This is the fifth in a series discussing the next generation of X3D and addresses the needs and requirements for X3D for the display of 3D, AR, and VR content in the current ecosystem of display devices and environments. The 3D content is displaying in a larger ecosystem of including the user’s computer, browser, Internet, and originating server. As such it needs to work cooperatively within the environment and with other content already displaying in that environment.

This is the fourth in a series discussing the next generation of X3D. Archiving and long-term storage has always been a strong point of X3D. The ability to read and play content from years or even decades ago makes it unsurpassed in the 3D world. X3D has human-readable formats that can be used for archiving so that the content does not require special software to unpack and display the file contents. It is important to keep the long-term storage and access capability while along X3D to stay current with advances in display technology.

For 20 years, the Web3D Consortium has developed and maintained a open, royalty free, ISO ratified and well documented standardized markup language for transmitting and displaying 3D content on the web called X3D.

Recent advancements in camera and mounting technology create full panoramas of your environment. These are great for outdoor shots that you just can't seem to capture with a regular camera.

Smart phones and tablets with recent releases of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Internet Explorer can display 3D models from the Web. These devices also have internal sensors that tell the browser about its orientation.

Not all mobile devices and browsers correctly report the device orientation. According the the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Working Draft 1 from December 2011 "DeviceOrientation Event Specification" the orientation is given by three angles representing compass direction (α), tilt (β), and rotation (γ). The 0 values for these is with the device flat, screen up, pointed North.