
https://slides.com/sressler/standards-shmandards/
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Standards Shmandards
What an Agenda!
- Very old Stuff
- Old stuff
- Recent stuff
- Brand spanking new!
But Seriously
- The start of graphics standards
- Impact of standards
- 3D Graphics and the Web (VRML/X3D)
- glTF and USD meet in the Metaverse
Big Picture - Why Standards?
- Standards contribute more to economic growth than patents and licenses
- Companies that participate actively in standards work have a head start on their competitors in adapting to market demands
- Research risks and development costs are reduced for companies contributing to the standardization process
- Business that are actively involved in standards work more frequency reap short and long term benefits with regard to costs and competitive status than those who do not participate
- Participating in standards development enables one to anticipate technology standardization thereby facilitating one’s products progress simultaneously with technology
- Standards are a positive stimulus for innovation
Source: Highlights of a study by DIN (German Standards Institute) and the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Technology (IEEE Think Standards)
Graphics Standard Have been Around for a LONG Time
CORE -> GSK -> PHIGS (early 80s)
The SIGGRAPH Core Graphics System, commonly known as the "Core" standard, was published in 1977 by the ACM SIGGRAPH Graphics Standards Planning Committee (GSPC) . This was the first formal graphics standard developed for computer graphics. It provided a device-independent framework for 2D vector graphics, including a set of library routines for graphics operations. The Core standard laid the groundwork for later standards such as GKS (Graphical Kernel System) and PHIGS (Programmer's Hierarchical Interactive Graphics System), which expanded on its concepts to support more complex and interactive graphics systems .
IGES 1980
Regulations like you must be able to see a drawing of airplane for 20 years
NIST involved and went through ANSI
INITIALLY SIMPLE DRAWINGS
WHY?
If you want to bid on this $20 billion dollar DoD contract you must use IGES
Just because something is simple does NOT mean it shouldn't be standardized"
some guy at NIH said this (re PubMed)
Good
- your content is "archival"
- your content is very expensive to create
- care about interoperability
- can catalyze entire industries
Not so good
- you have a unique user interface need
- want the latest and greatest technology
Standards

Takes (a long) time
MPEG
One of the most impactful standards.
MPEG Parts (suite of standards) - Lots!
📦 Breakdown by Major MPEG Standards and Parts | |||
---|---|---|---|
Here are a few core MPEG standards and how many parts each includes (approximate as of 2025): | |||
Standard | Formal Name | # of Parts | Examples of Parts |
MPEG-1 | ISO/IEC 11172 | 5 parts | Systems, Video, Audio, Conformance, Software |
MPEG-2 | ISO/IEC 13818 | 10+ parts | Transport Stream, Video, Audio, DSM-CC |
MPEG-4 | ISO/IEC 14496 | 30+ parts | Visual, Audio, Scene Description, BIFS, AFX |
MPEG-7 | ISO/IEC 15938 | 12 parts | Description Schemes, Descriptors, XML schema |
MPEG-21 | ISO/IEC 21000 | 20+ parts | Digital Item Declaration, Rights Management |
MPEG-H | ISO/IEC 23008 | 20+ parts | HEVC (H.265), MMT, 3D Audio |
MPEG-I | ISO/IEC 23090 | 15+ parts | Omnidirectional Media, Point Cloud, V-PCC |
chatGPT says:
MPEG Impact
- universal format for audio and video
- MP3 for audio created the streaming music industry
- MPEG-4 enabled streaming media the likes of YouTube, Netflix, Zoom and that entire industry
Generated BILLIONS in economic value!
MPEG Patent Wars
- MPEG compression requires licensing
- MPEG-LA (Licensing Authority) now a division of Via Licensing Alliance "the industry's largest patent pool administrator"
- There needs to be a method to be economically viable otherwise will likely fail. Open source however can (but it's difficult) work as well.

VRML
- ISO standards (the documents themselves) are copyright and cost not insignificant $$$.
- The VRML community was insistent that the standard be freely and publically available.
- They negotiated joint copyright ownership between ISO and the VRML Consortium. (this was a first!)
- VRML Consortium published the standard on the Web and made it freely available.

