3D, VRML next-generation, Fahrenheit (when available) and others.
• Distribute open-source vrtp software with C++ and Java bindings.
• Conduct LSVE testing across the Internet and integrate results in vrtp.

Previous and Related Work

A great deal of previous and related work is described throughout the vrtp home page.

The dis-java-vrml working group produced a software prototype for the vrtp streaming stack.

Process

Don Brutzman is the principal investigator of the vrtp research project.

Collaboration by other institutions and individuals is welcome.

All software contributions and products will be open source. We expect to follow the recommendations of the Intellectual Property Rights working group.

Timeline

• January 99: startup
• February 99: dial-a-behavior protocol alpha release
• VRML Symposium, February 99: organizational meeting.
• SIGGRAPH, August 99: initial software distribution available which contains a Bamboo framework for client, server and streaming components. Demonstrate VRML 97 compatibility.
• November 99: monitoring component added to the updated software distribution. Demonstrate Java3D and VRML next-generation compatibility.
• December 99: Evaluate research, implementation and deployment goals for year 2000.

Current Status

The vrtp project was conducted by NPS with a variety of research collaborators during 1995-1998. We are now transitioning to an open working group.

Project technical status is maintained on the vrtp home page.

Working Group Information

Description

The virtual reality transfer protocol (vrtp) project will provide client, server, multicast streaming and network-monitoring capabilities in support of internetworked 3D graphics and large-scale virtual environments (LSVEs).

Identifier

vrtp

Chair

Don Brutzman (brutzman@nps.navy.mil)

Mailing list information

Mailing list information will be provided when the working group meets all neccessary prerequisites and has been approved by the Web3D Consortium.

The Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for this home page is http://www.web3D.org/WorkingGroups/vrtp/vrtpWorkingGroupCharter.html