>I've got a quick point. It has been partially addressed by someone who
>mentioned that most of the VRML files on the Web now are simply direct
>conversions from CAD, 3DS (perhaps via LVS) and so on...and are hence,
>as they put it 'flashy demos..'.
>
>To a certain extent I agree and I wanted to illustrate my concerns with
>a simple (albeit fundamentally incorrect) analogy.
>
>3DS (via LVS)->iv->wrl gives 5 Mb file (forgetting gzip discussions for
>now.)
>
>simple authored vrml file is circa 1kB (OK maybe a bit more)
>
>Doesn't this remind you of something....???
Nope because the numbers are way too wrong!
I don't know / have LVS and don't know what that does, but there are two
main points I'd like to raise against your argument:
A. You don't expect everyone with serious experience and years of work
in ACAD, Microstation, 3DS, LightWave, or whatever, to go and buy another 2K
package for their PC / workstation / whatever in order to author VRML worlds
do you?
I can assure you I'd _NOT_ like and I _WONT_ use any other modeller than
ACAD, for many reasons (not really related to the topic)
B. Don't expect all models done in VRML vs DXF translations to be so
smaller and efficient.
I can send you a 1.7MB VRML model I did from ACAD DXFs (rough model of the
city of Bath) and I'm quite sure you wont manage to do it in 50Kb or 500Kb
in VRML!
(BTW, if you manage it you may get some dosh for it...)
So, be a bit careful on these analogies. It is not all that simple.
I'd rather have a compression scheme and let people author the pages the way
they want. I couln't possible make architectural models using boxes, teapots
and spheres... so let that aspect free please
>
<snip>
>Now OK of course it looks better as a big image but the principle here
>is communication. Perhaps I'm taking this line because I ahve no access
>to powerful 3D authoring tools (even though I'm on an Indy I'm stuck
>with Inventor, Showcase and the perennial favourite, ASCII editing) and
>to be honest I'm kinda glad it started this way since otherwise, I may
>have fallen into the trap of the California way - Style before Substance.
But there is also a matter of creativity, ease and convenience...
<snip>
Vassilis