- Carson, George & Puk, Richard & Carey, Rikk. (1999). Developing the VRML 97 International Standard. Computer Graphics and Applications, IEEE. 19. 52-58. 10.1109/38.749123.
Early History
11-FEB-94 Labyrinth Mark Pesce & Tony Parisi & Peter Kennard ??-MAR-94 Dave Raggett coins the term VRML in paper submitted to WWW1 25-MAY-94 WWW1 - Mark Pesce gives Cyberspace paper on Labyrinth & VRML BOF#1 10-JUN-94 Brian Behlendorf & Mark Pesce set up www-vrml mailing list XX-AUG-94 SIGGRAPH meeting, followed by voting WebOOGL/Inventor voting 24-OCT-94 W2 VRML 1.0 based on Inventor @@/www-vrml/arch/0458.html 02-NOV-94 VRML 1.0 draft #1 released @@/VRML1.0/vrml10c.html 5-JAN-95 QvLib released from SGI - Gavin Bell 03-APR-95 SGI, TGS announce Webspace. 13 companies support VRML 10-MAR-95 3D Symposium VRML meeting: Don Brutzman 20-APR-95 VRML FAQ put up - YON was at oki.com 6-APR-95 VRML repository Dave Nadeau, Jim Moreland www.sdsc.edu/vrml/ 26-MAY-95 VRML 1.0 "final draft" features frozen (see vrml10c.html) 27-MAY-95 VRML Arc Gallery - the first tangible collection of VRML. [ sigh, vrml.arc.org is gone - look for crumbs at Construct.net] 13-JUN-95 Intervista released WorldView, Tony Parisi 2-AUG-95 WebFX - Paper Software Mike McCue, Greg Scallan, Jim Dunn++ XX-AUG-95 SIGGRAPH 95 VRML course & first demo SIG, VAG announced. 23-AUG-95 VAG1 - layout plan for VRML1.1 & VRML2.0 [photos] 23-OCT-95 VAG2 - VRML 1.1 proposal from SGI blurs into VRML2.0 13-DEC-95 VRML95 - VRML's first conference. Hosted by SDSC. 4-JAN-96 RFP - Request for Proposals http://www.vrml.org/vag/rfp.html 12-FEB-96 Netscape buys Paper, WebFX becomes Live3D 6-FEB-96 VAG3 - proposals from SGI, Apple, Microsoft, IBM, GMD & Sun 25-MAR-96 VAG4 - pick MW, schedule drafts to SIGGRAPH (meet with ISO) 18-APR-96 Moving Worlds VRML 2.0 draft #1 6-AUG-96 SIGGRAPH 96 (VAG5) VRML 2.0 released; VRMLC germinates; Live3d 12-DEC-96 Last VAG meeting - http://vag.vrml.org/vag/vag6.html ??-DEC-96 VRMLC becomes incorporated - 54 companies paying dues. ??-FEB-97 SGI & Netscape Live3D->CosmoPlayer (Michael Plitkins) 23-FEB-97 VRML97 2nd VRML Conference, elected VRMLC VRB & BoD MEETINGS 4-APR-97 VRML97 DIS Rikk Carey, Gavin Bell, Chris Marrin! XX-AUG-97 SIGGRAPH97 VRMLC press release, ... 24-OCT-97 MPEG4 + VRML Ad Hoc meeting. ??-DEC-97 ISO blessing VRML97 - fastest trip thru ISO ever! ...VRML98 here we come.

1995 VRML 1.0 Final Draft
1995 VRML 1.0
1996 Netscape buys Paper
1997 SGI -> CosmoPlayer
1997 ISO blessing VRML 97, fastest trip through ISO ever!
VRML 95 - San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC)
Web3D 2015
20 Year History
#VRML V1.0 ascii
#House of Immersion Revision History
# 11/9/95 validated - Sandy
Separator {
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"The VRML House of Immersion was created by:
Sandy Ressler (still at NIST)
Christine Piatko (at NIST)
it was based on the original Virtus Walkthrough
and Inventor versions by:
Sharon Davison (now at Microsoft)
Mark Pflaging (now at GWU)
and
Alan Sun (now at MIT).
An Archive of
"The VRML House of Immersion"
- https://github.com/usnistgov/vrmlHouseOfImmersion

