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SwirlX3D Editor
SwirlX3D VRML and X3D Editor
SwirlX3D is a powerful X3D and VRML authoring environment that displays scenes
as they are being built. X3D is an interactive 3D medium that is designed from
communication over the internet. Not only does it contain a rich variety of
geometry nodes, but it also supports animation through TimeSensor, interpolator
and Script nodes. It also supports user interaction through sensor nodes. The graphical
editing interface of SwirlX3D gives full access to the data structures in an X3D file
and is able to preview the completed scene.
The editor now supports the new X3D components for CAD, Layout and Layering.
Recent improvements include collision and gravity in preview, comprehensive
Undo and Redo commands, clipboard operations for moving branches of the node tree,
and an easier node selection process by using the right mouse button on the 3D display
to select nodes for editing. HAnim nodes have now been added in preview mode.
In recent releases many new editing dialogs have been added to help with the
creation of complicated nodes. These dialogs can be accessed by right clicking
on a node in the Node Tree window, and selecting Edit Dialog.
The examples
section of this website illustrates some of the many uses of X3D.
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Purchase SwirlX3D Editor ($US 129) |
The software can be used fully for seven(7) days before a license needs to be purchased.
Please use this time to fully test the software and be sure that it suits your needs. After
purchasing a license, please feel free to download any subsequent updates for the same version of the program.
Current Version 2.0
Latest revision: Version 2.0 May 24, 2009
VRML and X3D
X3D is the language that brings 3D scenes and interactivity to the
internet, and to standalone applications. X3D is the open standard for 3D on the internet.
VRML gained prominance with version 2.0 (also referred to as VRML97). The current
version 3.0 extends the capabilities of the earlier version with specialized nodes in
components such as Geospatial, Nurbs, and Humanoid Animation and many other additions.
The VRML encoding of version 3.0 is referred to as the classic encoding of X3D. The
classic encoding (VRML style) of X3D and the XML encoding of X3D are really just two
different file formats for the same geometry. The X3D format however saves exactly the
data in an XML format. Although the name VRML still seems to be more well known, the name
has been changed to X3D to emphasize the importance of the data interchange
capabilities of XML. The file extensions for VRML 2.0, classic encoding and X3D are
*.wrl, *.x3dv, *.x3d respectively.
For more information on the exciting activity in the X3D world and for detailed
specifications, see the Web3D Consortium site at
http://www.web3d.org.
X3D Examples
The examples
section of this website illustrates some of the many uses of X3D.
For a wealth of examples that have been created with X3D refer to the exhibition at
Web3DArt. This site showcases X3D projects
that demonstrate the enormous capabilities of X3D.
SwirlX3D uses OpenGL for high quality rendering and hardware acceleration.
The Program Interface
The Main Screen
The main editing window allows access to the full content of the X3D file. Visual verification
is possible during the editing process. All data structures are accessible in the windows that
surround the 3D screen. Nodes can be selected for editing either by navigating through the node
tree, or by selecting an object in the 3D screen with the right mouse button. Changes to the scene are visible in the 3D screen.
The Node Window
The Node window displays all nodes in the scene and controls the selection
of nodes for editing. The node tree is the foundation for the 3D data within
the X3D scene. New nodes are easily created by selecting a node type from a
dialog whose content will change according the nodes that are permitted at the
current position in the node tree.
As different nodes are selected
the contents of the Fields window will change. Other editing commands specific
to the currently selected node can also be accessed by right clicking on the current node.
The Fields Window
The Fields windows is used to edit all the fields of the currently selected node.
As each node in the node is selected, the fields for that node are displayed in
this window and the fields can be directly edited here. In XML terminology the
fields are the attributes of the nodes. SFNode and MFNode fields on the other hand
correspond to individual or groups of child nodes. The SFNode and MFNode fields
can also be edited in this window.
Edit Dialogs
Starting in version 1.3, specialized editing dialogs have been added to
facilitate the creation of more complicated nodes. All nodes can be fully
edited in the main screen. However, for nodes such as the background nodes
illustrated here, a specialized dialog can ease the creation process. More
such dialogs are planned to be added in the version 1 series of releases.
The Environment Window
The environment window gives access to the Named Nodes, Routes, Protos,
Extern Protos, Imports and Exports for the scene. The named nodes and routes
are the basis of the animations that can be programmed into X3D.
The protos and extern protos are user defined nodes that can be created to
simplify the file and can be an aid in the reuse of commonly used structures.
Imports and exports can also be used in interchange data structures between X3D files.
The Preview Screen
The preview mode allows the running of the scene to verify animation, TimeSensors,
Interpolators and behavior resulting from user interaction. When an animation behavior
is added to the scene in the edit screen, it is necessary to start the preview mode
to see the results of the animation. For behavior that is bound such as a background
or fog, it is also necessary to start the scene running. The same is also true for sounds.
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