A Little Floops

http://www.historyofcg.com/pages/protozoa/
1997
Copyright 1997 Protozoa Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Created using Protozoa's ALIVE!
For more information, please contact:
Protozoa Inc.
San Francisco, CA
info@protozoa.com
Floops Interactive (Season 3, 41-65)
Commissioned by Andres Wydler of SGI
Personnel:
Steve Rein (Creative Director, Head Writer, Add'l. Models)
Emre Yilmaz (Director, Puppeteer/Animator, Co-Writer, Digital Puppet Builder, Add'l. Models)
Terry Franguiadakis (Technical Director, Vrml Scripting and Interactivity)
T. Reid Norton (Sound Effects)
Eric Bergmann (Voice of Floops)
Bay Raitt (Floops Design and Modeling)
Tracey Roberts (Additional Modeling)
Mike Morasky, Eric Gregory, Shane Cooper (Technical Assistance)
Brad DeGraf (Protozoa President / Head Visionary)
"
"
Created using ALIVE!
Text
VRML/HAnim
Humanoid Animation
CAESAR project: First 3D scans of humans
HANIM
Humanoid Animation
Anthrogloss (VRML)
https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=151522


Medical Working Group
(one method to extend/improve standard)
- Was a need (requirements)
- Found funding (TATRC)
- Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (part of the US Army)
- Led to volumetric extensions to VRML/X3D
- Led to ability to display DICOM (the standard for medical imaging)
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/2375625_Volume_visualization_in_VRML
X3D
successor to VRML

X3D the Standard
- ISO/IEC IS 19775-1:2013
- REAL formal standard - not defacto
- Big win - content longevity
- Downside - agonizingly long to formalize (sometimes market bypasses)

glTF
leading via the ISO process
WebGL for Universal 3D Content
- WebGL is GL with web wrappers
- WebGL supported by most browsers and most mobile devices
- WebGL led by Khronos Group (standardization/conformance is good thing)
- ALL platforms..mobile,desktop,immersive
-
3 BILLION DEVICES!!
USD
- AOUSD - Alliance for Open USD
- Apple, Nvidia, Pixar, Adobe, Autodesk
- Came from the movie industry
- Not (yet) particularly web friendly
Metaverse Standards Forum (MSF)
- MSF is NOT a SDO (Standards Development Organization)
- everyone sits around (virtually) and sings kumbaya or at least civily talks to each other (NOT insignificant!)
- Are we there yet? ... the term became overhyped
- IEEE: Have I got some Metaverse Standards for You
- https://metaversereality.ieee.org/publications/newsletter/have-i-got-some-metaverse-standards-for-you
- Some actual value: Digital Twins
- Acting on the physical world
- Tangible Reality: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/363361.363383
- https://vimeo.com/2308292 (when I had hair)
Trick getting your organization to join.
- Both parties sign the vanilla member agreement.
- You draft an addendum.
- Both agree to the addendum.
- Much Much simpler then getting organizations to modify their "standard" member agreement.
created with Google's veo3
Standards Organizations
- ISO
- ANSI
- OMG
- ITU
- DIN
- W3C
- OASIS
- IEEE SA
"The nice thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from."
— Andrew S. Tanenbaum

Randall Munroe, https://xkcd.com/927/
Time is Relative
- 5 years in software is 10 generations
- 5 years in a museum setting is just getting warmed up


Your Archival Content should be stored in a Standard format
References
- https://www.nist.gov/publications/overview-product-data-hyperstandard-cd-rom-prototype
- Standards, the Glue for Innovation: https://sandyressler.com/papers/ressler_ses_journal_march-april_2019.pdf
- Have I got Some Metaverse Standards For You https://metaversereality.ieee.org/publications/newsletter/have-i-got-some-metaverse-standards-for-you?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- Carson, George & Puk, Richard & Carey, Rikk. (1999). Developing the VRML 97 International Standard. Computer Graphics and Applications, IEEE. 19. 52-58. 10.1109/38.749123.
That's All Folks!
Standards Shmandards
By Sandy Ressler
Standards Shmandards
- 173